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COUNTIES 



OF 



WARD AND TIPTON. 



INDI^N^. 



HISTORICAL A.ND BIOGRAPHICAL. 



ILLUSTI^ATED. 



CHARLES BLANCHARD, EDITOR. 



CHICAGO: 
F. A. BAITEY & CO. 

1883. 



PREFACE. 



THIS volume goes forth to our patrons the result of months of arduous, 
unremitting and conscientious labor. None so well know as those who 
havevbeen associated with us the almost insurmountable difficulties to be met 
with in the preparation of a work of this character. Since the inauguration 
of the enterprise, a large force has been employed — both local and other — 
in gathering material. During this time, most of the citizens of both coun 
ties have been called upon to contribute from their recollections, carefully 
preserved letters, scraps of manuscript, printed fragments, memoranda, etc. 
Public records and semi-official documents have been searched, the newspa- 
per files of the counties have been overhauled, and' former citizens, now living 
out of the counties, have been corresponded with, all for the purpose of 
making the record as complete as could be, and for the verification of 
the information by a conference with many. In gathering from these nu- 
merous sources, both for the historical and biographical departments, the con- 
flicting statements, the discrepancies and the fallible and incomplete nature 
of public documents were almost appalling to our historians and biographers, 
who were expected to weave therefrom with some degree of accuracy, in pano- 
ramic review, a record of events. Members of the same families disagree as 
to the spelling of the family name, contradict each other's statements as to 
dates of birth, of settlement in the counties, nativity and other matters of 
fact. In this entangled condition, we have given preference to the prepon- 
derance of authority, and while we acknowledge the existence of errors and 
our inability to furnish a perfect history, we claim to have come up to the 
standard of our promises, and given as complete and accurate a work 
as the nature of the surroundings would permit. Whatever may be the 
verdict of those who do not and will not comprehend the difficulties to be 
met with, we feel assured that all just and thoughtful people will appreciate 
our efforts, and recognize the importance of the undertaking and the great 
public benefit that has been accomplished in preserving the valuable histor- 
ical matter of the counties and biographies of many of their citizens, that 
perhaps would otherwise have passed into oblivion. To those who have 
given us their support and encouragement, and they are many, we ac- 
knowledge our gratitude, and can assure them that as years go by the book 
wili grow in value as a repositoi\y not only of pleasing reading matter, but 
of treasured information of the past that will become a monument more 
enduring than marble. THE PUBLISHERS. 

August, 18S3. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 
PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 



PAIiK. 

Algonquiiis, The 10 

Customs, Indian :!6 

Delawares, The 21 

tlovernmcut, Indian 36 

Indians, The 15 

Laws, Indian 'M 

Lord's Prayer — in Cherokee and English 40 

Mianiis, The 2o 



PA'.K. 

Moiind-15uiIders n 

Pottawatoniics, Tlie 20 

Religion and Mythology, Indian -tl 

Vocabulary, A Short 18 

PORTKAITS. 

Ovornian, .ludgc N. R 27 

Overman, Mrs. Mary .J 42 



PART II.— HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



i>a<;e. 

Acts of County Commissioners, First 47 

Agricultural Society i'O 

Anti-Horse-Thiet' Society '.tl 

Assessment of Property 50 

Board of Health ." 70 

Crimes and ( 'asualties , 92 

Common Roads T-> 

Concluding Remarks '.lO 

Drainage 71 

IClections, First 47 

(i ravel Roads 74 

Library, County ii5 

Lynching 03 

Medical Fraternity 83 

Murder Case OS 

Newspapers S5 

( tflicers of ( 'ounty , From Organization 50 

< irganizatiou 43 

Population of County 50 

Public Ruildings •j>i 

I vail roads lO 

Richardville Circuit Court 05 

Schools in Howard 77 

Surface of Country 43 

Water-Coursos 4-1 

Military IIistoev 101 

P>eginning of Hostilities 105 

Bounties, First 120 

Bounties, 'i'bc Matter of 125 

Bounty JCxpeuditures 192 

Call to Arms, The 100 

Causes of the Uebellion 104 

Chase After Moi-gan 121 

Close of the Struggle 127 

Departure of the Boys 109 

Draft, First 121 

Draft, Second 124 

ICleventh Cavalry, Company B 122 

Fnlistment, Final 120 

Fifth Cavalry, Company A 117 

First Company, The 107 

Men of 1812...." lOt 

Militia Companies I !2 



I'AI^E. 

MOitia Enrollment 120 

Othcers' Record 132 

Party Dissension 120 

President's Assassination 12S 

Record of the Thirteenth Regiment Ill 

Regimental Representation, Howard's 131 

Regiment, Thirty-fourth 113' 

Regiment, Thirty-ninth 114 

Regiment, Fifty-seventh 115 

Regiment, Seventy-fifth 117 

liegiment. Eighty-ninth 117 

Regiment, One Hundred and Thirty-fifth... 124 
Jteginaent, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh 124 
Regiment, One Hundred and Forty-second, 

Company 1 125 

Relief for Shiloh 117 

Result of the War 130 

Roll of Honor 139 

War with Mexico 103 

Welcome Home 129 

TO^VXSHISP HISTORIES. 

City uk Koicomo 144 

Bar and Courts 170 

Births ., 151 

Churches 158 

Deaths 151 

(ieneral Prosperity 170 

Incorporation of the Town 152 

Knights of Pythias 17S 

Location of the City 148 

.Masonry 173 

Medical Profession 172 

Naming the Town 14() 

Odd Fellows 174 

Officers, City 1-55 

Organization of City Government 143 

Schools .and Education 167 

Settler, First 144 

Centre TowNsiiir 177 

Cemeteries 179 

Churches 17!) 



CONTENTS. 



I»A(i K. 

t .ravel Koads 1^1 

Manufactories !><- 

Mills 179 

Newspapers 179 

I'ast ami Present 182 

ropiilatiou lf*l 

I'roporty l^il 

I'ublif Institutions 181 

Settlers, ICarly IT- 

Soil and Timber 17.S 

Wild Animals 1"S 

JlONICY Cltr.KK ToWN-SIIIl- 182 

JJar, The -'U3 

< luuehes l'.i2-20O 

l>eutistry 20:! 

(irand Army of the Ucimblic 200 

Improvement of Lauds 189 

Lauds Entered 180 

Manufacturing 190 

Marrin^re, lirst 188 

Masonic (trder 199 

Medical Prulessiou 20;i 

Mirehauts, Leadina' 190 

Mills 190-197 

Murder, The iiinns 204 

N(!w spapers, The 20:! 

Odd Fellows 19S 

I'olitics 194 

I'o.st Office 197 

Itailroads 194 

Kussiaville 195 

.Sliools 191 

Schouls in Itussiaville 19S 

Settlers, First 185 

■faxes, First 186 

Transfer of Honey Creek Township 190 

MoNiiOE Township 205 

business Houses 210 

Churches , 209 

I'unkards, The 209 

IClection, First 207 

Masonic Order, Tlie 210 

Medical Profession, The 210 

New London Village 207 

Sehools 20S 

Settlers, I'irst 206 

-Society of Friends 209 

Teachers, Present 210 

I1aui;i<on Townshii' 210 

Alto, Town of 216 

Hirth, First 214 

< abin in the Clearing (Poetry) 211 

''hurches and Schools 215 

l>escription of Township 212 

Cus Well 218 

Lef,'isliitiou, Early 217 

Marriage, First 214 

Medicine, Law and Politics 216 

Middleton Flouring Mill oji) 

Mills, Saw and tirist 215 

Origin of Name 212 

Population 220 

Ueminiscenees, lOarly 21:! 

Settlers, First ". 212 

Taxes 220 

AVest ^fiddleton. Town of 219 

T.wi.dR TowNsiiiv 221 

< hurcUes oSi 

I'rainagc 221 

FUctio'is, Karly 229 

Faiiiield Vilhige 229 

Improvements, (ieueral 226 

Mills, Grist and Saw 227 

officers 229 

liailroads ' 228 

Sebool and Teacliers -"3;! 

Settlers, Farlv ' oo 

Soil, The .". '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'. 221 

Tampico Village 232 

Terre Hall \'illage ..." 2:32 

Turnpikes 22s 

T'nion Township 237 

Hirth, First 246 

i 'burehes 250 

I'eath, I'irst '..'...'. -"qc 



Jerome Village 247 

Marriage, First 246 

Mills, Saw and (irist 245 

Pioneer Settlement 239 

Primitive Farming 239 

Roads 245 

Schools 25:! 

Soil, Timber, etc 238 

West Liberty Village 249 

Jackson Townshii' 254 

Births, Farlv 259 

Church History 260 

l>eaths, l^arly 259 

Educational 258 

Elections, Earliest 258 

Marriages, Early 259 

Pioneer Settlement 255 

Roads 259 

Saw Mills 2611 

Soil and Drainage 254 

Sycamore Village 262 

Liberty Township 262 

Churches 277 

Condition of County, Early 268 

Death, First ". 271 

Elections, Early 272 

(Jreentown Village 273 

Improvements, Early 270 

Marriage, First 271 

Officers, ICarly 272 

Pioneer Settlement 264 

Plevna Village 27(! 

Itoads 271 

Schools 276 

Topography and Productions 263 

HowAKD Township 2So 

Birth, First 285 

Cassville Village 290 

Cemetery, First 286 

Churches 287 

Election, First 285 

Marriage, First 285 

Schools 2S6 

Settlers, First 2S1 

Vermont Village.... 291 

Clay Township 292 

Drainage 295 

lOarly Events 29;: 

Miscellaneous Notes 294 

Settlers, First 292 

Tax Statistics.... 295 

Trustee Meetings, Early 294 

Ervin Township 296 

Churches :!0i) 

Improvements, Early 29S 

Ministers, First '. :'.ui» 

i'hysicians. First :iOO 

Pioneer Settlers 297 

Schools ::01 

Settlers, Later 299 

Streams, etc 29!i 

Trustees, Fii'st :iiHi 



BIOGRAPHIC AI. KKKTCHKS. 

Centre Towusliip ;i74 

Harrison Township .'!99 

Honey Creek Township :i82 

Jackson Townshiji 4:!9 

Kokomo City ::o;! 

Liberty Township 153 

Monroe Township :>94 

Taylor Township 109 

Uni07i Township 117 

PORTRAITS. " 

Armstrong, A. F., between pages 148, 151 

tiarrigus, Milton, between pages 98, ii»l 

Johnson, L C, between jiages 182, 185 

Kirkpatriek.Capt. Thomas M., between pages 80 83 

Moulder, J. McL., between pages 200, 20:! 

Philips, T. ('., between pages... 62, 65 

Piichmond, Coi-ydou, between pages 41. 47 



CONTKNT.^ 



PART III.— HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



\'Al.E. 

Agricultural Society iO 

Circuit Court 11 

(.'ommon Pleas Court 16 

Court Houses and Jails 18 

Drainage, County 24 

Educational Statistics 20 

Election, First 7 

Events Prior to County Organization 1 

Finances, County 44 

Grange Association 21 

Justices of the Peace 17 

Land, First Pui'chase ol' 2 

Legal Practitioners 2S 

Marriages, Early 23 

Medical Societies 27 

Miscellaneous Items 20 

Jlurder Trials IG 

Officers, County 42 

Organization oi' County 9 

Paupers 25 

Pioneer Society 36 

Politics, County 37 

Population of County 23 

Press, County ,.. 31 

Probate Court 14 

Railroads 24 

Roads, County and State 23 

Roads, (iravei 24 

Seminary and Library 30 

Settlement, Subsequent 3 

Table of Taxable Property in l.ssl 47 

Township Boundaries, Subsequent IS 

Voters at First Flection S 

Military Record 4S 

Calls for Volunteers .il-oS 

Capt. Montgomery's Recruits 53 

Death of Adjt. Evans 60 

Death of Lieut. I. M. Runisey 61 

Feeling at tlie Outbreak of the War 49 

Knights of the (jolden Circle 57 

List of Officers and .Men 63 

One-Hundred Day Men 58 

Organization of First Company 50 

Organization of Second Company 5T 

Organization of Third Company." .52 

Organization of Fourth Company : 52 

Picnic and Speeches 54 

Start lor the I'ront .50 

TOWKSHIP mSTOKlES. 

Town 01' Tii'TON 90 

Court House, First 94 

Educational 103 

Incorjidration 100 

Laying out the Town 92 

Leading Industries 108 

Location of Town 9X 

Mail Service 95 

Merchants, Pioneer ^ 95 

Mills and Manufactures 110 

Professions, The 113 

Public Sale of Lots 93 

Religious 105 

Secret Societies 107 

Situation in 1.S4.S-49 97 

Situation from 1.S50 to 1855 98 

Situation from 1856 to 1870 99 

Summary 113 

Taverns, Early 94 

» ICKRO Towx.siup 114 

Amusements 125 

Bridges 124 

Drainage 116 

Elections, Early 129 

Fight with Wolves 126 

First Session of County Board 115 

Game Hunting 124 

Habitations, Early 120 

Independence Village 136 

Industrie's, Fir.st 128 

Jackson Station 134 



Officers, l^arly \2'.) 

Parker's Mill i.if, 

Parrotsville 13."; 

Products and Markets i:;4 

Retrospective y.m 

Roads 123 

Schools 130 

Settlement, First : 117 

Taxation, Statement of 129 

N'alue of Lands 12!) 

West Kiuderhook 135 

Wild C.*.t Townsiiii- 137 

Birth, First 147 

Boundaries v>S 

Cemeteries 147 

Crime 1.14 

Deaths, Early 147 

Fire, A Big..'. 1.55 

Oeneral Description i;(S 

Incorjjoration of Windfall 154 

Life in the Woods 144 

Pioneers, The 141 

Press, The 153 

Religious History 149 

Roads, etc ." 146 

Schools 14S 

Secret Societies 153 

Water-Courses i.3,s 

What Thirty Years Have Done 155 

Windfall Village 151 

LiiiERTY Township... i5(j 

Church History ifio 

Death, First 15!) 

Elections, Early 1C9 

(ieneral Description I5t) 

Indian History i.jii 

Marriage, Eai-ly 159 

Nevada Village 1C8 

Organization^ Township 170 

Retrospect and Prospect I7i 

Roads, County 170 

Schools, Early IGO 

Settlers, Early 157 

sharpsville Village 1G3 

War Record 170 

Prairik Township 171 

Burials 178 

Churches 179 

(iroomsville 1S3 

Life in the Backwoods 178 

Marriages 178 

Masonic Lodge -82 

.Schools and Education 182 

Settlement i7;j 

Jefeeksox To\vxship 184 

Cemeteries 197 

Churches 204 

ICkin Village 202 

Goldsmith Village 202 

How the Settlers Lived 192 

Improvements, ICarly 195 

.lericho ^'illa^e 199 

Keniiiton Village 20O 

lyiarket Places, Early 197 

.Marriages, Early .". 197 

Nonuauda Village 200 

Pioneer .Vmuscments 194 

Pioneer Settlements 1S5 

Schools 203 

Tetersburg Village 199 

Voting Places 198 

Madlson Township 2O6 

Cemeteries 220 

Curtisville Village 219 

IHections, IJarly 2I6 

(ieneral Improvements 214 

Hobbs Village 220 

Miscellaneous Matters 224 

New Lancaster Village 216 

Religious History 220 

■Schools 222 

Settlement 209 



CONTENTS. 



BIOftRAPHKAI. !*iKET<'HEK. 

PAGE. 

( icero Township 267 

.lefferson 'J'ownship 377 

Liberty Township 334 

Aradison Township 419 

I'rairle Township 349 

Town of 'I'ipton 225 

Wild Cat Township 293 

FORTH A ITS. 

Alexander, 1). II., between passes 13S, 141 

(ireen, John, between pages 32, 35 



PAGE. 

Jaclcsou, C. T., between pages 442, 445 

Jessup, J. T., between pages 424, 427 

Kemp, David, between pages 386, 389 

Lilly, (Jreen, between pages 416, 419 

Miner, W. J., between pages 206, 209 

iMontgoniery, ('apt. I. II., between pages 66, 69 

I'ershing, M. W., between pages 120, 123 

I'itzer, A. li., between pages 110, 113 

Shank, Joseph, between pajj-es 100, 103 

Shank, Marinda, between pages 100, 103 

Smith, John D., between pages 216, 219 

Van Buskirk, Jehu, between pages 188, 191 

Ward, L. R., between pages 404, 407 




PART I. 



PRELIMINARY HISTORY 



OF 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 



PRELIMINARY HISTORY 

OF 

HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 
rpHE history of a county should contain little else than a faithful 
-L- record of the settlement, development, caste and condition of her 
people. 

Howard and Tipton Counties, although now rich in fertile fields and 
gardens, schools and churches, furnishing to the world more than a pro- 
portionate share of commerce, with an educational development and ad- 
vancement that proudly stand in the front ranks, are yet in their infancy 
There are now living among us a few faithful pioneers who saw the dense 
forests first broken, the fields first opened to Anglo-Saxon civilization 
^ducation and religion. To write of and about such a people is certainly 
delightful. To able and faithful hands has been assigned this pleasant 
duty, but to me m this opening chapter is referred the sadder task of 
pronouncing the funeral notes of two widely different peoples, who once 
occupied and cultivated portions of the soil of each county-first the 
Mound Builders, secondly, the Indians-the former extinct many gener- 
ations before Europe opened her eyes upon America, the latter now 
'reading their doom in the setting sun." 

Upon the discovery of America, nearly four hundred years a^o the re- 
mains of their ancient earthworks, mounds, moats and forts were" scattered 
from Mexico all along the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and thence to 
the lake regions north. The Indians knew nothing of their age, purpose 
or cause of construction. Outside of a few vague and conflicting super- 
stitions, they had no well-defined tradition with reference to them 

The city of St. Louis was a city of mounds, while on the opposite side 
of the river more than two hundred were counted, among which was the 
great Lahokia mammoth mound of the Mississippi Valley. Before the 
desecrating hand of the white man despoiled this magnificent temple it 



12 TRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

rose in height ninety feet ; in shape it was at the base a parallelogram, 
the sides at the base measuring seven hundred by five hundred feet. On 
the southwest there was a terrace 160x300 feet-the top being level and 
constituting a platform 200 feet wide by 450 feet long, upon which could 
congregate thousands and thousands of people, at an elevation of nearly 
one hundred feet above the surrounding country. 

The mounds at Grave Creek, Marietta, Miami and Vincennes, with 
many others, are but little less immense, massive and imposing. The 
walls and embankments in the vicinity of Newark, Ohio, are said to meas- 
ure more than twenty miles in length. Similar walls and circles are 
found all over Indiana and several other States, one of the best preserved 
in this State being about three miles east of Anderson ; another near the 
confluence of Bear and Duck Creeks with White River. The latter is the 
only circle in the State having the moat or ditch on the outside. The 
walls have been almost razed to the ground by the invading plow, yet 
fragments of highly polished pottery-ware are found in almost every shovel 
of dirt thrown from the walls of this ancient metropolis. These immense 
works of man required the joint labor of hundreds for years and years. 
They must have had a governmental head, settled life and agricultural 
pursuits, differing widely from the wild, wandering and erratic tribes of 
North American Indians, who had no settled homes, save a few rude vil- 
lages constructed of poles and covered over with the skins of wild animals, 
which could, in a few minutes, be piled upon the backs of their wives and 
squaws and transported to distant happier hunting homes in the forest 
The Indians of Peru and Mexico had' reached the highest elevation and 
advancement. There, doubtless, was the seat of empire of this unknown 
race that occupied and cultivated the soil of Howard and Tipton Counties. 
There the ruins of great cities, beautiful edifices and magnificent temples 
lie buried in the debris of untold centuries. These remains display a civi- 
lization and science, immense toil and industry, but little less than that 
displayed by the ruins of Nineveh, or the wonderful pyramids of Egypt. 
From this metropolis and center of civilization, the Mound-Builders radi- 
ated, and reached almost every part of the continent. 

The rivers, streams and rivulets constituted .their national highways 
and channels of commerce. Upon the banks of these streams they built 
their cities, towns and villages and cultivated fields and farms extending 
far inland. Upon these waters they transported emigration and floated 
their commerce. The copper ore mined on the shores of Lake Superior 
has been found in a manufactured condition in all parts of the Ohio and 
Mississippi Valleys, and in Mexico, Central and South America ; and in 
return Gulf shells and volcanic obsidian and other Southern products, are 
found all along these valleys and channels of commerce to the Great 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 13 

Lakes of the North — thus binding together by commercial laws, if not 
by government, a populous and widely extended people. 

The Mississippi, with its tributaries, directed the course of emityration 
and settlement. They seem to have followed this great water-course, from 
the Gulf shore to the very source of each rivulet that empties its waters 
into this grand continental basin. It is possible that rude canoes, con- 
structed with fire and implements of stone from trunks of forest trees 
grown here upon our own soil, were moored upon the VVild Cat and Cicero 
Creeks, consigned to, freighted for, and landed upon the shores of Mexico 
and Central America. It is true this pre-historic ship differed widely 
from the floating palace propelled by steam, or the huge ship of war 
freighted with a hundred guns, and manned by armies, that now traverses 
the waters of the globe ;' yet man, then as now, was the master of the 
world, guided by intellectual superiority ; huge reptiles, mammoths and 
monsters, were obedient to his will. It is probable that at the confluence 
of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, two widely diverging lines, the Mound 
Builders met in solemn council to give laws, adjust and determine difii- 
culties between settlements and States. The Ohio, with its tributaries, 
constituted the highways of pre-historic man in Indiana, and several other 
States and parts of States. More than twelve hundred inclosures and ten 
thousand mounds have been counted in Ohio. Indiana, too, is but little 
less fertile in these antiquities. 

Professor Cox says : " Only a small portion of this State has so far 
been examined in this respect, yet the results accomplished are in the 
highest degree gratifying." Prof. Collett, in his report of Knox 
County, says : " Perhaps the seat of a royal priesthood, their eff"orts essayed 
to build a series of temples, which constituted at once capital and holy 
city — the Heliopolis of the West. Three sacred mounds thrown upon, or 
against the sides of the second terrace or biufl", east and southeast of Vin- 
cennes, are the result, and in size, symmetry and grandeur of aspect rival, 
if not excel, any pre-historic remains in the United States." 

The Wabash, Whitewater and White Rivers and their tributaries con- 
stituted the leading lines of navigation in this State. The Wabash 
formed the great artery of communication between the Ohio River and the 
Northern lake regions ; and its whole valley bears evidence of a once nu- 
merous people. 

Tipton County, a water-shed, mostly level and uninviting to these peo- 
ple, is not, however, without her evidences of a pre-historic man. From 
the Wabash they followed up the Wild Cat to its head-waters, in the north- 
east part of the county, and there established a colony, and cultivated 
the soil. A mound and numerous rough and polished stone implements 
have been found. The southeast part of the county was still more densely 



;^4 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

populated. From their metropolis and ancient circle at Strawtown on 
White River, they followed up Duck Creek, and formed a contmuous line 
of settlement on its banks, and inland, through that portion of the ^oun^y^ 
There- a stone circle, several sacrificial and burial mounds, with highly 
polished implements, bear evidence of their ancient existence. Again we 
find the remains of that strange people in the southwest part of the 
county, on the banks of Cicero Creek, another diverging line, near Center 
Grove Church, where humble Christiansnow meet to supplicate and thank 
the God of revelation ; they, too, built a church, the pyramidal foundation 
of which was siity-four feet in diameter, and yet stands out in bold re- 
lief after the lapse of untold centuries. v, m- . •„ 
Howard County is no less fertile, and probably more so, than Tipton in 
pre-historic remains. I have examined some very fine specimens of rough 
Ld polished stone implements found in the county. A broken tube of 
quartz rock handed me by Mr. Moon, displays the very highest skill in 
lessing stone by pre-historic man. There are a number of mounds along 
Wild Cat Creek, and doubtless many others in the county, that have not 

been examined. .„ , 

And here let us pause to meditate upon this unknown race. We know 
that Howard and Tipton Counties, as well as the entire Ohio and Missis- 
sippi Valleys, were many centuries ago inhabited by these unknown peo- 
ple with settled and agricultural pursuits, antedating and far excelling 
in art, industry and civilization the North American Indians. Relics ot 
the spinning wheel, the weaver's loom and lapidary's art are found in 
almost all parts of both counties. Much of our land now in use and generally 
believed to be only recently farmed, was thousands of years ago cleared 
and cultivated. Corn, potatoes, tobacco and other agricultural products 
^ere grown upon the same soil. Since their extinction, great forests of 
trees have successively grown, died away and re-grown. No history, no 
tradition reflects a single ray of light upon these semi-civilized people. 
Long centuries have forever closed to the vision of man their true name, 
their history and religion, their immigration, stay and extinction. 

But through the persevering efforts of antiquarians, collecting, compar- 
ing and contrasting their implements of husbandry, industry and art ; their 
mounds, moats and forts, much of their nature, habits, religion and civiliza- 
tion is being developed, yet the great cycles of time have so completely veiled 
in darknessand night the gloomy silence of the past, that the most sanguine 
antiquarian does not hope to measure by years or centuries the time ot 
their existence in this country. Perhaps when these strange people were 
.atherin^r around their sacred fires, living, loving and worshiping their 
Great Spirit, the Pharaohs of Egypt were erecting the Cheops, the Vocal 
Memnon or some other colossal statue in honor of their gods. 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 15 

THE INDIANS. 

When, where or how man first made his appearance in the Western 
World is wrapped in darkness and dispute, and probably will remain for- 
ever a perplexing and profound secret. Various conjectures and specu- 
lations have been promulgated as true, and written as history, which have 
little or no foundation in proof, truth or reason, such theories reflecting 
the anxiety, ignorance or egotism of the author, or prejudice of the ances- 
tor. That they came by the way of Behring Strait from Kamtchatka, 
has little if any evidence to support it; that they came from Europe, Asia, 
or Africa by sailing from island to island is possible, but not at all probable; 
that they descended from the ancient Israelites is absolutely absurd and 
foolish. Science, reason and research are fast developing new truths and 
demonstrating new facts, and it now may be well said that if Americans 
were not born in America, the period of their separation from the parent 
stock was so exceedingly remote as to more confuse and confound us than 
to acknowledge their separate existence and independent originality. 

Volney, the learned French traveler, while visiting America, explained 
to the great Miami Chief, Little Turtle, that many believed his people 
were descendants of the Tartars, and on a map showed him the near con- 
nection of Asia and America. To this Little Turtle replied : " Why 
should not these Tartars, who resemble us, have come from America ? Are 
there any reasons to the contrary ? Or why should we not both have been 
born in our own country ?" 

A white man accosted an Indian as brother. The red man inquired 
with an expression of surprise, how they came to be brothers. The white 
man said, " Oh, by way of Adam, I suppose." The Indian replied, " Me 
child of Great Spirit, me no kin to Adam." 

Be these opinions or prejudices as they may, we now know that a peri- 
od of three thousand years, in the absence of amalgamation and miracles, 
make no perceptible change in the types of mankind. The original pict- 
ures and paintings carved upon the ancient pyramids of Egypt repre- 
sent different types of the human race, as distinctly marked as they exist 
to-day, which features and physical developments have been substantially 
stamped and fixed upon them in every climate and condition in life. 

Schoolcraft, who has used every effort in his exhaustive work to prove 
that they are of transatlantic origin, says : " But whenever visited, 
whether in the 9th, 10th or 15th century, or late in the 16th, when Vir- 
ginia was first visited, the Indians vindicated all the leading traits and 
characteristics of the present day. Of all races on the face of the earth, 
who were pushed from their original seats, and cast back into utter bar- 
barism, they have apparently changed the least ; and have preserved their 
physical and mental type with the fewest alterations. They continue to 



1*3 PRELIMINARY HISTORY GF 

reproduce themselves, as a race, even where their manners are compara- 
tively polished, and their intellects enlightened, as if they were bound 
by the iron fetters of an unchanging type." When unmixed with other 
languages, the dialect of a people are enduring muniments of their identi- 
ty. Bancroft says: "Another and more ceitain conclusion is this, that 
the ancestors of our tribes were rude like themselves. It has been asked 
if our Indians were not the wrecks of more civilized nations. Their 
language refutes the hypothesis; every one of its forms is a witness that 
their ancestors were, like themselves, not yet disenthralled from nature. 
The character of each Indian language is one continued, universal, all- 
prevading synthesis. They to whom these languages were the mother 
tongue, were still in that earliest stage of intellectual culture where reflec- 
tion has not begun." 

Were a few English families isolated from the remainder of mankind, 
and during long periods of time should propagate and people a continent, 
thousands and thousands of years would hardly suffice to change every 
word and combination of words as now used by them. Yet the different 
dialects of the Indians upon the discovery of America were wholly and 
totally different from every known language of the old world. 

Upon the discovery of America, this hitherto unknown race of men 
was scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific ; from the Arctic Archipela- 
go to Terra del Fuego ; from east to west more than three thousand 
miles ; from north to south more than seven thousand miles ; thus 
occupying every clime, condition and variation of the globe, they 
roamed over the mountains and through the valleys, and with their bark 
canoes navigated the great lakes and rivers, creeks and rivulets of both 
continents. The Fuegians and Esquimaux were as passionately fond of 
their ice-built huts and homes as were the Aztecs of Mexico of their ter- 
raced gardens, sacred altars and imperial thrones. 

The condition of these native tribes differed as widely as the climate 
and soil over which they were scattered, extending from the lowest depths 
of barbarism through various shades and grades of civilization. Early 
observations led to the belief that they were all one family or tribe of 
people. Schoolcraft, in his able treatise on the aborigines, says : " It is 
an adage among travelers in America, that he who has seen one tribe of 
Indians has seen all — so closely do the individuals of this race resemble 
each other, notwithstanding their immense geographical distribution and 
those differences of climate which embrace the extremes of heat and cold. 
The Fuegian in his dreary climate and barren soil has the same general 
cast of lineaments, though in an exaggerated degree, as the Indians of 
tjie tropical plains ; and these also resemble the tribes inhabiting the 
region west of the Rocky Mountains, those of the great valley of the 



i 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 17 

Mississippi, and those again which skirt the Esquimaux on the North. 
All possess, though in various degrees, the long, lank black hair, the heavy 
brow, the dull and sleepy eye, the full and compressed lips, and the salient 
but dilated nose." Continues our learned author : " A similar conformity 
of organization is not less obvious in the cranial structure of these people. 
The Indian skull is of a decidedly rounded form. The occipital portion is 
flattened in the upward direction ; and the transverse diameter, as measured 
between the parietal bones, is remarkably wide, and often exceeds the 
longitudinal. The forehead is low and receding, and rarely arched as in 
the other races — a feature that is regarded by Humboldt, Lund and other 
naturalists as characteristic of the American race, and serving to dis- 
tinguish it even from the Mongolian. The cheek-bones are high, but 
not much expanded ; the whole maxillary region is salient and ponderous, 
with teeth of a corresponding size and singularly free from decay. The 
orbits are large and squared, the nasal orifice wide, and the bones that pro- 
tect it arched and expanded. The lower jaw is massive, and wide be- 
tween the condyles ; but, notwithstanding the prominent position of the 
face, the teeth are for the most part vertical. I have had opportunities 
for comparing upward of four hundred crania of tribes, inhabiting almost 
every region of North and South America, and have found the preceding 
characteristics, in greater or less degree, to pervade them all. This re- 
mark is equally applicable to the ancient and modern nations of our con- 
tinent ; for the oldest skulls, from the Peruvian cemeteries, the tombs of 
Mexico, and the mounds of this country, are of the same general type as 
the most savage existing tribes." 

Notwithstanding this first impression, arising from the uniform appear- 
ance of the natives, a more thorough acquaintance soon disclosed that 
they were divided into numerous clans, families, tribes and confederacies. 
The language of some was totally distinct from other tribes ; by many, 
widely different, yet having some words, or roots of words, allying them 
to a parent stock. The Ottawas could no more understand the Choctaws 
than an illiterate Englishman could a Dutchman. Their different dialects 
have guided their classification, which has by no means been uniform. 
That adopted by Bancroft has usually been acquiesced in. 

Lord Kaimes, a writer of great good sense, has not omitted to say 
something on this subject. He very judiciously asks those who maintain 
that America was peopled from Kamtchatka, whether the inhabitants of 
that region speak the same language with their American neighbors on 
the opposite shores. That they do not, he observes, is fully confirmed by 
recent accounts from thence; and ''whence we may conclude, with great 
certainty, that the latter are not a colony of the former." We have con- 
firmation upon confirmation that these nations speak languages entirely 



Nionstichtchitch. 


Agliogoch. 


Iskh. 


Athan. 


Naskh. 


Anaan. 


Paatche. 


L-laan. 


Souguing. 


Aschkiun. 


Ktchidsch. 


Koyota. 


Skoch. 


Ougiinn. 


Nanit. 


Thack. 


Ouskaams. 


Toyoch. 


Kaankang. 


Aughosiun, 



18 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

different; and for the satisfaction of the curious, we will give a short vo- 
cabulary in both, with the English: 

English. Kamtchatka. Aleontean. 

God. 

Father. 

Mother. 

Son. 

Daughter. 

Brother. 

Husband. 

Eye. 

A man. 

The nose. 

The tribes inhabiting the United States, east of the Mississippi, were 
the Algonquin (Al-zhon-kwin), Huron-Iroquois (^rokwah), Catawba, 
Cherokee, Uehee, Natchez and Mobilians ; west of the Mississippi, the 
Dakotah or Sioux, and their kindred. The territory east of the Mississippi 
was principally occupied by the three great families, or confederacies — the 
Algonquin and Iroquois, in the North, and Mobilian in the South, the other 
four having small tracts of territories surrounded by the Algonquin and 
Mobilian tribes. The Iroquois were distributed around Lakes Erie and 
Ontario, and were surrounded by the Algonquins. They were a confed- 
eracy of five free and independent tribes, often called the " Five Nations," 
consisting of the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas and Mohawks. 
The Iroquois excelled all other Northern Indians in the arts of war, gov- 
ernments and agriculture. Knowing well the advantages of their position 
on the great water-ways, which led to the interior of the continent, they 
made themselves feared by all their race. From Canada to the Carolinas, 
and from Maine to the Mississippi, Indian' women shuddered at the name 
of the Ho-de-no-saii-nee, while even the bravest warriors of other tribes 
went far out of their way, in the wintry forests, to avoid an encounter 
with them. Within sixty years from their first acquaintance with white 
men, the Iroquois had exterminated the Ilurons — their own nearest kin- 
dred and bitterest foes — the Eries and Neutrals, about Lake Erie, and the 
Andastes, of the Upper Susquehanna, while they had forced a humiliating 
peace upon the Lenape, or Delawares, the most powerful of the Algon- 
quins, and had driven the Ottawas from their home upon the river which 
bears their name. Though now at the height of their power, they num- 
bered only 1,200 fighting men of their own race ; but they had adopted 
a thousand young warriors, from their captives, to fill the vacancies made by 
war." Their government and laws, similar to those of the United States, 
guaranteed to the people of the tribes (States) the right to manage their 
local affairs in their own way subject only to the general and foreign 
polity of the confederacy. Their union was based upon pure principles of 
friendship and voluntary adhesion. One of their chiefs, Canassatego, in 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 19 

1774, delivered a speech to the Commissioners of Pennsylvania, Virginia 
and Maryland, which is worthy of a Grecian sage in the brightest days 
of that republic. It would bear perusal by modern American politicians. 
" Our wise forefathers," he said, " established union and amity between 
the Five Nations. This has made us formidable. This has given us 
great weight and authority, with our neighboring nations. We are a power- 
ful confederacy, and by observing the same methods our wise forefathers 
have taken, you will acquire fresh strength and power. Therefore, I coun- 
sel you, whatever befalls you, never to fall out with one another." 

THE ALGONQUINS 

were a numerous family of North American Indians, once spread over all 
the northern part of the Rocky Mountains and south of the St. Law- 
rence. Their language was heard from the bay of Gaspe to the valley of 
the Des Moines ; from Cape Fear to the land of the Esquimaux ; from 
the Cumberland River of Kentucky to the western banks of the Missis- 
sippi. It was spoken, though not exclusively, in a territory that extend- 
ed through sixty degrees of longitude and more than twenty degrees of 
latitude. All the tribes of New England were Algonquins ; the tribes in 
Maine, the great tribe of the Delaware Indians, the Creeks in the region 
of the Great Slave Lake, and the Ottawas, Pottawatomies and Miamis, in 
Michigan, claimed the same origin. Traces of the primitive Algonquin 
language appear in the names of places, such as Alleghany, Connecticut. 
At present the Algonquins do not number more than two hundred war- 
riors, included in the tribe of the Chippewas." 

The States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, with slight excep- 
tions, were originally occupied by them. The Iroquois called them 
Adarondah, which meant bark-eaters. At the first settlement of this 
country, they were composed of the following tribes : Delawares — Len 
no Lenapi, Loups ; Shawnees — Oshawano, Chats ; Miamis — Omamees, 
Twe Twee ; Peorias, Kaskaskias, Weas, Piankeshaws — Illinese ; Ottawas 
— Atawas, Atowawas; Chippewas, Missisawgees — Nepersinians, Nipiseing, 
Odjibwa, Santeaux, Chibwa ; Kickapoos, Miscotins, — Miscatins, 
Prairie Indians, Muscodanig ; Pottawatomies — Poux ; Sacs — Osawkees ; 
Foxes — Misquekee, Reynards. 

At later periods : Kenistenos, Crees ; Muskegos, Tete Boulcos, Gens 
de Terres, — Nepemings ; Munsees — Delawares ; Stockbridges, Mohegans ; 
Brothertons — Pequots, etc. ; Wabunakies — Various Eastern tribes. The 
local Indian history of Howard and Tipton Counties is chiefly confined 
to the Miamis, the Delawares and Pottawatomies, who for years occu- 
pied the same territory on terms of friendship for hunting grounds. 



20 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

THE POTTAWATOMIES 

had for a long time been encroaching upon the ancient possessions of the 
Miamis, had established themselves in considerable numbers in the north- 
western portion of the State, had crossed the Wabash and were familiar 
to the early settlers of both counties ; hence, they became an important 
factor in our local Indian history. 

" At the beginning of the seventeenth century, they occupied the Lower 
Peninsula of Michigan, apparently in scattered bands, independent of each 
other, there being at no period of their history any trace of a general authority 
or government. They were hunters and fishers, cultivating a little maize, 
but warlike and frequently in collision with neighboring tribes. They 
were finally driven west by tribes of the Iroquois family, and settled on 
the islands and shores of Green Bay, and the French established a mission 
among them. Perrot acquired great influence with the tribe, who soon 
took part with the French against the Iroquois. Onangnice, their chief, 
was one of the parties to the Montreal treaty of 1701 ; and they actively 
aided the French in the subsequent wars. They gradually spread over 
what is now Southern Michigan and Upper Illinois and Indiana, a mission 
on the St. Joseph's being a sort of central point. The Pottawatomies 
joined Pontiac and surprised Fort St. Joseph, capturing Schlosser, the 
commandant, May 25, 1763. They were hostile to the Americans in 
the Revolution and subsequently, but after Wayne's victory joined in the 
treaty of Greenville, December 22, 1795. The tribes comprising the 
families or clans of the Golden Carp, Frog, Crab and Tortoise, was then 
composed of the St. Joseph's, Wabash and Huron River bands, with a large 
scattering population generally called the Pottawatomies of the Prairie, 
who were a mixture of many Algonquin tribes. From 1803 to 1809 the 
various bands sold to the Government portions of lands claimed by them, 
receiving money and annuities. Yet in the war of 1812 they again joined 
the English, influenced by Tecumseh. A new treaty of peace was 
made in 1815, followed rapidly by others, by which their lands were al- 
most entirely conveyed away. A large tract was assigned to them on the 
Missouri, and in 1838 the St. Joseph's, band was carried off" by troops, 
losing 150 out of 800 on the way by death and desertion. The whole 
tribe numbered then about 4,000. The St. Joseph, Wabash and Huron 
bands had made progress in civilization, and were Catholics ; while the 
Pottawatomies of the Prairie were still roving and pagan. A part of the 
tribe was removed with some Chippewas and Ottawas, but they eventual- 
ly joined the others or disappeared. In Kansas, the civilized band, with 
the Jesuit mission founded by De Smet and Hoecken, advanced rapidly, 
with good schools for both sexes. A Baptist mission and school was 
more than once undertaken among the less tractable Prairie band, but was 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 21 

finally abandoned. The Kansas troubles brought difficulties for the In- 
dians, made the Prairie band more restless, and the civilized anxious to 
settle. A treaty, proclaimed April 19, 1862, gave individual Indians a 
title to their several tracts of land under certain conditions, and though 
delayed by the civil war, this policy was carried out in the treaty of Feb- 
ruary 27, 1867. Out of the population of 2,180, 1,400 elected to be- 
come citizens and take lands in severalty, and 780 to hold lands as a 
tribe. Some of the Prairie band were then absent. The experiment met 
with varied success. Some did well and improved ; others squandered 
their lands and their portion of the funds, and became paupers. Many 
of these scattered, one band even going to Mexico. In 1874, the Prairie 
band still under the Indian department numbered 467, on a reservation of 
17,357 acres in Jackson County, Kan., under the control of the Society of 
Friends, who had established schools and reported some improvement. 
There were then sixty Pottawatornies of the Huron in Michigan on a little 
plot of 160 acres, with a school and log houses, 181 in Wisconsin, and 
eighty in Mexico or Indian Territory." 

THE DELAWARES. 

The Delaware Indians are a tribe of the Algonquin family, dwelling, when 
they were first known by the whites, in detached bands, under separate 
sachems, on the Delaware River, and calling themselves Renappi, meaning 
a collection of men, sometimes written Lenape or Leno Lenape. The 
true meaning of the word Lenape has been the subject of various inter- 
pretations. It appears to convey the same meaning as Inabee, a male, in 
the other Algonquin dialects ; and the word was probably used nationally, 
and with Europeans, in the sense of man. For we learn from their tra- 
ditions that they regarded themselves, in past ages, as holding an eminent 
position for antiquity, valor and wisdom. And these claims appear to 
be recognized by the other tribes of this lineage, who apply to them the 
name of Grand Father. To the Iroquois, they apply the term Uncle, and 
this name is reciprocated by the latter, with Nephew. The other tribes 
of the Algonquin family, they call brothers, or younger brothers. 

The Delawares claim to have come from the West, with the Minquas, 
after having driven from the Ohio the Allequewi. The Minquas soon re- 
duced the Delawares to a state of vassalage, and when they were conquered 
by the Five Nations they were styled women. They formed three clans, 
the Turtle, Turkey and Wolf. 

During the early Virginia settlement at Jamestown, supply ships bound 
for the colony stopped at various places. Upon one of these came Lord 
De la Warre, who put into the mouth of the river upon which these In- 
dians were settled ; hence the name of river and tribe. The Dutch settle- 



22 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

ments traded with these clans, the most important of which was the 
Saukhicans, at the falls of the Delaware River. These traders bought 
lands of the Renapi, who had to strike inland for game to supply furs. 

In 1744, during the progress of the treaty negotiations at Lancaster, 
Penn., the Iroquois denied the Delawares the right to participate in the 
privileges incident to the treaty, and refused to recognize them as an in- 
dependent nation entitled to sell and transfer their lands. The Iroquois 
chief on that occasion upbraided them, in public council, for having at- 
tempted to exercise any rights, other than such as belonged to a conquered 
people. In a strain of mixed irony and arrogance, he told them not to 
reply to his words, but to leave the council in silence. He ordered them 
in a peremptory manner to quit the section of the country where they 
then resided, and remove to the banks of the Susquehanna. They de- 
parted from the council, and, erelong, left forever their happy hunting 
grounds on the banks of the Delaware, and turned their faces Westward, 
humiliated and subdued, except in the proud recollections of their former 
achievements. Again, in 1751, after having endured the dangers incurred 
by the whites, and the tomahawk of their former enemies, the Iroquois, 
they took up their march toward the setting sun. They settled on the 
White River of Indiana. Here a missionary effort was set on foot among 
them, but was broken up by the Prophet, brother of Tecumseh, during 
his popular career of jugglery and imposition. 

In the war with Great Britain, the Delawares refused to join Tecumseh, 
but maintained their fidelity to the States. They joined the United States 
in a peculiar treaty, at Greenville, July, 1814, which gave peace to the 
hostile tribes. In 1818, they again took up the burden of emigration, and 
moved Westward, this time locating on the White River of Missouri, to 
the number of 1,800, leaving only a small band in Ohio. Another change 
soon followed. Some went to Red River, but the mass of the nation was 
settled by treaty on the Kansas and Missouri. They numbered about 
1,000, and were brave, enterprising hunters on the plains, cultivated the 
soil, and were friendly to the whites. The Baptists and Methodists had 
mission schools among them, and built a church, but they suffered severely 
from the Sioux and lawless whites. The Delawares were unaffected by the 
Kansas troubles, and during the civil war, when they numbered 1,085, 
they sent 170 out of their 210 able-bodied men, and proved efficient 
soldiers and guides to the Union army. 

In 1866, their reservation was cut up by the Pacific Railroad, and they 
finally sold it to the Government and removed, and settled on lands near 
the Verdigris and Cane, in 1868, where they still remain. They are not 
regarded as a tribe, but have a code of civil laws, and are acknowledged 
as United States citizens. 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 23 

THE MIAMI INDIANS. 

The Miamis were a leading and powerful branch of the Algonquin fam- 
ily. The tribe has been known by various names, of which the first or 
generic name was probably " Twa twas." They are frequently referred 
to in history as the " Twe twees," and sometimes as the Twightwees, 
Omees, Omamees, Aumamias, and finally Miamis. Bancroft says they 
were the most powerful confederacy in the West, excelling the Six Na- 
tions (Iroquois). Their influence reached to the Mississippi, and they 
received frequent visits from tribes beyond that river. Mr. La Salle says: 
" When the Miamis were first invited by the French authorities to Chi- 
cago in 1670, they were a leading and very powerful Indian nation. A 
body of them assembled near that place for war against the powerful Iro- 
quois of the Hudson, and the still more powerful Sioux of the Upper 
Mississippi. They numbered at least 3,000, and were under the lead of 
a chief who never sallied forth but with a body-guard of forty warriors. 
He could at any time call into the field an army of from 3,000 to 5,000 
men." 

The Miamis were first known to Europeans about the year 1669 in the 
vicinity of Green Bay, where they were visited by the French missionary 
Father Allouez, and afterward by Father Dablon. From there they 
passed south and eastward around the southern shores of Lake Michigan, 
occupying the regions of Chicago, and afterward establishing a village 
on the St. Joseph, another on the River Miami, from which tribe it de- 
rived its name, and another on the Wabash. The territory claimed by 
this confederacy is ably and clearly set forth by their chief, Little Turtle, 
in a speech delivered by him at the treaty of Greenville on the 22d of 
July, 1795. He said : " Gen. Wayne, I hope you will pay attention 
to what I now say to you. I wish to inform you where your younger 
brothers, the Miamis, liv^e, and also the Pottawatomies of St. Joseph's, 
together with the Wabash Indians. You have pointed out to us the 
boundary line between the Indians and the United States, but now I take 
the liberty to inform you that that line cuts off from the Indians a large 
portion of country which has been enjoyed by my forefathers time imme- 
morial, without molestation or dispute. The print of my ancestors' houses 
are everywhere to be seen in this portion. I was a little astonished at 
hearing you and my brothers who are now present, telling each other what 
business you had transacted together at Muskingum concerning this coun- 
try. It is well known by all my brothers present, that my forefather 
kindled the first fire at Detroit; from thence he extended his lines to the 
head-waters of the Scioto ; from thence, to its mouth ; from thence, down 
the Ohio to the mouth of the Wabash River, and from thence to Chicago on 
Lake Michigan ; at this place I first saw my elder brothers, the Sbawnees. 



24 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

I have now informed you of the boundary lines of the Miami Nation, where 
the Great Spirit placed my forefather a long time ago and charged him 
not to sell or part with his lands, but to preserve them for his posterity. 
This charge has been handed down to me. I was much surprised to find 
that my other brothers differed so much from me on this subject, for their 
conduct would lead one to suppose that the Great Spirit, and their fore- 
fathers, had not given them the same charge that was given to me ; but on the 
contrary, had directed them to sell their land to any white man who wore 
a hat as soon as he should ask it of them. Now, elder brother, your 
younger brothers, the Miarais, have pointed out to you their country, and 
also our brothers present. When I hear your remarks and proposals on 
this subject, I will be ready to give you an answer. I came with an ex- 
pectation of hearing you say good things, but I have not heard what I ex- 
pected." 

In 1765, the Miami confederacy was composed of the following branches: 
The Twightwees, situated at the head of the Miami River with 250 
warriors ; and the Ouiatenons, in the vicinity of their village, Ouiatenon 
(pronounced We-ot-e-non). They were situated on the north side of the 
Wea Plains, on the South Branch of the Wabash, a short distance below 
the present city of La Fayette, and had 300 warriors. This village of 
Ouiatenons at one time had a population of 5,000 inhabitants, and was the 
metropolis of the Indians of the Wabash Valley. It was nearly four miles 
in length and a half mile in width. It was destroyed in the year 1791 
under the command of Gen. Charles Scott. The Piankeshaws, on the 
Vermilion, had 300 warriors. In the early Indian wars, the Miamis 
were the enemies of the English and the friends of the French. After- 
ward, in the trouble between the king and the colonies, they were gener- 
ally the allies of the English and the foes of the States. They looked 
upon the approach of the white man with the deepest distrust, fearing deg- 
radation, destruction and ultimate extinction. They loved their native 
forests, worshiped freedom, and hated restraint. They feared the ad- 
vance of invaders, and abhorred the forms of civilization. It is said the 
Miamis were early and earnestly impressed with a fearful foreboding of 
ultimate ruin, and therefore seized upon every opportunity to terrify, de- 
stroy, and drive back the invading enemy. Their chiefs, their officers and 
warriors were found in the fiercest battles in the most desperate places. 
They bared their savage forms to civilized bullets and bayonets, and died 
without a murmur or a groan. In their treatment of the whites, they 
were as brutal as they were brave, and they often murdered the defense- 
less pioneer without regard to age, sex or condition, with the most brutal and 
shocking savagery. Not only men, but helpless women and children were 
burned to death, or cut to pieces, in the most painful manner, while the 



J 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 25 

warriors and squaws, in fiendish ferocity, gloated over the misery and suf- 
ferings of their helpless victims. 

As against Anglo-Saxon armies, no tribe on earth did more to stay the 
tide of civilization, to stop the flow of emigration into their venerated 
forests, and none records so many brilliant victories, with so few defeats. 
Their love for the land of their fathers, of home, friends and country, 
burned in their barbarous bosoms with an intensity that pleads their ex- 
cuse for the most savage acts of cruelty. They were a leading power in 
defeating Gen. Braddock in 1755, and from that on almo^ every battle- 
field was moistened with the blood of the Miamis. The following sketches 
are taken from Drake's Indians of North America : We now pass to a 
chief far more prominent in Indian history than many who have received 
much greater notice from historians. This was Mishikinakwa (by no 
means settled in orthography), which, interpreted, is said to mean Little 
Turtle. In the different works bearing his name, we find these spellings : 
Meshekunnoghquoh, Meshekunmoghquoh, Mashekanohquah, Mesheken- 
oghqua ; and were we disposed to look into all the authors who have used 
the name, we might nearly finish out the page with its variations. 

Little Turtle was chief of the Miamis, and the scenes of his warlike 
achievements were in the country of his birth. He had in conjunction 
with the tribes of that region, successfully fought the armies of Harmar 
and St. Clair ; and in the fight with the latter, he is said to have had the 
chief command ; hence a detailed account of that affair belongs to his life. 
The Western Indians were only emboldened by the battles between 
them and detachments of Gen. Harmar's army in 1790, and under such a 
leader as Mishikinakwa, they entertained sanguine hopes of bringing the 
Americans to their own terms. One murder followed another in rapid 
succession, attended by all the horrors peculiar to their warfare, which 
caused President Washington to take the earliest opportunity of recom- 
mending Congress to adopt efl5cient measures for checking these calami- 
ties ; and 2,000 men were immediately raised and put under the com- 
mand of Gen. St. Clair, then Governor of the Northwest Territory. He 
received his appointment the 4th of March, 1791, and proceeded to Fort 
Washington by way of Kentucky, with all dispatch, where he arrived on 
15th of May. There was much time lost in getting the troops collected 
at this place, Gen. Butler with the residue not arriving until the middle 
of September. There were various circumstances to account for the delays, 
which it is not necessary to recount here. Col. Drake proceeded immediately 
on his arrival, which was about the end of August, and built Fort Ham- 
ilton on the Miami in the country of Little Turtle ; and soon after Fort 
Jefferson was built, forty miles further onward. These two forts being 
left manned, about the end of October the army advanced, being about 



26 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

2,000 strong, militia included, whose numbers were not inconsiderable, 
as will appear by the miserable manner in which they not only confused 
themselves, but the regular soldiers also. 

Gen. St. Clair had advanced but about six miles in front of Fort 
Jefferson, when sixty of his militia, from pretended disaffection, commenced 
a retreat; and it was discovered that the evil had spread considera- 
bly among the rest of the army. Being fearful that they would seize upon 
the convoy of provisions, the General ordered Col. Hamtramck to pursue 
them with his regiment and force them to return. The army now consist- 
ed of but 1,400 effective men, and this was the number attacked by Little 
Turtle and his warriors, fifteen miles from the Miami villages. 

Col. Butler commanded the right wing, and Col. Drake the left. The 
militia were posted a quarter of a mile in advance, and were encamped in 
two lines. The troops had not finished securing their baggage, when they 
were attacked in their camp. It was their intention to march immediate- 
ly upon the Miami villages and destroy them. The savages being ap- 
prised of this, acted with great wisdom and firmness. They fell upon the 
militia before sunrise, November 4. The latter at once fled into the main 
camp in the most disorderly manner ; many of them having thrown away 
their guns, were pursued and slaughtered. At ihe main camp, the fight 
was sustained some time, by the great exertion of the officers, but with 
great inequality, the Indians under Little Turtle amounting to about 1,500 
warriors. Cols. Drake, Butler and Maj. Clarke made several success- 
ful charges, which enabled them to save some of their numbers by check- 
ing the enemy until flight was more practicable. Of the Americans, 593 
were killed and missing, besides 38 officers ; 242 soldiers and 21 officers 
were wounded, many of whom died. Col. Butler was among the slain. 
The account of his fall is shocking. He was severely wounded and left 
on the field. The well-known and infamous Simon Girty came up to him 
and observed him writhing under severe pain from his wounds. Girty 
knew and spoke to him. Knowing that he could not live, the Colonel 
begged of him to put an end to his misery ; this Girty refused t9 do, but 
turned to an Indian and told him that the officer was the commander of 
the army, upon which the Indian drove his tomahawk in the Colonel's 
head. A number of others then came around, and after taking off his 
scalp, they took out his heart, and cut it into as many pieces as there 
were tribes in the action and divided it among them. All manner of brutal 
acts werecommitted on the bodies of the slain. It need not be mentioned 
for the information of the observer of Indian affairs, that land was the main 
cause of this, as well as all other wars between the Indians and whites ; 
and hence it was very easy to account for the Indians filling the mouths 
of the slain with earth after this battle. It was actually the case, as re- 
ported by those who visited the scene of action and buried the dead. 




-^'IS^ y^jrx' 










HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 29 

Gen. St. Clair was called to account for this disastrous campaign 
and was honorably acquitted. He published a narrative in vindication ''of 
his conduct, which, at this day, few will think required. What he says 
of his retreat we will give in his own words : " The retreat was, you may 
be sure, a precipitate one ; it was in fact a flight. The camp and the ar- 
tillery were abandone<l, but that was unavoidable, for not a horse was 
left to have drawn it off, had it otherwise been practicable. But the most 
disgraceful part of the business is, that the greatest part of the men threw 
away their arras and accouterments, even after the pursuit, which contin- 
ued about four miles, had ceased. I found the road strewn with them for 
many miles, but was unable to remedy it ; for, having had all my horses 
killed, and being mounted upon one that could not be pricked out of a 
walk, I could not get forward myself, and the orders I sent forward, either 
to halt the front, or prevent the men from parting with their arms 
were unattended to." The remnant of the army arrived at 
Fort Jefferson the same day, just before sunset, the place from which 
they fled, being twenty-nine miles distant. Gen. St. Clair did every- 
thing that a brave General could do. He exposed himself to every danger, 
having, during the action, eight bullets shot through his clothes. In no 
attack on record did the Indians discover greater bravery or determination. 
After giving the first fire, they rushed forward with tomahawk in hand. 
Their loss was inconsiderable ; but the traders afterward learned amoncr 
them that Little Turtle had 150 killed and many wounded. They rushed 
on the artillery, heedless of their fire, and took two pieces in an instant. 
They were again retaken by our troops ; and whenever the army charged 
them, they were seen to give way, and advanced again, as soon as they 
began to retreat, doing great execution, both in the retreat and advance. 
They are very dexterous in covering themselves with trees ; many of them 
however, fell, both of the artillery and infantry. Six or eight pieces of 
artillery fell into their hands, with about 400 horses, all the baggage, am- 
munition and provisions. 

Whether the battle-ground of St. Clair was visited by the whites, 
previous to 1793. I do not learn ; but in December of that year a de- 
tachment of Gen. Wayne's army went to the place, and the account 
given of its appearance is most truly melancholy. This detachment was 
ordered to build a fort there,, which having done, it was called Fort Re- 
covery. Within a space of about 350 yards, they found 500 skull bones, 
the most of which were gathered up and buried. For about five miles in 
the direction of the retreat of the army, the woods were strewn with 
skeletons and muskets. The two brass cannon, which composed St. 
Clair's artillery, one a three, the other a six pounder, were found in a creek 
adjacent. 



30 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

This terrible defeat disappointed the expectation of the General Gov- 
ernment, alarmed the frontier inhabitants, checked the tide of emigration 
from the Eastern and Middle States, and many fearful, frightful and 
horrible murders were committed upon the white settlers. St. Clair re- 
signed the oflfice of Major General, and Anthony Wayne, a distinguished 
officer of the Revolutionary war, was appointed in his place. In the 
month of June, 1792, he arrived at Pittsburgh, the appointed place of 
rendezvous. On the 28th of November, 1792, the army left Pittsburgh, 
and moved down the Ohio, about twenty miles, to a point called Legion- 
ville, where they remained until April 30, 1793, and then moved down 
the river to Fort Washington (Cincinnati), and encamped near the fort at 
a place called Hobson's Choice. They were kept here until the 7th of 
October, and on the 23d of the same month they arrived at Fort Jefferson, 
with an effective force under Wayne's command amounting to about 
3,680 men, together with a small number of friendly Indians from the 
South. On the 8th of August, 1794, they arrived at the confluence of 
the Rivers Auglaize and Maumee, where they built Fort Defiance. It was 
the General's design to have met the .enemy unprepared in this move, but 
a fellow deserted his camp and notified the Indians. He now tried again 
to bring them to a reconciliation, and from the answers which he re- 
ceived from them, it was some time revolved in his mind whether they were 
for peace or war, so artful was the manner in which their replies were 
formed. At length, being fully satisfied, he marched down the Maumee, 
and arrived at the Rapids on the 18th August, two days before the 
battle. His army consisted of upward of 3,000 men, 2,000 of whom 
were regulars. Fort Deposit was erected at this place for the security 
of the supplies. They now set out to meet the enemy, who had chosen 
their position upon the banks of the river, with much judgment. The 
troops had a breastwork of fallen trees in front, and the high rocky shore 
of the river gave them much security, as also did the thick woods of 
Presque Isle. The force was divided, and disposed at supporting distances 
for about two miles. When the Americans had arrived at a proper dis- 
tance, a body was sent out to begin the attack, with orders to rouse the 
enemy from their covert, at the point of the bayonet ; and, when up, to 
deliver a close fire upon their backs, and press them so hard as not to give 
them time to reload. This order was so well executed, and the battle at the 
point of attack so short, that only about 900 Americans participated in it. 
But they pursued the Indians with great slaughter through the woods to 
Fort Maumee, where the carnage ended. The Indians were so unexpect- 
edly driven from their stronghold, that their numbers only increased their 
distress and confusion ; and the cavalry made horrible havoc among them 
with their long sabers. Of the Americans there were killed and wounded, 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 31 

about 130, The loss of the Indians could not be ajcertained, but must 
have been very severe. The American loss was chiefly at the commence- 
ment of the action, as they advanced upon the mouths of the Indian 
rifles. They maintained their coverts but a short time, being forced in 
in every direction by the bayonet. But until that was effected the Amer- 
icans fell fast, and we only wonder that men could be found to thus ad- 
vance in the face of certain death. 

It has generally been said, that had the advice of Little Turtle been re- 
garded at the disastrous fight afterward with Wayne, there is but little 
doubt that he would have met with as ill success as St. Clair did before 
him. He was not for fighting General Wayue at Presque Isle, and rather 
inclined to peace than fighting him at all. In a council held the night 
before battle, he argued as follows : " We have beaten the enemy twice 
under separate commanders. We cannnot expect the same good fortune 
always to attend us. The Americans are now led by a chief who never 
sleeps ; the night and day are alike to him. And during all the time he 
has been marching upon our villages, notwithstanding the watchfulness of 
our young men, they have never been able to surprise him. Think well 
of it. There is something whispers me it would be well to listen to his 
off"ers of peace." For using this language he was reproached by another 
chief with cowardice, which put an end to all further discourse. Nothing- 
wounds the feelings of a warrior like the reproach of cowardice, but 
Little Turtle stifled his resentment, did his duty in the battle, and its 
issue proved him a truer prophet than his accuser believed. His resi- 
dence was upon Eel River, twenty miles from Ft. Wayne, where our Gov- 
ernment built him a house, much to the envy of his countrymen. There- 
fore what had been bestowed upon him to induce others to a like mode of 
life by their own exertions, proved not only prejudicial to the cause, but 
engendered hatred against him in the minds of all the Indians. He was 
not a chief by birth, but was raised to that standing by his superior tal- 
ents. This was the cause of so much jealousy and envy at this time, as 
also a neglect of his counsel heretofore. Drake says that Little Turtle 
was the son of a Miami chief by a Mohegan woman. As the Indian 
maxim, with regard to descents, is precisely that of the civil law in rela- 
tion to slaves, that the condition of woman adheres to the offspring, he 
was not a chief by birth. 

Little Turtle died in the summer of 1812 at his home, but a short time 
after the declaration of war against England by the United States. His 
portrait, by Stewart, graces the walls of the war office of our nation. The 
following notice appeared in public prints at the time of his death at 
Fort Wayne, in July, 1812: " On the 14th inst. the celebrated Miami 
Chief, Little Turtle, died at this place at the age of sixty-five years. Per- 



32 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

haps there is not left on this continent one so distinguished in counsel and 
war. His disoi'der was the cjout. He die<l in camp, because he chose to be in 
the open air. He met death with great firmness. The agent for Indian 
affairs had him buried with the honors of war and other marks of dis- 
tinction suitable to his character. He was generally in his time, styled 
the Messissaso Chief, and a gentleman who saw him soon after St. Clair's de- 
feat says he was six feet high, about forty-five years of age, of a very sour 
and morose countenance, and apparently very crafty and subtle. He was 
alike courageous and humane, possessing great wisdom." The author 
before quoted says : " There have been few individuals among ab- 
origines who have done so much to abolish the rites of human sacrifice. 
The grave of this noted warrior is shown to the visitor near Ft. Wayne. 
It is frequently visited by the Indians in that part of the country, by 
whom his memory is cherished with the greatest respect and veneration." 
The following is taken from the Howard County Atlas, published by 
Kingman Brothers, a few years ago : 

The treaty of Greenville (in Darke County, Ohio), in 1795, followed, 
and the United States obtained large bodies of their lands in that and 
various other treaties. In the war of 1812, they again fought the United 
States and were whipped by the forces under Lieut. Col. Campbell on the 
18th of December, 1812, in the southern part of what is now Wabash 
County, being the last battle, of any note, with the Miamis in this region. 
The expedition against them was resolved upon by Gen. Harrison in 
November, 1812. Six hundred mounted men and a small company of 
scouts and spies were accordingly sent out from Greenville, Ohio, in 
December, under Lieut. Col. John B. Campbell, who reached the north 
bank of the Mississinewa, near the mouth of Josina Creek, December 17, 
1812, and surprised an Indian village there, destroying it, killing eight 
warriors and taking forty-two prisoners. The troops then destroyed three 
other villages further west on the river and encamped for the night. 
While holding a council of war, on the morning of the 18th, they were 
attacked by the Indians, under Little Thunder, in considerable force. The 
fight lasted about an hour, and the Indians were defeated, leaving fifteen 
dead upon the field and carrying many away in their retreat. 

A portion of the tribe were then friendly to the United States, but 
they could not control the hostile portion. In 1818, a treaty was made 
with them, and again another, on the north side of the Wabash River, 
just east of the city of Wabash, on the 2t)th day of October, 1826, by 
Gen. John Tipton, then Indian Agent, assisted by Gen. Cass and James 
B. Ray. The place was called "Paradise Springs." 

The tribe which, under Little Turtle, sent 1,500 warriors to the field, 
had, in 1822, dwindled down to between 2,000 and 3,000 people, all told. 



HOWARD AiND TIPTON COUNTIES. 38 

They had acquired a burning desire for liquor, and drunkenness led to 
innumerable lights among the members of the tribe, and it is estimated 
that as many as 500 were killed in eighteen years in these broils. In the 
treaty of October, 1826, the Indians gave up large quantities of land, 
but reserved some valuable tracts, among which was a reservation begin- 
ning two and one-half miles below the mouth of the Mississinewa, extend- 
ing five miles up and along the Wabash, and north to Eel River, includ- 
ing the present site of Peru. In payment for this they received |31,000 
in goods ; $30,000 immediately, and §26,000 in goods and $35,000 in 
cash, in 1827 ; $30,000 in 1828. and |25,000 annually thereafter. In 
1838, the Aliamis numbered but 1,100, and in this year they sold to the 
Government 177,000 acres of land in Indiana for $335,680, among which 
was a seven-mile strip off the west side of the "Reserve," in what is now 
Cass, Howard and Clinton Counties, which was by the United States 
transferred to the State of Indiana and by it the proceeds were used for 
the completion of the Wabash & Erie Canal, from the mouth of the Tip- 
pecanoe River, down. A five-mile strip had also been used in the same 
way, five miles wide along the Wabash River on the south side, to con- 
struct said canal to the mouth of the Tippecanoe. 

William Marshall, of Jackson County, Ind., helped negotiate with the 
Miamis in the treaty of November 28, 1840, at the '' Forks of the 
W^abash," in which they finally relinquished the tract known as the 
"Miami Reserve," being all their remaining lands in Indiana, to the 
United States for the consideration of $550,000 and several smaller items, 
such as reservations, houses for the chiefs, etc. Three sections of this 
kind of reservation lie in Howard County, one being the site of Kokomo. 
Previous to this, the Wea and Piankeshaw bands, 384 in number, had in 
1834-35 removed to the south side of the Kansas River. By the treaty 
of 1840, the remainder agreed to leave at the expense of the United 
States, in five years ; but their departure was delayed until 1847, 
in which year they were removed to the Marais des Cygnes, in the Fort 
Leavenworth Agency. The Kansas Miamis at the time of their removal 
numbered only about 250 souls, each individual receiving an annuity of 
about $125. They were removed to the Quawpaw Reservation in the 
year 1873, and now number about 150. A large number of Miamis 
have renounced their tribal relations and draw the interest on their money 
held for them by the United States through G. A. Crowell, of Peru, 
Special Indian Agent, The greater part of these are known as the 
•' Miamis of Indiana," numbering 339 people. The remainder are the 
remnant of the Eel River band, nineteen in number. The former re- 
ceived, in 1875, each $32.73 as their individual share of the interest on 
their money, while the payment to the Eel Rivers was $57.89 per capita, 



34 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

in tlie shape of an annuity. The total sum disbursed yearly to the 
Indians at Peru is $12,000. The births are less frequent than the deaths, 
and so they are going gradually to the " happy hunting grounds," and 
will soon all be gone. These Indians are scattered over the country from 
Grant County on the south to Grand Rapids on the north, and from Na- 
poleon, Oliio, to the Indian Territory on the west. The largest number 
who live in any one locality are on the Me-shin-go-me-sia Reservation, 
embracing ten sections of land in Grant and Wabash Counties. Besides 
these there are a number of other Indians settled on individual reserva- 
tions, some OAvninfj as much as four or five hundred acres of land, well 
improved, with fine residences. The Me-shin-go-me-sia Reservation was 
held in common until 1873, but in may of that year a partition was made 
in which all of the Me-shin-go-me-sia band participated. 

The Indians were not gathered from Howard and Tipton Counties for 
removal until 1846. They went north to Peru, then, via Cincinnati, to 
their Western home beyond the " Father of Waters. " 

Ricliardville, the Miami Chief, for whom Howard County was originally 
named, was the successor of Little Turtle. His other name was Pee-jee- 
wah. He was the party who signed "by his X mark" at the-treaty of 
August, 1795, made with Gen. Wayne, at Greenville, Ohio, by the 
sachems of the Miamis, Eel Rivers, Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Ot- 
tawas, Chippewas, Pottawatoniies, Weas, Kickapoos, Piankeshaws and 
Kaskaskias. 

The Miami tribe of Indians are frequently seen at Marion, Peru and 
Wabash on business or on pleasure. They have pretty generally adopted 
the dress, language and habits of the whites, but occasionally a " Lo " is 
in full Indian costume; and in many of their families they still speak the 
Shawnee dialect. 

It is said there were four brothers, Kokomo (Black Walnut), Shock-o- 
mo (Poplar), Me-shin-go-me-sia (Burr Oak), and Shap-pan-do-si-a (Sugar 
Tree), all of whom were Indian chiefs. Exactly how this was and the 
full signification of their appellations we do not know — old settlers differ. 
Then there were in Howard, Jim Sassafras, and Pete Cornstalk, who is 
buried on Pete's Run. Kokomo was headquarters in Howard County, 
as it is now, and there were Indian villages south of Greentown and Cass- 
ville, and " traces" or paths led from Kokomo down Wild Cat, via N. P. 
Richmond's farm in Ervin Township, to Frankfort and Thorntown ; from 
Kokomo via Greentown, to " Squirrel Village" (Meshingomesia's), and 
from Kokomo to Peru, via Cassville. These were well worn and much 
used. 

From 1840 to 1845, there were about two hundred Indians along Wild 
Cat Creek and in different parts of this county. 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 35 

There were Indian villages or settlements at different places as herein 
stated, and Kokomo was a sort of headquarters for them, especially just 
before and after the United States made payments to them. They went 
to the forks of the Wabash, about two miles this side of Huntington, to 
make treaties and get their annuities there. There were about forty traders 
who dealt with them, and Wash. Ewing and D. Foster, of all these, suc- 
ceeded best. 

Nip-po-wah lived at Vermont, Shoc-co-to-quaw at Greentown, Pete 
Cornstalk at Indian Suck, near the southeast corner of Ervin Township, 
Ma-shock-o-mo one and a half miles south of Greentown, Shap-pau-do- 
sho (Through-and-Through) was at Cassville, and Kokomo at our county 
seat. From here they branched off in hunting parties, and trails led 
from one village to each of the others. 

The Indian Reserve was originally thirty-six miles square, as follows ; 
Commencing near the town of La Gro, on the Wabash, where the Sala- 
monie unites with the Wabash, running thence through Wabash and 
Grant Counties into Madison County, its southeast corner was about four 
miles southeast of Independence at the center of Section 27 : thence 
running south of west, parallel with the general course of the Wabash 
River, across Tipton County and through the town of Tipton, and cross- 
ing the west line of Tipton County about three miles from its southwest 
corner to where it intersects a line running north and south from Logans- 
port, which is the western boundary of Howard County, one mile west 
of range line number one east ; thence north to Logansport ; thence up 
the Wabash to the mouth of the Salamonie, then embracing parts of 
the Wabash, Grant, Madison, Tipton, Clinton, Carroll and Cass Counties, 
and all of what was Richardville and is now Howard, and containing 
about 930,000 acres. By treaty, a strip was taken off the north side, five 
miles wide, to build the Wabash & Erie Canal. The United States gave 
it to Indiana to use the proceeds in that way from the State line in Ohio 
to the mouth of the Tippecanoe River. Then to complete the canal from 
the mouth of the Tippecanoe down, another strip seven miles wide off the 
west side of the Reserve was obtained by the United States of the In- 
dians in the same way, and given to the State, who disposed of its pro- 
ceeds in the same manner. This last strip included all of Ervin and 
Monroe and nearly all of Honey Creek Townships, and they were conse- 
quently opened to settlers, and were settled by whites before the other 
portions of Howard County. 

Within a historic period, there never was an Indian village or battle 
on the territory constituting the county of Tipton. In the early part of 
the present century, it constituted the joint hunting grounds of the 
Miamis, Delawares and Pottawatomies. An old settler says that he 



36 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

was told by Mr. Samuel McClure, of Marion, Ind., that the Cicero 
country was once famous for the great number of black bears infesting the 
present territory of the county. The Indians, far and near, when wishing 
to "tackle" or capture an ugly bruin, pitched their tents in this territory. 
In several parts of the county Indian bones have been exhumed, though 
to no considerable extent. These deaths probably occurred from acci- 
dent, violence or sickness, while temporarily camping for hunting pur- 
poses. Hence the county is without an Indian history, other than that 
t) be gathered from their relics and remains found slumbering in the 
ground. There is a melancholy legend of these people, connected with 
the weeping elm that rears its drooping boughs seventy feet in the east- 
ern part of Tipton, but it is too vague for publication. 

GOVERNMENT, CUSTOMS AND LAWS. 

The Indians of North America, except the Mexicans, were emphati- 
cally a free people. Their powers and privileges were purely democratic. 
Their laws, like the ^'•Lex non Scripta" of England, consisted in usages 
and customs consented to and acquiesced in by the tribes. No man's 
property or services could be commanded, without his consent; war could 
not be declared, peace made or treaties concluded, only through their 
councils, in which women as well as men exercised rights. This freedom 
antedated the discovery of America, we know not how long, probably 
since the mastery of the Mound- Builders by these free but ferocious fam- 
ilies of the forest. The seeds of liberty were sown among the rude 
savages of the United States, and by them transmitted to their Anglo- 
Saxon conquerors. The tree has grown to immense grandeur, bearing 
on every branch the proud motto, "''Liberty, Justice, Equality" 

The government of Mexico was imperial, but all others were pure 
republics. Unlike the Oriental barbarians, the Occidental savages could 
not be enslaved. An Indian chief, on being asked whether his people 
were free, answered, " Why not^? — since I myself am free, although their 
king." 

A tribe of Indians is a body of kindred, subdivided into the clan, 
the gens and the family. The gens constitutes an organized band of re- 
lations, the family the household. The name of the mother follows the 
children and fixes the line of kinship. 

If her father was a chief, her son inherits the honor. In their domes- 
tic relations, she is the head of the family, and through her blood all prop- 
erty, political and personal rights, must descend. If she was a "Turtle" 
the name of all of her children is "Turtle" and they are known as the 
Turtle gens, clan or family. An Indian man or woman may marry 
a cousin on the fathers side, but not on the mother's. The father^ 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES, • 37 

though a chief and crowned with a hundred victories — though he has 
lined his wigwam with the scalps of enemies, cannot cast upon his kin his 
property, his fame or name, and though he be Wolf, Beaver, Bear or 
Hare, the children are all "Turtle," Big, Black or "Little Turtle," as 
fancy may direct. 

When we reflect that the unwritten but fixed and immutable laws of 
God have stamped upon the offspring the type of the mother, and bound 
them together by the most consecrated law of love, who dare say that the 
Indian rule is wrong or that the civilized rule is right? In moans, groans 
and misery, the woman gives life to the world. In painful anxiety and 
eager suspense, she guards every want, wish and motion of her offspring; 
by day and by night she prays for its health, for its happiness, its safety 
and success. She prays, not as the Pharasee prays, but from her ver^^ 
soul she breaths forth deep, ardent, earnest, practical prayers, such as 
none but a mother can pray. Her offspring possesses her, and misery 
or misfortune to them is to her excruciating sorrow and pain. She divides 
not her last morsel of food or raiment with her child, but gives it all. 

Marriage. — A man seeking a wife usually consults her mother, some- 
times by himself, sometimes through his mother; when agreed upon, the 
parties usually comply, making promises of faithfulness to the parents of 
both. 

Polygamy is permitted, but practiced little. Wife number one re- 
mains at the head of the family while wife number two is the servant. 
Divorces occur, but not often, however. 

Marriage and divorce are well illustrated by the following anecdote^ 
"An aged Indian, who for many years had spent much time among the 
white people both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, one day, about the 
year 1770, observed that the Indians had not only a much easier way of 
getting a wife than the whites, but also a more certain way of getting a 
good one. 'For,' said he in broken English, 'white man court — court — 
maybe one whole year! maybe two years before he marry! Well — may- 
be then he get very good wife — but maybe not — maybe very cross! Well, 
now, suppose cross! Scold so soon as get awake in the morning! Scold all 
day! Scold until sleep! All one — he mus keep him! White people have laws 
forbidding throw away wife he be ever so cross — must keep him always! 
Well, how does Indian do? Indian, when he sees industrious squaw, he go to 
him place his two forefingers close aside each other,make two like one — then 
look squaw in the face — see him smile — this is all one, he say yes! So 
he take him home — no danger he be cross! No, no — Squaw know too 
well what Indian do if he cross! Throw h-im away and take another! 
Squaw love to eat meat — no husband, no meat. Squaw do everything to 
please husband, he do everything to please squaw — live happy.' " 



88 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

Rights. — Each clan is protected in its mode of painting the face, and a 
peculiar badge of office worn by the chief and council women. The coun- 
cil of the tribe assigns to the gens a particular tract of land for cultiva- 
tion. The woman council carefully divides and distributes this tract of 
land among the heads of the families who are responsible for its cultiva- 
tion. The crops are planted, cultivated and gathered by the squaws. 
The wigwam and all articles of the household belong to the woman, and, 
at her death, descend to her eldest daughter or nearest of female kin. 

Each individual has a right to freedom of person and security from 
bodily harm. Like a patentee, they have the exclusive right to use a 
particular charm, and their religious rights are well illustrated by the 
following anecdote : 

" In the year 1791, two Creek Chiefs accompanied an American to 
England, where, as usual, they attracted great attention, and many 
flocked around them, as well to learn their ideas of certain things as to 
behold the savages. Being asked their opinion of religion, or of what 
religion they were,one made answer that they had no priest in their country, 
nor established religion, for they thought that upon a subject where there 
was no possibility of people's agreeing in opinion, and as it was altogether 
matter of mere opinion, it was best that every one should paddle his 
canoe his own way." 

Qriminal Code. — Adultery is punished, in the first offense, by crop- 
ping the hair; repeated offenses, by cutting off the left ear. If the mother 
fails to inflict the penalty, it is done by the council of women of the gens. 

Theft is punished by twofold restitution. It is tried by the council 
of gens, from which there is no appeal. Maiming is compounded, and 
the trial the same. Murder is triable by the gens, but an appeal lies to 
the council of the tribe ; technical errors in the prosecution are proofs 
positive of the defendant's innocence; if found guilty, the friends of the 
accused must pay for the dead man, and on failure to do so, the friends 
of the deceased may kill the murderer at pleasure. 

Witchcraft is punished by death, by tomahawking, stabbing or burn- 
ing ; an appeal lies from the grand council of the tribe to the holy 
ordeal by fire. A circular fire is built, and if the accused can run 
through it from east to west and from north to south without injury, he 
is adjudged innocent. Treason is punished with death, and consists in, 
first, giving aid or comfort to the enemies of the tribe; secondly, in re- 
vealing the secrets of the medicine men. With them, as with us, the 

Doctors are held in high esteem. "The daughter of a Patagonian 
chief came in carrying a child that was crying very loudly. A messen- 
ger was dispatched for the wise man, who soon came, and brought with him 
his magic medicines rolled up in two pieces of skin. These were laid on 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 39 

the ground, and the doctor squatted by the side of them, fixing a steady 
gaze on the child, who presently ceased crying. Encouraged by this suc- 
cess, the wise man ordered a clay plaster to be applied. This was done. 
Some yellow clay was brought, moistened until it was like paint, and with 
this substance the child was annointed from head to foot. The clay 
seemed to have but little good effect, for the child began to cry as badly 
as ever. The two mysterious packages were now untied, and out of one 
the doctor took a bunch of rhea sinews, and from the other a rattle. The 
doctor then fingered all the sinews successively, muttering something in 
a very low tone of voice, and after he had muttered for some five minutes 
or so, he seized his rattle and shook it violently. He next sat in front of 
the patient, and stared at him as he had done before. After an interval 
of silent staring, he turned to the chief and asked whether he did not 
think that the child was better. A nod and a grunt expressed assent, 
and the mother on being asked the same question gave a similar response. 
The same process was then repeated — the silent stare, the painting with 
clay, the fingering of the sinews, the muttering of inaudible words, the 
shaking of the rattle, and the concluding stare. The treatment of the pa- 
tient was then considered to be complete. The chief gave the doctor two 
pipefuls of tobacco by way of fee. This was received gratefully by the 
man of skill, who gave his rattle a final shake by Avay of expressing his 
appreciation of the chief's liberality, and went his way. As soon as he 
had gone, the child resumed its crying, but the parents were satisfied that 
it was better." 

No Organized Crovernment. — The system of laws here introduced is 
based upon that of the Wyandot branch of the Iroquois family, which rep- 
resents the highest type of Indian government in North America, ex- 
cept perhaps the Mexicans ; yet, m modified degrees and less definite forms, 
similar customs and usages prevailed in many if not the most of the 
tribes. 

There is a distinction to be drawn between Indian laws and govern- 
ment. Except that of Mexico, it might be said they had no organized form 
of government. There were certain customs and usages consented to and 
acquiesed in, granting to the party injured, or his relatives, redress for 
the wrong but that redress was not afforded by governmental aid. If one 
stole from another the party aggrieved might by force or otherwise take 
two-fold from the thief. Bancroft says : " Unconscious of political prin- 
ciples, they remained under the influence of instincts. Their forms of 
government grew out of their passions and wants, and were therefore 
everywhere nearly the same. Without a code of laws, without a distinct 
recognition of succession in the magistracy by inheritance or election, 
government was conducted harmoniously by the influence of native gen- 



40 PRELIMINARY HISTORY OF 

ius, virtue and experience. Prohibitory laws were hardly sanctioned by 
savage opinion. The wild man hates restraint, and loves to do what is 
right in his own eyes." " The Illinois," writes Marest, '• are absolute 
masters of themselves, subject to no law." The Delawares, it was said, 
" are, in general, wholly unacquainted with civil laws and proceedings, 
nor have any kind of notion of civil judicatures, of persons being 
arraigned and tried, condemned or acquitted." As there was no commerce, 
no coin, no promissory notes, no employment of others for hire, there 
Avere no contracts. Exchanges were but a reciprocity of presents, and 
mutual gifts were the only traffic. Arrests and prisons, lawyers and 
Sherifts were unknown. Each man was his own protector, and, as there 
was no public Justice, each man issued to himself his letter of reprisals, 
and became his own avenger. In case of death by violence, the departed 
shade could not rest till appeased by a retaliation. His kindred would 
" go a thousand miles for the purpose of revenge, over hills and mount- 
ains, through large cane swamps full of grape vines and briers ; over 
broad lakes, rapid rivers and deep creeks ; and all the way in danger of 
poisonous snakes, exposed to the extremes of heat and cold, to hunger 
and thirst. And blood being once shed, the reciprocity of attacks in- 
volved family in mortal strife against family, tribe against tribe, often con- 
tinuing from generation to generation. Yet mercy could make itself 
heard even among barbarians; and peace was restored by atoning presents, 
if they were enough to cover up the graves of the dead." 

The Lord's prayer, as translated into the Cherokee language: 

ENGLISH. CHEROKEE. 

Our Father 0-gi-do-da 

Who art in heaven Ga-lo-la-di-e-hi 

Hallowed Ga-lo-zuo-di-yu 

Be Ge-se-sti 

Thy name De-tsa do-v-i 

Thy Kingdom Tsa-go-wi-yai--hi-ge-so 

Come (makes its appearance) Wi-ga-na-nu-gs-i 

Thy will Ha-da-no-te-sko 

Be done (take place) Wi-ni-gi-li-sta 

(Here) on earth A-hni-e-lo-hi 

As it is done Na-ski-ya tsi-ni-ga-li-sti 

In heaven Ga-lo-la-di 

Our food O-ga-li sta-yo-di 

Daily Ni da do da gui so 

Give to us Ski-v-si 

This day Go-hi-i-ga 

Forgive us Di-ge-ski-v-si-quo 

Our debts De-ski-dw-go-i 

As we forgive Na-ski-ya-tsi-di-ga-yo-tsi-ne-ho 

Our debtors Tso-tsi-du gi 

And do not A-le-tle-sti 

Lead us into Wi-di-ski ya di-no-sta-mo 

Temptation N da le na sti yi 

But deliver us from Ski-y-da-le-gi ske-sti-quo-shi-ni 

Evil W-yo-ge-so-i. 



HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 41 



RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY. 



Their pictography, implements and customs are child-like and simple, 
their reasoning and reflective powers feeble and infantile. The instinct 
of love leads them to form friendships and families ; and that of aifection, 
marriage, parents and offspring. Resentment of wrong, and self-preser- 
vation, with them as with us, are the first laws of nature. The infant 
instinctively strikes the child who has struck him ; the belligerent cannon 
reverberates in the nation that's threatened. A reverence for the dead 
and respect for his relatives, is sublime, solemn and courteous. Although 
a famine, food is furnished the pilgrim spirit until it reaches its happy 
hunting grounds, and his implements for hunting are buried with his body, 
and so careful are they of the feelings of his friends that they will not 
mention his name in their presence. The word father is avoided in the 
presence of orphans for fear of grieving the children. They disbelieve 
in the resurrection of the body, but carefully preserve their bones. 

Their heaven abounds in buffalo, beaver and bear; ours in angels? 
saints and golden streets. Thus we differ in detail, but agree in the hon- 
est hope of happiness hereafter. While they venerated the dead, they 
feared not death on the battle-field, and often spoke prophetically of their 
own loss of life. They regarded self-destruction a shameful cowardice, 
but to endure death, disaster and torture without a murmer, moan or 
groan, the highest type of manhood. The family training is an educa- 
tion of endurance, by practical exposure. The children are almost as 
free as the parents, punishment being rarely ever resorted to. As soon 
as large enough, they are taught the art of fishing, hunting and trapping, 
and their first success is celebrated by a family feast. Like themselves, 
every insect, bird, beast and fish has its tutelary God, which crawled out 
of, or came from the earth, air, water or sky. These great Manitous 
mold and control the destiny of their descendants. These myths and 
superstitions exist in countless numbers, some gross, senseless and insig- 
nificant; others beautiful, simple and conducive of good. A Swedish 
minister, having assembled the chiefs of the Susquehanna Indians, 
made a sermon to them, acquainted them with the principal historical 
facts on which our religion is founded ; such as the fall of our first par- 
ents by eating an apple; the coming of Christ to repair the mischief; his 
miracles, suffering, etc. When he had finished, an Indian orator stood 
up to thank him. " What you have told us," said he, " is all very good. 
It is indeed bad to eat apples ; it is better to make them all into cider. 
We are much obliged by your kindness in coming so far to tell us of 
those things, which you have heard from your mothers." 

He then told the missionary one of their legends. He said : "A 



42 HISTORY OF HOWARD AND TIPTON COUNTIES. 

beautiful woman came down from the skies, and sat on the ground ; she 
was very hungry, and the Indians brought her food in abundance, and, 
to reward them for their kindness, she caused corn to grow where her 
right hand had touched the earth, beans where her left hand rested and 
tobacco where she sat." The missionary treated it with contempt, and 
said : " What I told you were sacred truths ; what you tell me is fiction, 
fable and falsehood." The Indian was indignant, and replied: "My 
brother, it seems your friends have not done you justice, in your educa- 
tion. They have not well instructed you in the rules of common civility. 
You see that we, who understand and practice those rules, believe all your 
stories; why do you refuse to believe ours?" They were faithful to a friend, 
but ferocious to an enemy. Dare we, however, compare the cruelty of 
these savages with that of the Anglo-Saxons? It is true they killed 
witches and wizards ; but, at the same time the Rev. Drs. Cotton Mather, 
Stoten and other ministers, were killing, hanging and murdering the 
purest people of Massachussetts for the same imaginary offense. It is 
true they sometimes offered human sacrifices to appease, or propitiate 
their great Manitou, but during the same time the infamous Inquisition 
and auto-da-fe, burned to death over 82,000 innocent men, women and 
children to appease the wrath of the meek and lowly Jesus. It is true 
they often massacred and murdered defenseless women and children who 
had invaded their country ; but for cold-blooded iniquity and horrid 
atrocity, these crimes sink into insignificance compared with the Portu- 
guese in Brazil, who deposited the clothes of scarlet fever and small-pox 
patients on the hunting grounds of the Indians, thereby spreading these 
malignant maladies among the simple natives. They are men and 
women, child and children, like ourselves. They are now the dying in- 
fants of the continent, we their invading conquerors ; in Heaven's name, 
let no act of wrong be done against them. 






a 



vk.a 







PART II. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY 




I 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



ORGANIZATION 

BY CORYDON RICHMOND. 



HOWARD COUNTY is a part of what was, at one time, known as 
the Indian Reserve, owned by the Miami Indians. The reserve 
was situated south of the Wabash River. On the east was Grant County, 
on the south, Hamilton County and on the west Clinton and Carroll, and 
on the north Cass and Miami Counties. A portion of the reserve was 
attached to Miami County; another portion, with a strip off of Hamilton 
County, forms Tipton County, and the portion between Tipton and Miami 
Counties forms Howard County. 

The county is eleven miles wide by twenty-seven miles long, and is 
consequently bounded on the north by Miami and Cass Counties, on the 
east by Grant County, on the south by Tipton and Clinton, and on the 
west by Clinton and Carroll. 

The Indian Reserve was about thirty miles square, and was selected by 
the Indians on account of its good qualities of soil, timber, game, fish, 
etc., and was highly prized by them and cherished as their home. But 
they were finally induced to part with it, and the Government became the 
purchaser. 

SURFACE OF COUNTRY. 

The face of the country is what would be termed level, having no high 
hills, but is gently undulating, and was originally covered with a dense 
forest of valuable timber, such as white oak, burr oak, red oak, yellow 
poplar, black walnut, white walnut, hickory, elm, the various kinds of 
ash, hard and soft maple, and sycamore, which last grew all over the 
county, and not, as in other localities, confined to the immediate vicinity 
of water-courses. 

The value of the timber of this country has been great, and during the 
hard times, culminating in 1873, and on till 1876, was what furnished the 
principal resource of the people for paying debts and buying the neces- 
saries of life. 



44 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

WATER-COURSES. 

The principal stream in the county is Wild Cat Creek, which has one 
of its principle branches, called Mud Creek, heading in the northwest 
part of Tipton County, running a northeast direction, until, near the east 
end of the county, it turns north, and, uniting with a branch called Grassy 
Fork, forms the Wild Cat, which runs nearly west, through the middle of 
the county. Lilley Creek empties in near Jerome ; Kokorao Creek 
empties in one and a half railes below the city of Kokorao, and Little 
Wild Cat about seven miles, and the Honey Creeks still lower down. The 
last three are all on the south side of the main stream. Springsthat supply 
abundance of good water abound throughout the county. On the north 
side of the county are the heads of Deer Creek and Buck Creek, which 
empty into the Wabash River. So that it may be said the county is 
well watered. 

In the first settlement of the Eastern portion of the county, and in 
fact the whole of it, the settlers found a great deal of the land, for a good 
portion of the year, under water, which formed what were called sloughs 
and slashes. This was owing to the great amount of down timber, in an 
unbroken forest, so dense that the sun had little chance to penetrate to the 
ground to dry it, and the extensive obstructions to the flow of the water 
caused it to accumulate in low places, and for years it never dried out. 

The difference in the appearance of the county now and thirty-five 
years ago is great, brought about by the industry and perseverance of the 
inhabitants, who early learned the value of draining by ditches. Further 
on we shall say more on the subject of drainage. 

ORGANIZATION AND COUNTY SEAT. 

The General Government, having purchased from the Indians the lands 
composing the reserve, would come into possession of them about the year 
1847. 

The State Legislature, in view of the near approach of the time when 
the State would be entitled to assume jurisdiction over the territory thus 
acquired, at their session, in the winter of 1843-44, passed a law, in order 
to the formation of the reserve into counties, which was done by defining 
the boundaries of the counties of Howard and Tipton, and changing the 
boundaries of surrounding counties as heretofore alluded to. 

The county was organized under the name of " Richardville," which 
was the name of a prominent member of the Miami tribe of Indians. 
The act of the Legislature provided, by appointment. Commissioners to 
locate the county seat, as follows : John Moulder, John Armstrong and 
S. H. Colip. They were required by the act to meet at the house of 



t 



f 




/&. 



V 



^.irhz. 




HISTORY OF HOWARD COUXTY. 47 

John Harrison, on the second Monday in May, 1844. They met on that 
day, and at once proceeded to examine the various points that had been 
proposed as suitable for a county seat. After a careful inspection of the 
various locations and propositions for donations, they finally determined 
on the location upon which Kokomo is situated. 

This location is situated in the northwest corner of an individual Indian 
reservation, made by Lafontaine, one of the principal men of the Miami 
tribe. It was purchased by David Foster, who was a considerable trader 
among the Indians. 

Mr. Foster agreed to donate, as a site for a county seat, forty acres, 
and pay the expenses of the Locating Commissioners, which he did, and 
delivered the deed for the land, on December 5, 1844, to the County 
Commissioners. 

FIRST ELECTIONS. 

The first election ever held in what is now Howard County was while 
the western portion of it Avas attached to Carroll County, and was held in 
the year 1840, at a Presidential contest, and at the house of John Har- 
rison, when twenty-four votes were cast — twelve Whig and twelve Dem 
ocrat. 

The first election, under the county organization, was held May 27, 
1844, at which all the county officers were elected, as follows : John 
Lamb, Benjamin Fawcett and David Bailey, Commissioners : Franklin 
S. Price, Clerk ; Benjamin IS'ewhouse, Auditor ; Austin North, Recorder ; 
Harless Ashley, Treasurer; and John Harrison, Sherifi". 

FIRST ACTS 6F COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 

The County Commissioners held their first meeting, commencing June 
17, 1844, at the house of John Harrison, at which but little business 
was done. 

They divided the county into three townships. The west one was 
named Monroe, the middle one Kokomo, and the east one. Green Town- 
ship. They met again in called session, on the 17th day of Au- 
gust following, to receive the report of the Locating Commissioners, when, 
after the formal acceptance of said report, they adjourned to meet at 
David Foster's, in Kokomo, on the first Monday in September. 

At the September term, 1844, Peter Gay was appointed County Agent, 
and other subordinate oflSces were filled by appointment, so that the county 
machinery was ready for business. 

The first tax levy was made at this meeting, of 25 cents on each $100 
valuation, and 25 cents on each poll. Austin C. Sheets was appointed 
County Surveyor, and proceeded without delay to survey and plat the town 
of Kokomo. 



48 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

At the December term, 1844, the Commissioners acted upon the first 
road petition. Isaac Price, Jonathan Hayworth and J. C. Barnett were 
appointed Viewers ; and made the following report : " In pursuance of the 
order of the Board, they have viewed and laid out a road of public utility, 
to wit : Beginning at the forks of Honey Creek, and running the 
nearest and best route in the direction to Peter Duncan's tavern, on the 
Michigan road, ending at the county line." 

At this meeting, Charles J. Allison was granted a license to retail in- 
toxicating liquors for f 10 ; this was the first license granted in the county, 
and Mr. Allison was the first person who was indicted for violating the 
license law. Charles Price, who had been appointed Assessor for the 
county, was allowed $34.50 for that work — rather a small sum, when 
compared with the present. The board ordered elections in each of the 
three townships, for the election of one Justice of the Peace in each, to 
to be held on the third Monday in January, 1845. The price of liquor 
license was put at |50 after this year. 

At the March term, 1845, the board took the preliminary steps for the 
building of a court-house. They decided that it should be twenty-four 
feet square, and two stories high, to be built of hewn logs, and covered 
with boards three feet long, showing one foot to the weather. David Foster 
and Dennis McCormack were appointed to let the job, which was taken 
by Rufus L. Blowers at $28. Arrangements were also commenced for 
building a jail. This was built of hewn timbers, twelve inches square, 
throughout walls, floor and ceiling, the logs notched down close, and 
boarded on the outside, with double doors of two-inch oak plank. The 
lock to the door was made by Judge Thomas A. Long ; the key was about 
ten inches long, and weighed about four pounds. The building was to be 
eighteen feet by twelve feet in the clear. 

The report of T. A. Long, one of the Commissioners appointed by the 
Legislature to view and locate a State road from Burlington, in Carroll 
County, by the way of Kokomo, to Marion, in Grant County, was made 
to the board — this being the first State road through the county. At 
this session, the several townships were divided into road districts, and 
Supervisors appointed. Most of the time of the board was taken up in 
making orders directing various ofl^cers and other persons to perform cer- 
tain services for the public good, and in appointing various petit officers 
in the different townships, where the rapidly increasing settlement of the 
country seemed to render such action necessary, and looking after the 
safety of the public property, as is evinced by the following : 

" It appearing to the satisfaction of the court that H. C. Stewart has 
taken from the court house eight pieces of plank, and that others have 
done the same, it is ordered that David Foster be requested to call on all 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 49 

such persons as have taken lumber and require them to return it in fif- 
teen days." 

It was no uncommon thing in those days for persons to use any lumber 
found lying around loose. Lumber was very scarce and in great demand 
in fitting up houses to live in, and only one slow-going saw-mill within 
many miles. Doubtless the lumber was returned, as we hear nothing 
more of it. Two State roads were located, one from Kokomo to Michi- 
gan town, and one to Peru, in Miami County, at the September term. 

At the December term, the court house was accepted of the contract- 
or, R. L. Blowers, after deducting ^2 for some deficiency in the 
work. The office of County Auditor was declared vacant, but for what 
cause is not shown, and Austin C. Sheets was appointed to fill the 
vacancy. 

During the early history of the county, much of the time of the Board 
of Commissioners was taken up in ordering the location of roads through 
the trackless wilderness of the county, and also in hearing reports of such 
roads as were located. A specimen of these reports, and a curiosity in 
its way, is the following, out of a number quite similar. J. C. Barnett 
and J. C. Chitwood were appointed Viewers of a certain proposed road, 
and they report: "We viewed the same, commencing near the south- 
west corner of Section BO, in Town 24 north, of Range 2 east; thence 
northeast to the south end of Abram Brubaker's lane ; thence through 
said lane to the north end of the same ; thence northeast to the quarter 
post between Judge Ervin and William CuUum's farms ; thence north to 
Judge Ervin's fence; thence northeast along said fence to the mouth of 
Judge Ervin's lane; thence through said lane; thence northeast to the 
northeast corner of Section 29, and so on, and report the same of public 
utility." Of course, in a few years this road was lost, and could not be 
relocated by the description. Another county road was located by Rich- 
Staunton and George Taylor, as follows : Commencing at New London ; 
thence with the Delphi and Muncie State road to Mr. Walls : thence east 
via Miles Judkin's lane to James Shanks, on Little Wild Cat ; thence 
east to Laomi Ashley's; thence east to a schoolhouse near McCune's. 

At the June term, 184G, Harles Ashley, County Treasurer, made his 
annual statement of receipts and expenditures for the year, as follows : 
Received during the year ending June 1, $1,021.44, and paid out for same 
time $984.51; balance in treasury, $36.93. He was paid $125.25 for his 
services for collecting and paying out the sura above stated. 

The board received the jail of James H. Johnson, contractor, for 
which they paid him $178.10. The assessment of personal property this 
year, 1846, amounted to $60,143, this, added to the real estate, made a 
total valuation of $118,838. 



50 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

At the December term, 1846, the board made an appropriation of • 
toward building a bridge across Wild Cat at Kokomo, on the west side of 
the town, where the gravel road bridge now is. This was the last meeting of 
the board, under the name of " Richardville," the Legislature having, 
on the 28th day of December, 1846, changed the name of the county to 
Howard, in honor of Tilman A. Howard, a popular Democratic politician 
of the State. At this term, the county was divided into townships, as fol- 
lows : Ervin, Monroe, Harrison, Clay, Centre, Taylor, Howard, Jackson 
and Green. These townships were divided into road districts at the 
March term, 1847. 

At the June term, 1847, the Treasurer reported receipts for year end- 
ing June 1, 11,210.74, and paid out $1,115.33, showing but a slight 
difference between this year and the last. 

At the September term, N. R. Linsday was appointed County Agent, 
and Austin C. Sheets, County Surveyor. 

At the December term, on account of the frequent depredations of 
wolves upon the few sheep owned in the county, the board offered a 
premium of 50 cents on Avolf scalps. 

It appears that in June the board had taken forty shares of $25 
each in the capital stock of the Peru & Indianoplis Railroad, which it 
was proposed to build through the county, and ordered $2 on each share 
to be paid. 

At the March term, 1848, A. C. Sheets resigned the office of County 
Surveyor. The board subscribed sixty additional shares to the Peru k 
Indianapolis Railroad, and ordered $2 on each share to be paid. 

At the June term, 1848, Andrew V. Apperson was appointed a student 
to Wabash College. Treasurer's report of receipts for the year, |2,197.86; 
paid out during the year, $1,685.97. 

The property valuation of 1849 was $148,390. Number of polls, 888. 
Treasurer's receipts, $2,892.03; expenditures, $2,450.56. 

The above figures show a gradual increase in the taxables of the county. 
This is owing to the fact that most of the settlers were men of quite limited 
means when they came into the county, and any increase must have been 
mada from the ground by the persistent labor of the hands, and that, 
too, from land covered by a heavy forest that had to be, at least in part, 
removed before anything could be raised. This necessarily made accu- 
mulation tedious and laborious. It was also attended with privation and 
hardships that persons who never went through such scenes know noth- 
ing about. The men thus brought together with limited means and limit- 
ed opportunity for anything but hard work, were the men who had all 
the public business also to attend to in addition to making clearings and 
securing the means to pay for their lands when the time came to make 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 51 

their entries. Coming together from different localities, and many of 
them having never engaged in any kind of public business, it was to be 
expected that some embarrassment would attend the performance of duties 
they were comparatively unacquainted with, and as a consequence many 
things were done in a crude and imperfect manner, so that much that was 
done proved but temporary and often useless ; but as the years went by 
these irregularities and imperfections were corrected, and they glided 
easily and readily into a more systematic mode of doing business. 

The business of the board was necessarily of a routine character, yet 
there was much that for the first time claimed their attention and called 
forth the best efforts of the men selected by the people for that purpose. 
During these early days of our history, men in office were not so easily 
nor were they so likely to be influenced by cliques and rings which have 
become the bane of public business everywhere of late years. 

September term, 1850 : some time before this the board had subscribed 
to the capital stock of the Peru & Indianapolis Railroad, amounting to 
^4,000, and at this term they made an order for issuing bonds of the 
county for that sum, to run ten years, but they might be redeemed in 
eight years if the board so desired. 

For the June term, 1851, the following order was issued by the board : 
Ordered, that the Sheriff be required to notify G. W. Poisal, C. & 0. 
Richmond, N. R. Linsday and C. D. Murray, to meet this board at its next 
meetinor to settle with said board for office rent of the court house. At 
this meeting Rev. John Dale and C. Richmond, who had been appointed 
by the board for the purpose, reported the purchase of $99.50 worth of 
books for the County Library. The board, at this meeting, adopted rules 
for the management of the library and the use of the books, and James 
H. McCool was appointed Librarian in place of A. North, resigned. 

On the 21st day of August, 1851, the Peru & Indianapolis Railroad 
Company, by William J. Holman and C. D. Murray, presented a propo- 
sition to the County Board to subscribe to the capital stock of said com- 
pany, $10,000, and in payment, issue county bonds, provided, that 
other counties on the line of the road should subscribe the balance of 
$50,000. The board took the matter under consideration until the next 
day, when they expressed a willingness to accept the proposition of the 
railroad company, and issue said bonds, provided they were or could be 
indemnified against loss by any defalcation of said railroad company, 
when the following persons entered into a written obligation indemnifying 
the county against loss, with the provision that the guarantors were to 
have all the privileges and benefits conferred on the county : 

Wm. J. Holman $4,000 

C. Richmond 500 



52 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

JohnBohan 1,000 

Austin North 500 

William Brown 500 

George Deffenbaugli 500 

John Dale 500 

J. D. Sharp 1,000 

F. S. Price 1,000 

J. i\J. Skein 500 

Whereupon tlie board directed the Auditor to subscribe for 400 shares 
of ^25 each, and that county bonds bearing 10 per cent interest, and to 
run for ten years, be issued to the amount of $10,000. The bonds were 
subsequently issued and signed by Tence Lindley, Richard Nixon and 
John Knight. Certificates of stock were issued on delivery of the bonds. 

At the December term, 1853, C. D. Murray, agent of the Peru & 
Indianapolis Railroad Company, came before the board and presented a 
motion that they make an order, surrendering the above-named certificates 
of stock for i^l0,000, and that said certificates be canceled and the guar- 
antors be released. The order was m.ade in accordance with the motion. 
but the railroad company still held to their agreement to pay interest and 
principal as they came due. The immediate reason for the above pro- 
ceeding was, that the Peru & Indianapolis Railroad, and the Indianap- 
olis & Madison Railroad Companies had consolidated their interests, 
which was considered to be a sufficient guaranty for the payment of the 
bonds and interest. The view taken of the matter was that the issuing 
of the bonds wns a loan of the credit of the county to the railroad, and 
was not intended as a subscription to the capital stock of the company. 
The reason given for asking the board for help in this manner was this : 
The railroad company, as such, could not sell its bonds, because the 
company had no credit in the market, but county bonds could be sold. 
The company lacked $50,000 to finish the road and could do no more 
unless the}'' could raise that amount. This being the condition of the 
company, they determined to apply to the counties for aid, by getting 
them to issue bonds as above described. Miami, Hamilton and Howard 
Counties went into the arangement and raised the money, and the road 
was finished. The Peru k Indianapolis Railroad was, in the greater 
part, built through a new and unimproved country, that could furnish but 
a limited amount of business, at a time when the road needed it the most, 
and the expense of running it constantly increasing, so the company 
was unable to keep up running expenses and pay 10 per cent interest on 
so large a debt. They had to give it up ; the company became bankrupt, 
and the road was sold. The failure of the railroad company caused the 
county to pay the balance remaining unpaid at the time the company 
went under, which, of principal and interest, amounted to about $6,000. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 53 

Some complaint was made on account of the action of the board in re- 
leasing the guarantors from their liability, but at the time that it was done, 
there appeared good reason for thinking that the railroad company would 
perform their part of the agreement ; but, if there had been no special reason 
for thinking so, they had secured the completion of the road, which caused 
the rapid development of the country, and greatly increased its wealth and 
the prosperity of its inhabitants. Most men, on reflection, regarded the 
action of the board in releasing the guarantors as correct ; that it would 
be unfair to require a few individuals, who were no more benefited than 
others, to make good a few thousand dollars, when to the general public 
it was worth many times the amount paid by the county. 

Al the June term, 1852, C. D. Murray, C. Richmond and A. C. Sheets 
were appointed by the board to superintend and let to contract the erec- 
tion of public county offices. This they did by getting up the plans and 
specifications, advertising and letting. The work was let to D. C. Hur- 
ley, Jesse x\rnold and H. C. Stewart, for $975. There were two 
buildings of brick, one story each, 18x86 feet, two rooms in each build- 
ing ; they were built on the north side of the square, leaving space between 
them for a court house to be built subsequently. The offices on the east 
side were occupied by the Auditor and Treasurer, and those on the west 
by the Clerk and Recorder. These buildings remained until the present 
court house was built. In putting in the foundation of these offices, 
William Albright was employed as a stonemason; they had procured a large 
stone from the quarry south of town, out of which to make a corner stone ; 
the old gentleman had worked faithfully and carefully for nearly two days 
in the dressing of this stone, and had it about completed; after inspecting 
it carefully, he observed a small spot that appeared to require a little im- 
provement, and he began carefully to pick it with his hammer, when the 
stone fell into a large number of pieces, to the utter disgust of Mr. Al- 
bright. Raising himself up to an erect position (he was a tall man), he 
threw down his hammer and stood contemplating the complete destruction 
of his labor ; was about to give expression to highly wrought feelings, but 
just then, remembering that he was a preacher of the Gospel, he conclud- 
ed to call on some one else to give expression to what he conceived to be 
due to the occasion. He sang out at the top of his voice, " Where is Mike 
Craven ? Run here, everybody ; here is some swearing to be done, and 
I dare not do it. Where is Mike Craven ?" 

In 1853, Green and Jackson Townships were divided, forming between 
them a new township, which was named Union. 

At the March term, 1853, the report of the first Coroner's inquest was 
made. Calvin McCoy, Coroner, held an inquest on the body of Elisha 
McCool, who came to his death in consequence of injuries received at the 



54 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

hand of Henry Shank. Dr. C. Richmond, assisted by Drs. Amos Petti- 
john and J. H. Kern, made the post mortem examination. The jury 
was composed of James Ellis, Noah Freed, Philip Ramseyer, Sr., Jonathan 
Pickering, Clinton Gray, Jack Gray, Joseph Coats, Miram Beard, Philip 
Ramseyer, Jr., Levin Young, Sylvester Edwards, James Brooks ; and 
James Creason, Elijah McCool, William Morrison and Samuel Mulkins 
were 'j'itnesses. 

At the June term, 1854, total valuation of property returned for taxa- 
tion was $1,784,530, and the number of polls was 1,256. A petition to 
incorporate the town of Kokomo was presented, and an election ordered 
for October 1, which resulted in sixty- three votes for and three votes 
against, and it was incorporated. 

At the September term, agents were appointed in the several town- 
ships to sell intoxicating liquors. 

At the March term, 1857, the board purchased 165 acres of land of 
Thomas S. Gatewood, Avhich was designed for the County Asylum ; a 
small portion was sold to Col. Blanche at the same term. 

At the June term, 1858, Samuel Woody and Elijah Johnson presented 
to the board a petition of sundry citizens of Clinton County, asking to 
be attached to Howard County. Said petition was referred to the next 
meeting of the board for further action. 

At the September term, 1858, the petition of sundry citizens of Clin- 
ton County was taken up and considered, and the prayer of the petition 
granted, and Sections 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 34, 
35 and 36, in Township 23 north, Range 2 east, and Section 1, 2, 3, 4 
and 5, in Township 22, same range, were attached to Howard County^ 
and formed into a township and named Honey Creek. 

September, 1860, the board ordered the grading and macadamizing 
of the street around the public square, to be completed November 1, 
1861. 

December, 1860, the board sold the Poor Farm to Nelson Purdum for 
$3,472.50, and at a special session in January, 1861, they purchased of 
J. H. McCool eighty acres off of the west side of his farm west of town, 
for $2,800. In April following, they contracted with James Linville to 
build a house on the farm for $369. Then again, in March, 1865, they 
contracted with William Chadwick to build another house on the farm, 
the building to be two stories in height, 20x36 feet, with a wing running 
back 16x36 feet, one-story high, price, $1,800. This house was in- 
tended for the use of the superintendent of the farm, and the keep- 
ing of the paupers of the county. It would be difficult to construct a 
house more illy adapted for the purpose than this one, and in a few years 
the board becoming satisfied of its bad arrangement and unhealthfulness, 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 00 

determined to build one better, which they did. (See public buildings.) 
In June, 1861, there was 'a surplus in the treasury, which the board set 
apart as a fund to be used in building a new court house, and the 
money was deposited in the bank for that purpose. 

In July, 1862, at a special session, the board made an appropriation of 
$5,000 for the benefit of the families of volunteers in the Seventy-fifth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteers, then forming. At the special session, 
December, 1863, they appropriated $3,000 for the benefit of soldiers' 
families. At the special session, February, 1865, they appropriated 
$98,000 to pay bounties to fill the county's quota under the call for 300,000 
men, and in June, 1865, they appropriated $3,000 more for the benefit 
of soldiers' families, and placed it in the hands of the Township Trustees 
for distribution. 

In July, 1865, the board ordered the letting of a contract to build a 
new jail in place of the old log jail. The conti'act was let to J. W. Coff- 
man for $9,600. This jail was built on the southwest corner of Washing- 
ton and High streets, in a bad location. The prison part was supposed 
to be sufficient to prevent any escape from it possible, but a few years dem- 
onstrated the fact that it was more insecure than the old wooden jail 
had been. 

At the June term, 1867, the New London Gravel Road Company was 
organized. These roads will be described in a separate article. 

In September, 1867, the board conveyed to the city of Kokomo what 
is known as the Old Cemetery j^ and also confirmed the enlargement of the 
city limits. 

In August, 1870, the board ordered bonds issued amounting to $22,000 
to complete the court house, and in November following additional bonds, 
amounting to $10,000, for the same purpose. 

At a special session, April, 1871, on petition, an election was ordered 
on the question of appropriating $52,000 toward building the Evansville, 
Crawford sville, Kokomo & Toledo Railroad, which was defeated. At this 
session the board ordered the issuing of bonds running five years, draw- 
ing ten per cent interest, for $18,000, for the purpose of funding the 
debt of the county. These bonds were sold to Francis Smith, of Indian- 
apolis. 

From this time on the board has been engaged most of the time in 
superintending the arrangements for the construction of ditches and 
gravel roads. There are now in the county eleven gravel roads completed, 
and a number of others ready to commence as soon as the board can le- 
gally furnish the means. There are also about 150 public ditches that 
cost from $300 to $15,000 ; to this should be added the tile drains, over 
which the board have no control, and they amount to 600,000 rods, or 



5f) HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

even more. A general and particular account of these public improve- 
ments is given under the heading of " Gravel Roads and Drainage." 

POPULATION OP HOWARD COUNTY. 

Previous to the census of 1850, we have no accurate account of the pop- 
ulation, but in that year the census was taken, and is put down at 6,657 ; 
in 1860, it was 12,524 ; in 1870, it was 15,874 ; and in 1880, it was 
19,400 ; showing a very creditable increase from one decade to another, 
or about 500 each year. 

ASSESSMENT OF PROPERTY. 

For 1860, P,145,351 ; number of polls, 2,090. For 1870, $5,287,500; 
number of polls, 2,618. For 1880, $6,061,541 ; number of polls, 3,492. 

NAMES OF OFFICERS OF HOWARD COUNTY FROM ITS ORGANIZATION. 

Circuit Court Judges. — John W. Wright, from 1844 to 1845; Horace 
P. Biddle, 1846 to 1850; R. H. Milroy, 1851 ; John U. Petit, 1852; J. 
M. Wallace, 1853 to 1857; J. S. Buckles, 1858 to 1865; H. A. Brouse, 
1866; John Davis, 1867 to 1869; James O'Brien, 1870; C. N. Pollard, 
1871 to 1879; N. R. Overman, 1879 to 1883, whose term expires 1885. 

Associate Judges. — Thomas A. Long and Robert Ervin, from 1844 to 
1850, when j^ssociate Judges were dispensed with. 

Probate Judges.— 'N. C. Reals, 1844 to 1845; B. Lesoura, 1846 to 
1850; N. C. Beals and Robert Ervin, 1850 to, 1851, when the Probate 
Court was dispensed with. 

Common Pleas Judges. — E. S. Stone, 1852 to 1855; N. R. Linsday, 
1856 to 1859; John Green, 1860 to 1863; William Garver, 1864 to 
1873, when the Common Pleas Court was dispensed Avith. 

Prosecuting Attorneys. — Silas Colgrove, 1844 ; William Z. Stewart, 
1845; D. Dunn, 1846; J. G. Patterson, 1847 ; H. D. Johnson and John 
Green, 1848 ; William Potter, 1849 to 1851 ; I. M. Harlan, 1852 to 
1855; C. S. Parish, 1855; Isaac DeLong and C. D. Murray, 1856 to 
1857 ; David Nation, 1858 ; David Moss, 1859 to 1860 ; J. A. Harrison, 
1861 to 1863 ; L. W. Gooding, 1864 to 1865 ; N. Vanhorn, 1866 ; Will- 
iam O'Brien, 18'37 to 1868; J. F. Elliott, 1869 to 1872; R. B. Beau- 
champ, 1873 to 1874; J. F. Vaile, 1875 to 1879; J. E. Moore, 1880 to 
1882; C. C. Shirley, 1883. 

Clerks of Cowri.— Franklin S. Price, 1844 to 1853 ; Adam Clark, 
1854 to 1861 ; David C. Metsker, 1860 to 1865 ; H. H. Winslow, 1866 
to 1873; John W. Cooper, 1874 to 1883; H. M. Sailors, 1883. 

Sheriffs. — John Harrison, 1844 to 1846 ; Adam Clark filled out Har- 
rison's term, by appointment, Harrison's death having made a vacancy ; 



HISTOHY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 57 

J. D. Sharp, 1846. to 1849; G. W. Poisal, 1850; T. M. Kirkpatrick, 
1851 to 1852 ; David Hatfield, 1853 to 1855 ; Samuel Lamb, 1856 to 
1859; N. B. Brown, 1860 to 1864; N. Prime, 1864 to 1867; Joseph 
Taylor, 1868 to 1869 ; John S. Trees, 1870 to 1872 ; Willis Blanche, 
1873 to 1874 ; John H. Terrell, 1875 to 1876 ; D. 0. Freeman, 1877 to 
1878 ; A. H. Duke, 1879 to 1880 ; James W. Dehaven, 1881 to 1882 ; 
Luther McReynolds, 1883. 

Auditors. — Benjamin Newhouse, 1844; John Bohan, 1845 to 1855 ; 
Harles Ashley, 1856 to 1858 ; James A. Wildman, 1859 to 1866 ; L. S. 
Gray, 1867 to 1873 ; J. C. Ware filled the last year of Gray's term ; H. 
L. Moreland, 1874 to 1883 ; W. H. Sellars for succeeding term, 1883 on. 

Treasurers.— R. Ashley, 1844 to 1846 ; Adam Clark, 1847 to 1855 ; 
Hiram Newlin, 1856 to "^1857 ; H. W. Jones, 1858 to 1860; L. F. 
Springer, 1861 to 1864; John W. Lovin, 1865 to 1868; J. N. Under- 
wood, part of 1868, and died ; Harvey Brown filled out his term by ap- 
pointment ; I. W. Rayburn, 1869 to 1872 ; I. C. Johnson, 1873 to 1877 ; 
David C. Spraker, 1879 to 1882 ; B. B. Johnson, 1883, present incum- 
bent. 

Recorders.— Anstin North, 1844 to 1848 ; James McCool, 1849 to 
1857 ; D. C. Metsker, 1848 to 1862 ; D. J. Kemp, 1863 to 1867 ; Sam- 
uel Richey, 1868 to 1873 ; C. S. Edwards, 1874 to 1878 ; L. Rich, 1879 
to 1883 ; Seth Slyter, 1883, present incumbent. 

Coroners. — William P. Judkins, 1844 to 1845; Andrew Barngrover, 
1846 to 1850 ; Calvin McCoy, 1851 to 1855 ; John C. Linsday, 1856 to 
1858; John Jimmison, 1859 to 1862; John Stewart, 1863 to 1865 ; 
John W. Slider, 1866 to 1868 ; Jesse Leeka, 1869 to 1871 ; Edward 
Freeman, 1872 to 1874 ; John H. Ross, 1875 to 1879 ; J. C. Wright, 
1880 to 1882 ; R. H. Smith, 1883, present incumbent. 

Count// Surveyors. — Austin C. Sheets, G. A. Gordon, C. Richmond, 
John Newlin, J. L. D. Hannah, B. F. Fields, Silas Stout, John B. Miller, 
A, T. Wright, W. F. Mann, present incumbent. 

County Commissioners. — First District, John Lamb, Charles 0. Fry, 
George H. Taylor, Richard Nixon, James Brown, Jacob Tucker, B. W. 
Gifford, Robert Coat, John Moulder, H. S. Moreland, John Rodkey, 
Josiah Beeson, Robert M. Long, William Gordon, present incumbent. 
Second District, B. Faucett, A. Randolph, John Knight, Willis Blanche, 
David Greeson, T. M. Kirkpatrick, D. B. Hendrickson, S. Stratton, G. P. 
Pitzer, David Smith, G. H. Francis, Charles Wilson. Third District, 
David Bailey, John M. Jones, S. J. Good, Tence Lindley, M. B. Gold- 
ing, Harvey Brown, William Woods, Jerome Brown, James A. Ellis, 
Daniel Barrett, re-elected. 

Representatives to General Assembly in a Joint District. — A. L. Rob- 



58 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

inson, of Carroll County, 1844 to 1840 ; William S. Palmer, of Cass 
County, 1846 to 1847 ; Dr. C. Richmond, Howard County, 1847 to 
1848; G. W. Blakemore, Cass County, 1848 to 1849; C. D. Murray, 
Howard County, 1849 to 1850 ; D. D. Pratt, Cass County, 1850 to 1851; 
Dr. I. W. Parker, Tipton County, 1852 to 1854 ; C. D. Murray, Howard 
County, 1854 to 1856 ; M. P. Evans, Tipton County, 1856 to 1858 ; 
Samuel Woody, Howard County, 1874 to 1876 ; William H. Thompson, 
Howard County, 1876. Hoivard County as a Full District. — Thos. 
J. Harrison, 1858 to I860; D. D. Lightner, 1860 to 1862; J. M. 
Leeds, 1862 to 1864 ; S. T. Montgomery, 1864 to 1866 ; Willis Blanche, 
1866 to 1868 ; J. A. Wildman, 1868" to 1870 ; T. M. Kirkpatrick, 
1870 to 1874; Dr. J. M. Darnall, 1874 to 1876 ; M. Thompson, 1876 
to 1878 ; T. M. Kirkpatrick, 1878 to 1880; N. R. Linsday, 1880 to 
1882 ; M. Thompson, 1882 to 1884. 

State Senators. — The following citizens of Howard County have been 
elected State Senators from the district of which this county forms a part: 
C. D. Murray, 1856 to 1860 ; N. P. Richmond, 1864 to 1868 ; A. F. 
Armstrong, 1870 to 1874 ; M. Garrigus, 1878 to 1882. 

PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 

Public buildings will include court house, jail, county asylum and 
orphans' home. In March, 1868, the board ordered that bids for build- 
ing a court house be advertised, to be considered at a special session, on 
the 15th day of April following. They reserved the right to reject 
any or all bids if they were not found to be satisfactory, on inspection. 
The bids received on that day were all rejected, the board coming to tlie 
conclusion that they could do better by undertaking the job themselves. 
Having decided upon a plan of operation, they appointed one of their own 
number, Samuel E. Stratton, as Superintendent, with full power to con- 
tract for work and material, as he might deem best for the interest of the 
county, the building to be under the general supervision of the architect, 
Mr. Rumbaugh, and to be finally approved of by the board. Under this 
plan of operations, the house we now have was built at a cost of $110,000, 
including the improvements around it, and heating apparatus. The final 
report on completion of the building was made December 3, 1870, and 
shows that the whole cost of the building was $97,548.40. But several 
allowances afterward ran the expense up considerably above these figures. 

The court house is two stories high, besides the basement, and is 
eighty-two by eighty-six feet, and one hundred and twenty-six feet to top 
of the tower, which has a clock in the top section. The court room is 
fifty-one feet by eighty-two, and thirty-eight and one-half feet in height 
between floor and ceiling. There are five offices on the lower floor, twenty- 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 59 

two by twenty-four feet, except the Sheriff's, which is twelve by fourteen 
feet. On the upper floor, besides the court room, there are four other 
rooms, used as jury rooms, and one is occupied by the County Super- 
intendent, for an office. The lower rooms are occupied by the Clerk, Re- 
corder, Auditor, Treasurer and Sheriff. In the basement is placed the 
heating apparatus ; the whole building is heated by steam, the machinery 
for which was put in at a cost of $5,000. 

The building is substantially built, of good, durable material, and has 
within it fire proof vaults for the different offices in which to store the 
records and valuables belonging to the county. The square upon which it 
is built was filled up several feet, so that it appears to stand on high ground ; 
there is surrounding the grounds an iron fence, with stone foundation, and 
a heavy guard chain, entirely around outside the sidewalk, which is well 
paved. All the walks leading to the building are paved with large cut 
stones. It is a fine appearing house, and when the forest trees that have 
been planted around it are sufficiently grown, it will be a beautiful place. 
A clock in the tower gives to the inhabitants of Kokomo the time of 
day. 

The building on the county farm intended as a home and asylum for 
the poor of the county, was so entirely worthless for that purpose the 
board determined to build a house that would not only accommodate the 
occupants comfortably, but should be a credit to the county. After pro- 
curing plans and specifications that met their approbation, they proceeded 
to advertise a letting for the erection of the building. Bids were re- 
ceived May 24, 1881, and of those that put in bids David 0. Freeman 
had the lowest one, and the contract was awarded him ; he associated 
with him Mr. Peter A. Sassaman, and they together entered into a con- 
tract for the completion of the building and furnishing all material, and 
were paid for it $14,965.85. G. W. Bunting, of Indianapolis, was 
architect and superintended the erection of the building. This house is 
well adapted to the use for which it was erected, and it is a credit to the 
county. It is an enduring structure, of good material, well built and 
arranged for comfort, health and convenience. The building is two stories 
high above the basement, is 136 feet in length and forty-five feet in width, 
and is divided into forty-five rooms. There are several rooms in the 
basement, in one of which is the apparatus for heating the whole build- 
ing by steam. The water is supplied by a well and large cistern. Those 
who have examined the asylum pronounce it an excellent one. A sep- 
arate house of brick near by is used for the care of the insane. The 
asylum and farm are under the management of Mr. White, who has had 
it for several years, which amounts to saying that he is appreciated in the 
position, as a suitable man for the place. The farm for the use of the 



60 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

asylum is composed of 158|^ acres of excellent quality of soil, situated 
one and one-half miles west of Kokomo, on the Petes Run pike. 

The first jail was a log house, built on the same lot on which the pres- 
ent one is situated, and it can be said of that jail that no prisoner ever 
escaped from it ; but it was a log house and must needs give place to a 
more costly and respectable one. To this end, in 1865, the board let 
the contract to build a brick and stone jail to J. W. Coflfman for $9,600. 
The front part is a residence for the Jailer's family, and is of brick ; the 
prison part is back of this and attached to it so that the entrance to the 
prison is through a hallway in the dwelling. The prison part is built of 
s tone and the cells of iron. It has a well inside by which the prisoners are 
supplied with water, and on one occasion furnished an outlet by which 
several prisoners escaped by digging from the well out under the wall. 
The location of this prison is very objectionable from its not having good 
sewage, and is rapidly becoming untenantable and is not a secure place 
and cannot be made secure. The board came to the conclusion that a 
new jail was absolutely required, and in 1880 began to arrange for the 
building of a prison that would be efficient and so situated as to be healthy. 
For this purpose they purchased a piece of ground at the south end of 
Main street on the bluff of Wild Cat, where there could be ample sewage 
and a dry soil on which to build. In 1882, the contract was let to Mc- 
Cormack and Sweney at a cost of $34,314. The building is 103 feet 
five inches in length, and the front or residence is thirty-seven feet nine 
inches wide and the prison portion is forty-three feet seven inches wide. 
It is two stories above the basement. In the basement is placed the 
steam heating apparatus, and also two or three dungeons built of stone, 
each stone forming the entire side, end or bottom or top of the room. Cells 
are built on the first floor and at a distance from the outer walls, so that 
communication from without will not be possible. Accommodations are 
provided for different classes of prisoners and a hospital room for the sick 

The building which is the Orphans' Home is situated one-half mile 
south of Kokomo. In 1868, the ladies composing the Ladies' Union ■ 
Missionary Society, having come to a definite conclusion with regard to the 
idea of a home for orphan children, arranged for and gave a festival, 
October 22, 1868, in aid of the project, and were successful in realizing 
$125 in money, which sum was placed in the First National Bank and 
set apart for the purpose, and to which they added from time to time by 
the same and similar efforts. In January, 1873, a number of these ladies 
who had actively interested themselves in the work, formed and incorporated 
an association called the Orpans' Home Association of Howard County. 
Under the direction of this organization, they continued to hold festivals 
and systematically solicit donations to their funds, so that at the close of 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 61 

the year 1873, they had in bank and notes close on to $1,200. The ob- 
ject of the association, as its name indicates, was to provide wavs and 
means by which the orphan and destitute children of the county might be 
provided a comfortable home, clothing and food, and also to bring them as 
far as possible under the influence of good, moral training, leading them 
into habits of industry, and extending to them the hygienic benefits of 
cleanliness and fresh air, and finally procuring homes for them in good 
families. Having amassed a fund deemed sufiicient to start with, and feeling 
confident in the beneficial influence of an illustration of their work by open- 
ing a home, they, on the 1st day of November, 1873, rented a house and 
secured the services of Mrs. Sarah A. Street as Matron, who took charge 
with five children. Miss Anna Street acting as teacher. The efforts of 
the association. were not relaxed, but were constantly but forth to increase 
their material resources. The first opening of the home was in the west 
end of the city, but its increasing demands made it necessary to secure 
more ample accommodations, and a larger house was rented on North 
Union street, where they remained until their new home was completed. 

During the year 1874, it became very manifest that other and more 
extensive accommodations were needed, as demands were constantly com- 
ing to the managers for the admission of children. The management had 
also extended the sphere of their design, and now had in view the re- 
moval of all small children from the County Infirmary, regarding it as 
an unsuitable place for rearing the young, and also to remove from them 
in after years the odium of having been paupers. The association was 
limited in means, but determined to procure if possible a site on which to 
erect a building that would be ample in its capacity for years to come. In 
canvassing for this object, a committee of the association visited Mr. Peter 
B. Hersleb, who resided half a mile south of the city, for the purpose of try- 
ing to purchase ground of him ; Mr. Hersleb refused to sell them the 
ground, but gave them one acre of land and $300 in money, and after- 
wards gave them $500 more, besides many other things that were of value 
'';0 them. They continued their efforts to increase their means so that 
they could commence to build, and among other efforts made application 
to the County Commissioners for assistance, but could get none for the 
reason alleged that there Avas no law authorizing them to make donations 
for such purposes. However, after much importuning, they gave them 
$15, and at their next term they gave $20, at the next $35. 

Conceiving that benefit would accrue to the Home if recognized as a 
county institution, they procured the services of Judge James O'Brien in 
the preparation of a bill to be laid before the Legislature, which was passed 
and became a law in 1875, by which they were authorized to take orphan 
and destitute children into their home, and receive for each child 25 cents 



62 HISTORY OF TIOWAKI) COUNTY. 

per day toward its support. Another effort made was the opening of 
a dining hall at the county fair, by which they netted ^200, P. B. Hoss 
giving them $25 for one meal. The Sigourney Band of young ladies of 
Kokomo generously donated $125. Individuals gave various amounts, 
ranging from $1 up to $100, In addition to these was a bequest of Elicum 
Boggs, deceased, of $800; of this amount $600 was in city bonds. With 
the amount of funds now secured, the association felt justified in com- 
mencing their building ; the contract was let to J. W. Coffman, and 
during the summer the building was put up and finished so that they 
occupied it October, 1857. The building is a two-story brick with base- 
ment, and 40x46 feet, and thirteen rooms, all heated by a furnace in the 
basement, all costing $4,000, 

The following have been the most active and continuous workers in 
the interest of the home from the beginning : Mrs, Emma E. Dixon, 
Mrs. Eva Davis, Mrs. Jane Turner, Mrs. Dr. Dayhoff, Mrs, Hendry, 
Mrs. Mariah Leach, Mrs, Lizzy Hasket, Mrs. L. B. Nixon, Mrs. J. 
Coffman, Mrs. L. W. Leeds and Electa Lindley; of these some five or 
six are still active members, some have moved away and two of them, 
Mrs. Lindley and Mrs. Eva Davis are deceased. Others came into the 
organization afterward, as follows: Mrs. Adison Armstrong, Mrs. 
Sarah Davis, Mrs. N. R. Linsday, Mrs. T. C. Philips, Mrs. Dash, Mrs. 
Dr. Mavity, Mrs. Kraus, Mrs. Rosenthal, Mrs. Dr. I. C. Johnson and 
others, some of whom remain ; others have moved away and one, Mrs. 
Philips, is dead. There are remaining of active members about fourteen. 

OFFICERS. 

President, Mrs. Mary Armstrong ; Vice Presidents, Mrs. Mavity and 
Mrs. Dash ; Recording Secretary, Mrs, L, B. Nixon ; Corresponding Sec- 
retary, Mrs, E, E, Dixon ; Treasurer, Mrs. Dr. Johnson ; Matron, Mrs. 
Celia Hocket, who also acts as teacher. At present they have no gov- 
erness, but will have as soon as a suitable one can be had. The number 
of children now in the home is twenty, and the average number is about 
twenty. In the ten years of the home, there have been over 200 children 
provided with good homes in good families, thus securing them from 
want, neglect, ignorance and possible pauperism and degradation. We 
are justified in saying that through the efibrts put forth by this organiza- 
tion it was that the present law was enacted by which young children 
are taken from the county poor-houses and cared for properly until good 
homes can be secured for them, thus saving many from becoming not only 
paupers, but criminals. With the twenty-five cents per day, given by 
the county for each child, they are enabled to keep the home in active 
operation, paying the matron from $20 to $25 per month, and a govern- 







?-^-^a 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 65 

ess $12 per month, and the cook $2 per week. People from the country 
also often bring them donations of eatables and sometimes articles of 
clothing. 

COUNTY LIBRARY. 

For the purpose of procuring a county library, the Board of County 
Commissioners appropriated ten per cent of the funds arising from the 
sale of lots belonging to the county. This fund was allowed to accumu- 
late until it amounted to $100, when John Dale and C. Richmond were 
appointed to purchase books to that amount. They purchased $99.50 
worth of books and made report of the same in June, 1851. Individual 
donations of books were made from time to time, and occasional purchases 
as funds accumulated. There was also secured a donation from what was 
known as the McClure Library, in all making a collection of several 
hundred volumes. J. M. Vaughan was first put in charge of the library ; 
he left, and Austin North was appointed in his place and had charge until 
June, 1851, when James H. McCool was appointed; at the same time the 
boiird adopted rules for management and use of the library. But few 
persons availed themselves of the benefits of the library, and it stood com- 
paratively useless for several years. In December, 1854, the board 
divided the county into six districts and distributed the library among 
them, giving it in charge of the Trustees. The number of volumes in 
township libraries in 1882 was 1,386, and 12-i volumes were used during 
the year. 

RICHARDVILLE CIRCUIT COURT. 

The first term of the Richardville Circuit Court was held, commencing 
on the 7th day of November, 184-4, at the house of John Harrison, in what 
is now Ervin Township. In May preceding, an election had been held, 
at which Thomas A. Long and Robert Ervin were elected Associate Judges 
for the Circuit Court for the county; Franklin S. Price, Clerk, and John 
Harrison, Sheriff. These officers constituted the court at this term, the 
President Judge, John W. Wright, of Cass County, being absent. In or- 
ganizing the court, Silas Colgrove was appointed Prosecuting Attorney 
pro tern. 

The first grand jury was composed of the following persons, selected 
by the County Commissioners in June preceding, to wit: William P. 
Judkins, John P. Wright, Robert Walker, David Iseley, Peter Gay, Jonas 
Deselm, Joseph Clark, Thomas M. Kirkpatrick, Christopher Cromer, David 
Lambert, Thomas Kenneday, David Bailey, Ethan Birch, John Ford, 
William S. Rodman, John Rine, John W. Wright and John B. Miller. 
The following persons composed the first petit jury for this term, to wit : 
Job Garner, Thomas McClure, John Jones, Ephraim Bates, Joseph Coats, 
George Taylor, Benjamin Newhouse, Jason Clark, William Grant, 



66 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Joseph Skein, James Fortner and Andrew Barngrover. There being no 
business for the petit jury, they were discharged. On the third day of 
the term, the grand jury returned into court twenty-five indictments for 
various minor ofi'enses. Of these causes, but two were tried this term. 
The first cause tried was the State u«. C. J. Allison, for retailing. The 
defendant pleaded guilty, and was fined $2 and costs. The second cause 
was also for retailing — State vs. John Harrison — who pleaded not 
guilty, and was acquitted. Court adjourned to meet at court house in 
Kokomo. The Clerk made his first entry of the receipt of public laws and 
documents for the county, on April 25, 1845. 

The second term of the Circuit Court was held at the log court house 
in Kokomo, commencing on the 6th day of May, 1845. Richardville 
County was now included in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, with John W. 
Wright, of Cass County, as President Judge, T. A. Long and Robert 
Ervin, Associates; F. S. Price, Clerk; John Harrison, Sheriflf', and W. 
Z. Stewart, Prosecuting Attorney. Several State cases were tried at this 
term, resulting in the conviction of two for assault and battery, and one 
for surety of the peace. At this term, the court ordered the Clerk to pro- 
cure a metallic seal for the use of the Circuit Court, with a device on the 
face thereof of a man on horseback on a chase after wolves in the distance, 
with his hounds in pursuit, the horse to be represented on the lope, and 
the words, "Richardville County, Ind., Seal, A. D. 1844," engraved on 
the face, and until this is procured the clerk will use a scroll, thus : 
[R. C. C.]. The grand jury returned into court several indictments, but 
the record fails to state the number or for what ofienses. 

The court house in which this second and many subsequent terms of 
court were held was built of hewed logs, was twenty -four feet square, and 
two stories high, covered with boards three feet long, called clapboards. 
The upper room was fitted up for a court room, having a rough board 
rostrum for the Judges' seat, a large table for the use of the Clerk and at- 
torneys, and slab seats for the audience. In this room all public meetings 
were held for several years. 

The lower room was divided by board partitions into office rooms, one 
of "which was occupied by the clerk, one was used by H. B. Havens as a 
saddler shop, and another was occupied by G. W. Poisal as a tailor shop, 
and also by Dr. C. Richmond as a doctor's office. While occupying this 
room as an office, an incident occurred which, to the observers, was very 
amusing, but somewhat disagreeable to the principal actor. The Doctor 
had among his bottles one in which he kept whisky for the preparation 
of tinctures. He noticed that the contents of the bottle were disappearing 
rather mysteriously, when, on inquir3% it transpired that a certain car- 
penter, living on Taylor street, was in the habit of visiting the office every 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. (57 

morning, loafing about, and taking a drink out of the bottle. When this 
was d.scovered, the Doctor dissolved a few grains of tartar emetic in 
water and poured it into the bottle, and left it standing as before Next 
morning the customer came in as usual and took his dram. Poisal who 
was present and on the watch, noticed that the fellow began to spit rather 
more frequently than common, and that directly he took another .ood 
drink In a short time he was observed to get up suddenly and'pass 
rapidly out of the door, and immediately he was seen holding on^vith both 
hands to a large stump near the corner of the court house, where he with 
much effort and many tears, deposited his breakfast. This performance 
was repeated atseveral stumps on his way home, where, after getting there 
he remained quiet the remainder of the day. He was not seen to ente; 
the court house for a long time afterward, and the Doctor's whisky re- 
mained undisturbed thereafter. ^ 

At the November term, 1845, the first civil suit was docketed. There 
were several appealed cases in this court, the first of which was John 
Wright vs. Austin North, in which plaintiff recovered the sum of $6 The 

eredtlT.' Z '''' ""'"'"" "' ''' ^^^^'"^^' ^" ^^^^'^^ P^-"^^^ -cov- 
ered ^L95. There was one suit in chancery commenced at this term be- 
tween Peter Long lois and William G. Coffin; this cause was determined 
at t e May term, 1846. The first case of larceny was tried at this term 
fine oflsO. """'"' ""''""' ''"'^^^" ^" *^^ penitentiary and a' 

Nothing of interest transpired in court until November term 1846 
when Peter Hersleb who was a native of Denmark, was naturalized- 
the hrst case of the kind in the county. 

On December 28, 1846, the Legislature passed the law changing the 
name of the county to Howard, and the law was filed in the office of the 
Clerk of the (.ircu.t Court on February IS, 18i7, when the law took 

September term, 184T, we meet with the first jury trial; this was in 
a case of grand larceny, the State vs. Moses Crumwell, which resulted 
in his acquittal. ^e.uiLcu 

iMayterm, 1848 a ^vnt ol ad guod damnum was issued in favor of 
Dame McClure and Jacob Rhodes vs. Samuel Hofi; to prevent him build 
ing a dam across Wild Cat Creek at the point where the P., C & St L R 

fto7oTHof "'"'''' '"""""' "' '^"^°"°' "'"'='' ^''^ fi"'>"^ ^^^^^ i" 
February, 1849, Adam Millman applied for a writ of haiea, corpus 

mant Z^-^ '''"" '^ '^ ^»«' ^^-"'- ^^'"^^ -"ing in i^. 
At the May term, 1849, the first divorce case was tried, before Judge 



68 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



H P Biddle. and resulted in divorcing James Ralston and Emily Ral- 
ston The next divorce case was tried in May, 1850, by which Joseph 
Alvord and Elizabeth Alvord were divorced. During these years the 
divorce business was not very great; but in a few years after this, there 
was seldom a court passed, that there were not several cases disposed of. 
and, indeed, so frequent were these applications to the courts for release 
from the marriage relation, that there were good grounds for the conclu- 
sion that that relation was falling into disrepute, and was lightly re- 
crarded by manv. The laws of the State were so framed as to warrant an 
application upJn slight and trivial causes, which causes could be easily 
multiplied and magnified until they made success sure. Indiana has suf- 
fered <.reatly in her reputation on account of her divorce laws, persons 
from other States frequently coming into this State for the sole purpose 
of .rettinc divorced, because our laws made it quite easy for them to suc- 
cee" when in their own State they could not succeed. But the feeling 
of opposition to this state of things finally began to manifest itself, and 
developed in 1873, in the modification of the law, so that it is not now 
quite so easy to set aside the marriage relation. 

On the 7th of September, 1850, John Broughard was arrested and 
had a preliminary examination before H. B. Havens, Justice of the Peace, 
who bound him over to court, in the sum of $800, to answer to the charge 
of manslaughter. This charge was finally dismissed, and he was then 
charged with an affray, found guilty and fined p. In this affray, Jim 
Lane was killed by a blow in the stomach, struck by Broughard 

May term, 1851, State of Indiana. The case of Sarah Jane Kei- 
zer vs. John Haas, for bastardy, was tried; judgment against defendant for 
$300 This was the first case of the kind tried in this court. 

Murder Oase.—'Lewi Mills, Justice of the Peace, held a preliminary 
trial of Henry Shanks on the 24th day of January, 1853, and recognized 
him in the sum of $2,000, to appear in court and answer to the charge of 
murder in the second degree. At the first term of court after this, the 
cause was continued to the next term in November, when it was again 
continued to the May term, 1854, when it was tried. The jury took the 
case on the 27th day of the month, and on the 29th they returned a ver- 
dict of guilty, and "made his punishment two years in the penitentiary. 
Motion for new trial was made and time given till next term to present the 
reasons. November terra, motion to set aside the verdict of the jury and 
grant a new trial was heard and sustained. At the May term the cause 
was again continued, and at the November term, 1855, the Prosecuting 
Attorney refused to prosecute the case any further, when the court decid- 
ed that he go acquit. So ended the first murder trial in Howard County. 
This trial grew out of the results of a difficulty arising between Henry 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 09 

Shank and Elisha McCool, at a gathering of the neighbors, at which 
Shank was not invited ; but in the evening he went to the place where 
they were assembled. The two young men got into an altercation, stand- 
ing on opposite sides of a fence, when, because of some remarks made 
by Shank, McCool started to cross the fence, and wliile in the act of 
crossing, Shank struck him with a pocket-knife in the right breast, divid- 
ing the fourth rib through its cartilaginous attachment to the breast bone, 
and dividing a small artery on the inner and under edge of the rib, from 
which he bled to death, living sixteen days after the injury was received. 
The following are the names of the jury trying H. Shank : James 
Combs, Daniel Cline, Henderson Johnson, Jonathan Dunkle, David Den- 
nison, C. C. Richardson, David Endicott. Oscar Todd, John Aulteru, 
James M. Hays, Charles Newlin and David McEntire. 

During vacation, after the November (1854) term, S. S. Wilson was 
arrested for assault with intent to commit murder, and was admitted to 
bail for his appearance at the next term of court. in the sum of §1,500, 
with the following persons as his bondsmen : J. D. Sharp, I. H. Hauck, 
T. V. Kimble, F. S. Price, W. C. Jones, John Bohan, C. D. Murray, 
Thomas J. Harrison, H. Ashley, John M. Harland, R. D. Markland, J. 
J. Wills, C. J. Allison, William Grant and M. P. Young. Sam was 
tried at the next term of the Circuit Court, in May, by the foIlowimT 
jury : Allen Carter, Henderson Johnson, T. N. Crothers, L. D. Bennett, 
Jacob Applegate, John Knight, Hayden Reyburn, T. A. Long, Reuben 
Waldern, Reason Hardesty, John Pollock and Reuben Hawkins, with 
Thomas R. Calhoon, Bailiff. Sam was acquitted. S. S. Wilson was a 
native of Kentucky, had emigrated to Indiana some years before this, 
living in the southern part of the State until he came to Howard County. 
Entertaining ideas in harmory with his early education of the exalted 
state of the white over the colored race, he was disposed to regard the 
negro as not suited to him as an associate. He was also in the habit of 
mdulging rather freely at times in the use of intoxicating drinks ; 
when this was the case, he was especially severe on his colored fellow-cit- 
izen. So, when an old colored man made his appearance among us, Sam 
concluded that, as he was a Kentuckian, it became his special duty to rid 
the neighborhood of such people. Taking his gun, he commenced follow- 
ing the old man around, acting as though he was trying to get a good 
chance to shoot him ; the old colored man became badly frightened, and 
made for the corn-field and got away— and thus did Samuel get into trou- 
ble — but he never liked the " niercrer." 

But the further relation of incidents of the Circuit Court would not 
be interesting to the reader, as all the cases there tried are separately 
described under the head of crimes and casualties and will not therefore 
be pursued any further here. 



70 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

HOWARD COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH.* 

The law creating State, county, city and town boards of health is com- 
paratively a new one in Indiana, and although but a little over one year 
has elapsed since its passage, the physicians are fast becoming familiar 
with its operations and are highly appreciating the work contemplated in 
the law. 

The organization of the Howard County Board of Health was per- 
fected as provided in the statutes of this State, January 2, 1882. The 
County Commissioners, William F. Gordon, G. P. Pitzer and Isaac Reed, 
constitute the board, and they elected J. McLean Moulder, M. D., as 
their Secretary and executive officer. The board was re-organized in 
January, 1883, with the same officers. 

It becomes the duty of these boards, far as is in their power, to pre- 
vent the spread of all contagious diseases or diseases that are dangerous 
to public health ; to keep the people posted as to the locality of epidemic 
or contagious diseases; to make investigations as to the effects of alcohol, 
adulterated food, sewers and drainage, contagious diseases, temperature, 
location, and in fact anything which has a tendency directly or indirectly 
to influence the length and strength of the life of our people ; to report, 
tabulate and keep a record of all matters pertaining to sanitary science ; 
to be a means by which all nuisances that influence public health can be 
abated. 

From a careful study of the statistical reports filed in this office dur- 
ing the past year, it is appalling to notice the deaths reported that are 
due "wholly to causes that are preventable. Prominent among these are 
bronchitis, whooping-cough and pneumonia. These diseases can all be 
accounted for upon scientific principles, and it is the work of health 
officers to ferret out the causes and acquaint the people with them. 

The following facts are taken from the records in the Health office of 
this county for the year 1882 : 

BIRTHS REPORTED. 

Males 284 

Females '256 

Total 540 

Whites 531 

Colored 9 

Twins 5 

Illegitimate 10 

Age of oldest father 62 years 

Age of oldest mother 45 years 

Age of youngest father 17 years 

Age of youngest mother 15 years 

♦Contributed by J. McLean Moulder, M. D, 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 71 

DEATHS. 

Males 64 

Females 98 

Total 162 

The greatest mortality was in the month of August. 

CAUSES OF DEATH. 

Prominent among these may be mentioned bronchitis, pneumonia, 
still birth, whooping cough, pulmonary consumption and cholera infantum. 

DISEASES DANGEROUS TO HEALTH. 

Number reported 32 

Diphtheria 2 

Typhoid fever 13 

Small-pox 8 

Cerebro spinal meningitis 5 

Measles 14 

MARKIAOES. 

Number reported 200 

Whites 199 

Colored 1 

Native brides 200 

Native grooms 198 

Foreign grooms 2 

Age of oldest groom 77 years 

Age of oldest bride 66 years 

Age of youngest groom 19 years 

Age of youngest bride 15 years 

The year 1882 was the healthiest ever known in Howard County, and 
what is most gratifying to all, is the knowledge of the gradual fading 
away of diseases that owe their origin to malarial or miasmatic influences ; 
the time is not far distant when chills, biliousness and malarial fevers 
will be unknown to the citizens of Howard County, as the swamps, ponds, 
marshes, and low, wet and uncultivated lands, which were such a prolific 
source of these dreadful diseases, have given way, under the intelligent 
system of underdraining of our farmers, to fields, yielding an abundant 
harvest of what is much more desirable, fruits and cereals. 

DRAINAGE OF THE COUNTY. 

We have had occasion several times in this history to speak of the face 
of the country ; the condition it was found in when first settled ; that 
much of the land was extremely wet, and from the nature of the ob- 
struction to the flow of water, would remain so until the land should be 
cleared. But this alone was found to be insufiicient to bring the land into 
a condition that would develop its productive capacity to the fullest ex- 
tent. From the nature of the subsoil it was found that surface draining 
did not remove all the water necessary to dry the ground so that the 
crops would grow to perfection. Beneath the top soil there is generally a 
stratum of compact yellow clay, and beneath that another of blue clay. 



27 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

very close and hard, through which the water makes its way very slowly, 
so that in a moderately wet season there is always abundance of water to 
be found in from two to three feet of the surface ; the majority of wells 
dug were from ten to twelve feet deep except on the banks of the creeks. 
Farmers were led to investigate this condition and were induced to adopt 
some mode of getting rid of the water. Drains of various kinds were 
made and it was soon found that any kind of deep underground drain was 
beneficial. Some of the drains were made of sawed timber laid in a ditch 
dug for the purpose and then covered over ; others were made with poles 
laid in the bottom of the ditch, while others were made by placing green 
brush in the bottom of the ditch, and covering up with leaves, etc., and 
also dirt. After a time tile ditches were introduced, and proved so bene- 
ficial that they multiplied rapidly. On their first introduction the sizes 
used were as a general thing too small, and would soon fill up with roots 
and dirt. Of late years the size of tile used has been increased, and but 
little that is less than six inches is now used. 

The latest estimate of the amount of tile drain ditches as founded on 
the last census reports is fully 500,000 rods in the county worth |500,- 
000. The eifect of this large amount of drainage has been a marked 
benefit to the land, increasing its producing capacity in a wonderful de- 
gree. 

In years gone by, it was thought that wheat could not be raised here 
to any profit ; now it is as good and as sure a crop as any other, and the 
opinion now prevails that this is destined to be a good wheat-growing 
county. The efiiciency of our system of tile drainage is greatly in- 
creased by the construction of a large number of large open ditches that 
look like canals running through the country. They furnish ample 
outlets for the tile drains and greatly assist in draining the land, as well 
as carrying off" the surface water. There are twenty-five tile mills in the 
county. 

Company Ditches. — The conviction grew upon the minds of men from 
year to year that there was a lack in the drainage of the county that 
could only be supplied by the combined action of the land owners in 
forming ditch companies and constructing long lines of open ditches of 
sufficient size to carry off" the surface water in a general wet time, and 
would also furnish outlets to the tile drains. 

In the commencement of these improvements, the laws regulating the 
proceeding were imperfect, and as a consequence underwent many 
changes, and were from time to time amended or repealed, but under 
each of them some good was effected. 

The first movement of this kind was begun in October, 1859, when 
a company known as the Prairie & Slough Ditching Company was or- 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. I'd 

ganized and presented their articles of association to the Board of Com- 
missioners, asking for the appointment of Viewers. This was under the 
law of March 4, 1859, and T. A. Long, Tence Lindley and William B. 
Smith were appointed Viewers. This ditch was constructed and the re- 
sult was a wonderful transformation of the country through which it 
passed. 

Since that time numerous other ditches have been made ; there is 
seldom a meeting of the board but there are one or more ditch compa- 
nies organized. The estimate of the number of ditches of this kind in 
the county, founded upon the records of the Auditor's and Clerk's offices, is 
about 150, and the cost of them ranges all the way from §300 to $15,000, 
a moderate average would be $4,000 each, which w^ould make $600,000 
expended in open ditches, and the end is not yet reached ; many more 
will be constructed as the years roll on. 

THE COMMON ROADS. 

In the bewinnino: there were no roads. The inhabitants of the coun- 
try were Indians, and they only needed paths, or traces, to enable them 
to get from one locality to another ; their modes of locomotion were 
either on foot or on horseback, and a path was all the convenience in the 
way of roads that they needed. But the white man, as a general rule, 
when he moves has a little property to take along for the use and comfort 
of his wife and children; he therefore must have such modes of convey- 
ance as necessitate the making of roads, especially in a densely wooded 
country. The coming to this county was not of itself a very great un- 
dertaking, but the making a road by which to get here amounted to 
quite a job. From the time you struck the wilderness until you arrived 
at your destination, the ax was, or had to be, in constant use. You could 
seldom move a wag-on a rod without having to cut oif or cut down some ob- 
struction. All the roads that we had through this region for several 
years were made in this way. They were to be found running to all 
points of the compass, and if you should strike into one' with which 
you were not familiar, you could not be certain where it would lead you 
until you reached the end of it, which might be a long way off in the 
woods, and nobody there ; then all you had to do was to turn around and 
go back and take another road. Sometimes the settler would go and 
blaze out a road ; that is, he would determine on the course he wanted to 
go, and then on that course blaze the trees that were in the line or near 
it on that course. To blaze a tree is to cut off a strip of bark on oppo- 
site sides of the tree, looking to and from the course you wish to go. 
After blazing out a route, it was necessary to cut out the underbrush and 
cut off and roll out the logrs that were too large to run over. 



74 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

When neighborhoods began to form, more elaborate roads became 
necessary and more possible, because of the increased number of hands 
to work them. Finally, when the county was fully organized, and its 
machinery in full operation, regularly laid out roads were resorted to. 

To improve them, the hands in a given district were notified by a Su- 
pervisor to meet on the road, when they would first cut out the under- 
brush and cut off and roll out the logs, and deaden the green trees that 
stood in the road — that was to be. When the trees died, the sunshine 
could get to the ground and dry it out some, but as the soil was soft and 
louray, and frequently wet by heavy rains, it took but little travel over it 
to make it desperately muddy. Such were the roads all over the county 
for many years. The condition of the roads was but little improved until 
the farmers generally commenced to drain their land by tile drains and 
public or company ditches which carry off the water rapidly. It is true that 
clearing off the timber and opening up the country did do some good, 
but until the ditching commenced the improvement was slow. Some sea- 
sons the roads never got dry and solid. 

Over these mud roads all our travel went, year in and year out ; our 
mails had to be carried over them until the opening of the P. & I. R. R. 
in 1854. In winter, it often happened that for weeks we were without 
mails, because of the bad condition of the roads. The citizens, many 
times, would club together, raise |10, and hire a man to go to 
Tipton for our mail. The mail carrier could get that far, but with a 
heavy load, could go no further. We had a mail from Burlington, Carroll 
County, but little of our mail matter came that way after the first two 
years. At this time, 1882, our common roads are quite passable for the 
greater part of the year. Three railroads furnish as many mail routes 
over which we have daily mails ; there are also several short routes to 
neighboring villages that carry a mail two or three times a week. 

GRAVEL ROADS. 

The New London & Kokomo Gravel road was the first of the kind 
built in the county. It was commenced in 1867, and completed in 1870, 
and cost about $27,000. The road is ten miles in length, and in its 
course passes through Middleton and Alto. This is a good road, is kept 
in good repair, and has good iron bridges. The leading citizens interested 
in getting up and managing it were Capt. B. Busby, Dr. E. W. Hinton 
(now in Kansas), Isaac Ramsey (Kansas), Josiah Beeson, S. Stringer, 
Samuel Stratton, C. S. Wilson, Joseph Stratton, Hiram Newlin (Kansas) 
and Richmond Terrell. It is the only road in the county organized under 
the law of 1865. 

The Kokomo & Petes Run Gravel road was begun in 1869 and com- 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 75 

pleted in 1871 at a cost of $33,058. This road leaves Kokomofrom the 
west end of JefiFerson street, and runs directly west on a section line, and is 
eleven miles in length. The persons who were prominent in getting up this 
enterprise were PI. W. Smith, James McCool, Israel Brubaker, Michael 
Price, S. D. Hawkins, D. B. Hendrickson, T. M. Kirkpatrick and others. 
The road is a good one and accommodates a large scope of country, pass- 
ing through a part of Centre, Clay and Ervin Townships. 

The Wild Cat Gravel road was begun in 1869, and completed in 
1871. It leaves Kokomo from the west end of Sycamore street, and runs 
westward in the near vicinity of Wild Cat, through Centre, Clay and 
Ervin Townships, ten miles, and ends on the bank of the creek opposite 
Brubaker's mill. This road cost $22,000. It was started under the 
management of N. R. Linsday, William B. Smith, N. P. Richmond, Isaac 
Hauk, Silas Grantham, S. E. Overholser and Thomas Dimitt. This 
road was enjoined from the collection of taxes, and the Legislature 
repealed the law under which it was operated; the result Avas to 
cripple the organization, and as a consequence the road ran down, and 
also, suffering damage from overflow along the creek, the resources of the 
road failed, and the management was finally induced to abandon the 
organization. 

The Kokomo, Green town & Jerome Gravel road was begun in 
September, 1869, and is the leading road running east from Kokomo, 
via Vermont and Greentown to Jerome, passing through Centre, Howard, 
Union and Liberty Townships, and is twelve miles in length ; was com- 
pleted in 1871, and cost $38,000. The active friends of this road are, 
in part, David Smith, Andrew Patterson, C. C. Willetts, R. Gray, James 
Brunk, B. Learner, D. S. Farley, J. S. Trees, J. Covalt, E. P. Gallion, 
W. M. Sims, J. R. Curlee and M. Garrigus. This is a good road and 
has been of great value to the country through which it runs. The 
management of the road has been good, and has resulted in some profit to 
the owners, who have kept it in good repair. 

The Deer Creek Gravel road was commenced in the early part of 
1873, and finished in the fall of 1875, at a cost of $15,000. This road 
passes through a level, rich farming country ; starting from the north end 
of Smith street, in Kokomo, it runs through part of Centre and Clay 
Townships, to the north county line, between Howard and Miami Counties, 
and is five miles in length. It was abandoned as a company road in 1882, 
and steps taken to make it a free gravel road. Among its early support- 
ers were William Kirkpatrick, John Davis, J. M. Leeds, Jesse Swisher, 
William Mills, J. B. Early, John Lovin, Mahlon S. Reeves and others. This 
is a much needed road to the neighborhoods of Cassville and Galveston. 

The Kokomo & Greentown Gravel road is built on the south side 



76 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

of Wild Cat Creek, starting from the south end of Union street in Ko- 
komo, and running to Greentown, eight and two-third miles. It was com- 
menced inl869 and finished in 1871, at a cost of |23,218. Those who 
took the lead in getting up the enterprise and managing it were R. Vaile, 
Noah Carter, J. W. Smith, W. T. Manring, V. Goyer, Paul Miller, C. 
S. Boggs, N. J. Owings and others. The route of this road is through 
a thickly settled region and well-improved farms. The road, however , has 
not been a paying road, but is kept in good repair, and is worth a great 
deal to the people living along its course. It is parallel to the K. G. & 
J. G. R. and less than a mile from it. 

The Albright Gravel road was commenced in 1878 and finished in 
1879, at a cost of $14,751,77. It runs south through Centre and Tay- 
lor Townships and stops one and a half miles east of Fairfield. 

The Rickets Gravel road was commenced in 1878 and finished in 
1879 and runs south from Kokomo on the range line between Ranges 
2 and 4 to the county line between Howard and Tipton Counties, 
and was built at at cost of $13,946.62, This is a good road, in good re- 
pair, and is located in a well-improved section of the county and is a very 
great convenience to many persons. 

The Peter Touby Gravel road was built in 1882, runs from Kokomo 
in a northeast direction to Deer Creek, and up that stream into the Omish 
settlement. This Avas a much-needed road, as the country throilgh which it 
runs is quite level most of the distance, and in a wet time extremely 
muddy ; it was built at a cost of $28,860,20, and is about eight miles in 
length. 

The J. L. Smith Gravel road was built in 1882, and runs in a north- 
west direction from Kokomo, and is in the beginning connected with the 
Harlan Gravel road for about three-fourths of a mile, when they diverge 
and again unite some four miles out. The Smith road continues on from 
there west to Poplar Grove, fourteen miles from Kokomo. This road 
starts from the west end of North street. 

The Harlan Gravel road was built in 1882, is four miles and some- 
thing over in length, runs three-fourths of a mile in connection with the 
Smith road, then diverges to the north for some distance, then turns west 
and again intersects the Smith road. It was built at a cost of $19,990.27. 

RAILROADS. 

The Peru & Indianapolis Railroad was chartered in 1846, and Will- 
iam J. Holman was its first President ; afterward, John Burke, E. W. 
H, Ellis, J. D. Defrees and David Macy. Work upon the road com- 
menced at the south end in 1849, and in two years twenty-one miles of 
flat bar track was laid, which was subsequently replaced by the T rail. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 77 

The road was completed to Peru in 1854, and an extension of it was 
built to Michigan City in 1871. Through the instrumentality of this road, 
Howard County was greatly benefited. For a number of years it has done 
a large business. 

The Cincinnati & Chicago Air Line Railroad, now known as the P., C. & 
St. L., or Pan Handle, also passes through the county, and connects Rich- 
mond, Ind., with Chicago. This road also does a good business in the 
county, and the road is being put in first-class condition. 

Growing out of several projects for building railroads in this region, 
we have the Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Narrow Gauge Railroad ; 
it is a new road, and from Kokomo to Frankfort it takes the place of the 
F. & K. road. The F. & K. Railroad, twenty-six miles in length, was 
built as a standard gauge road, but sold out to the Narrow Gauge Com- 
pany, and the track was reduced. This road runs through the county 
from the northeast to the southwest, and connects us with Toledo, Cin- 
cinnati and St. Louis by the narrow-gauge system. 

SCHOOLS IN HOWARD COUNTY. 

The schools of Howard County were commenced on the primitive 
order of things. In each neighborhood, where a school of a dozen to 
twenty children could be collected, arrangements were soon made 
to start a school; if no house could be found, a cabin would be built, and 
fitted up with puncheon seats, paper windows, and a large fire-place for 
heating ; wood was handy, and large fires were in order. A teacher who 
could read, write and cipher a little would be employed, who would teach 
for a certain price per day, or so much per scholar — what was called a 
subscription school — and would " board around." Within the first ten 
years, the school lands belonging in the county were sold for about $20,- 
000, and the proceeds put out on interest. This interest was all the 
tuition fund that was available, and the expenses of schools, over and 
above that, had to be raised by taxation. Each Congressional township 
being a separate school corporation, was managed by three Trustees, a 
Clerk and Treasurer. A School Commissioner filled about the place oc- 
cupied by the School Superintendent of to-day ; he had charge of and 
loaned the school funds of the county, and distributed the proceeds to 
the different townships. As the school system of Indiana developed in 
after years, nearly all the features of the old order of things were 
changed, and some dispensed with. Now one trustee in each township 
and a director for each school attend to the interests of the school while 
in operation. The County Superintendent and the Trustees form the 
County Board of Education, and have control of the schools of the county, 
hire teachers, fix their salaries, locate houses, adopt text books, and 



78 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

establish all rules and regulations for the government of schools. The 
system includes the holding of institutes, which are intended for the ben- 
efit and improvement of teachers, and it is made their duty to attend 
them. As a rule, the teachers in this county attend these institutes, and, 
judging from reports published of their transactions, we conclude that 
they are productive of great good, both to teachers and schools. 
Under the benign influence of our school laws, the development of our 
schools has been rapid. The eflSciency of both teachers and schools is 
steadily on the increase. Howard is a comparatively small county, hav- 
ing but 2951^ square miles ; yet we have ninety-nine schoolhouses — forty- 
three brick and fifty-six frame — and as fast as new houses are required 
they are replaced by substantial brick edifices, of a size sufficient to 
accommodate the district in which they are located. The size of districts 
is so arranged that the school is convenient to all the scholars, a conven- 
ience that the early settler was mostly deprived of, pupils often having to 
travel two, three or four miles morning and evening along some path 
through the woods, carrying their dinner with them. 

The first departure from the old routine of teaching was introduced 
by Prof. Baldwin in 1859. He procured the use of the old Chris- 
tian Church building in Kokomo, in which he commenced operations, 
adopting what is known as the Normal method of teaching. He suc- 
ceeded in gathering quite a large number of students, and for about three 
years labored zealously and succeeded in effecting quite a revolution in 
the mode of teaching and management. Numbers of those who attended 
his school went out to teach in the surrounding country, thoroughly im- 
bued with the new ideas of what school-teaching was and what schools 
ought to be. These new ideas and modes about schools were canvassed 
by the people, and as a general thing were at once adopted and as fast as 
possible put into active operation. A Normal school building was built 
in Kokomo by subscription, participated in by persons all over the county. 
The design was a school to prepare teachers who would be thoroughly 
prepared in all respects to conduct successfully the schools of the county. 
Before the building was completed, the war of the rebellion commenced 
and many teachers and scholars threw down their books and shouldered 
the musket or rifle and went forth to do battle for their country — some 
of them never to return. After the war, the Hon. M. B. Hopkins and 
his son, A. C. Hopkins, organized Howard College at Kokomo, occupy- 
ing the Normal building ; this school was continued by them until M. B. 
Hopkins was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

The Normal building was finally purchased by the city of Kokomo 
and erected into a high school by the City Trustees, where, year by year, 
from September until June, a large and efficient school is going on. [For 
a description of city schools, see city of Kokomo.] 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 79 

Statistics. — Number of teachers required to carry on the schools of 
the county, 129 ; one county institute held in Kokomo, commencing 
August 29 and continuing five days with three evening lectures ; at- 
tendance, males, 52 ; females, 37 ; cost of institution, $60 ; number of 
private institutes in the county for 1882, two, one held in Kokomo and 
one in Russiaville, conducted by J. W. Barnes, County Superintendent, 
and J. C. McCormack ; number of teachers employed, 5 ; session of 
seven weeks, with an attendance of 48 males and 59 females, total 107 ; 
number of schoolhouses in county — brick houses, 43 ; frame houses, 56; 
total, 99; value of houses, $102,300; value of apparatus, $3,105; num- 
ber of children between six and twenty-one years — white males, 3,360 ; 
white females, 3,058 ; total, 6,418 ; colored males, 79 ; colored females, 
67 ; total, 146 ; grand total, 6,564. Children between ten and twenty-one 
that can neither read or write — males, 3 ; females, 4 ; total, 7. Whole 
number of teachers employed during the year 1882 — white males, 84; white 
females, 48 ; colored male, 1; total, 133. Wages paid teachers — in town- 
ship, males, $2.33; females, $2; in towns, males, $2.63; females, $2: 
in cities, males, $2.81 ; females, $2.11. 

SCHOOL REVENUE, 1882. 

On hand September 1, 1881, $12,759.90 

Amount received January 1, 1882 14,393.65 

Amount received June, 1882 14,130.56 

Amount received, miscellaneous 832.75 

Total $41,616.86 

SPECIAL SCHOOL EEVENUE. 

Amount on hand September 1, 1881 $10,116.60 

Amount received since September I, 1881 11,192.26 

Amount from other sources 546.38 

Total $21,855.24 

Tuition Fund 41,616.86 

$63,472.10 
Expended during year 45,398.53 

Total on hand $18,073.57 

For the purposes of comparison of the different decades of the 
progress of the schools in the county, the data at hand and obtainable are 
not sufficiently accurate to be reliable, and are therefore omitted. But the 
character and efficiency of our schools are satisfactory, and under the 
efficient management of our County Superintendent, John W. Barnes, 
they are likely to increase in usefulness. 



80 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

THE BAR OF HOWARD COUNTY, 

A considerable number of attorneys have from time to time attended 
the courts of this county ; a number of them, however, never becoming 
residents of the county. Of the resident members of the bar, Nathaniel 
R. Linsday is the oldest, having attended the first term of the court ever 
held in the county, and being the only one that has since remained in 
the county. Zachariah Pucket lived in the county but a short time. 
Besides the two above named, there were present at this term, Isaiah M. 
Harland and Silas Colgrove ; Mr. Colgrove was appointed by the court 
as Prosecuting Attorney for the term. 

At the next term the following attorneys were present and admitted: 
William S. Palmer, S. D. Maxwell, J. F. Suit, H. P. Biddle, G. W. Blake- 
more, J. Forsee and W. Z. Stewart — all foreigners, who never resided 
in the county. 

At the November term, 1845, Williamson Wright, of Logansport, was 
present and admitted to the bar, as was also C. D. Murray, who was then 
a citizen of Kokomo, and continued to be until he died, and John Wren, 
and Williamson Wright. At the May term, 1846, D. M. Dunn, 
Prosecuting Attorney, and J. W. Wright, President Judge, were present. 

In November, 1846, William F. Brady, of Tipton, was present and ad- 
mitted. And in April, 1847, Charles B. Lasselle, J. W. Wright and 
Thomas S. Shephard were admitted. Shephard was a resident of the 
county for a few years. 

Hadley Johnson, who resided here a few years, was admitted May, 
1848. John Green, of Tipton, was admitted November, 1848, and ever 
since has been frequently in attendance in our courts — a genial, hearty 
good fellow, though now well up into the seventies. 

In May, 1851, George A. Gordon, a resident, and D. D. Pratt, of 
Logansport, were admitted. Mr. Gordon was elected a member of the 
constitutional convention, in 1851, from this county. He remained in the 
county a few years and left. In November, 1851, R. D. Markland and 
Thomas J. Harrison, of Howard, and Hiram Allen, of Carroll, were ad- 
mitted. In May, 1853, John U. Petit, Judge, and J. M. Connell were 
admitted. Some time before this, but not of record, Leonidas Sexton 
spent some time here, but, not satisfied with the prospect, soon left. 

November, 1854, J. W. Robinson was admitted, 

William Brown, H. A. Brouse, R. Vaile, William M. Waters and 
N. P. Richmond were among the early resident attorneys. 

As the court records fail to give the appearance of all the attorneys, 
we are under the necessity of giving a list of the resident practicing attor- 
neys without the date of their admission: 



HISTORY OF HOAVARD COUNTV, 83 

N. R. Linsday, N". P. Richmond, M. Garrigus, James O'Brien, 
Milton Bell, J. F. Elliott, J. E. Moon, John Ingels, B. F. Harness, 
W. E. Blacklidge, I. E. Kirk, D. A. Woods, A. C. Bennett, C. C. 
Shirley, A. C. Merick, H. A. Brouse, Rawson Vaile, C. N. Pollard, 
J. H. Kroh, C. E. Hendry, John W. Kern, L. J. Kirkpatrick, J. C. 
Blacklidge, Josiah Stanley, A. N. Grant, Freeman Cooper, N. B. 
Smith, J. F. Morrison, W. 0. Purdum, C. M. Walter, A. B. Kirk- 
patrick, Milton Hanson, now living in Hamilton County; Nelson Purdum, 
Arthur Bell and Millard McDowel, S. M. Con, J. D. Johnson — these 
last five are dead. N. Vanhorn, Mahan and Smith lived here a short time 
and practiced in our court. 

The bar of Howard we think will compare favorably with that of 
other counties. They have lately organized a bar association of which 
most of the attorneys are members. They hold stated meetings at which 
legal questions are thoroughly and intelligently discussed, evincing that 
the spirit of investigation and research is actively at work among them. 

THE MEDICAL FRATERNITY OF HOWARD. 

Before the central portions of the county were settled, the people liv- 
ing upon the borders were under the necessity of traveling long distances 
for their physicians. On the western border, medical aid was procured 
from Burlington, in Carroll County. Drs. Anderson, purry and Darnall 
did most of the practice in this part of the county up to 1845. In 1844, 
the county seat was located, and the town of Kokomo laid out, and lots 
sold, but no immigration to it, that amounted to much, took place until 
the spring of 1845, when it became considerable. Dr. Corydon Rich- 
mond arrived in Kokomo, with his family, on the 28th day of March, 
1845, having in November and December previous, in company with N. 
R. Linsday and Dr. J. L. Barrett, built houses. Some time in the sum- 
mer following, Dr. Orsemus Richmond moved in and went into practice 
with his brother. In 1846, Drs. Stoneman and Wickersham located in 
New London, Avhere they practiced several years. Some time later, Dr. 
J. F. Henderson located there. 

About the same time. Dr. W. C. Jones, from Grant County, located 
in Kokomo, and in 1848 Dr. J. A. James settled here. In 1849, Dr. 
Barbee came, and remained only four years. Dr. Jacob Kern settled in 
Alto, and Dr. King at Cassville. In 1853, Dr. A. F. Dayhoff located 
here, and connected himself with Dr. James in the practice. Without 
being able to give the dates of the arrival of quite a number, we append 
a list of all who came into the county subsequently : 

Dr. Pettyjohn, New London ; W. J. Morgan, Greentown ; J. M. 
Erlougher and Cochran, of Jerome; E. A. Armstrong and Shirley, 



84 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Russiaville. E. A. Armstrong and Horace studied medicine in Kokomo, 
and graduated in the Ohio Medical College. Of the foregoing list, but 
a few remain. 0. Richmond, J. A. James, Horace Armstrong and W. 
J. Morgan are dead. Those who remain are A. F. DayhoiF, A. E. Arm- 
strong and Shirley. C. Richmond is still here, but out of the practice, 
in consequence of disability from protracted rheumatism. Then, follow- 
ing those gone before, we have Drs. L. D. Waterman, J. D. Linsday, I. 
C. Johnson, A. B. Taylor, Kokomo ; Nathan Mendinthal, S. D. McCann, 
New London; J. W, Clark, E. W. Hinton, L. Kern, Theodore Kern, 
Alto. In July, 1854, the physicians then resident in the county formed 
what is still in existence, the Howard County Medical Society, with nearly 
all the doctors in the county members. For a few years, the society did 
not do much in the way of improvement, but still kept up its meetings, 
with limited attendance. In 1865, the society was re-organized, and 
quite an addition to its active members was the result. Among those 
added were Drs. Darnall, W. K. Mavity, E. W. Hinton, L. Kern, 0. H. 
Martin, H. C. Cole, R. H. Buck, L. McAllister, William Scott, J. S. 
Benson, M. Saville, H. Armstrong, W. T. Akins, J. J. Saville, G. Scott, 
L. 0. Miller, E. W. Smith, H. C. Lester, S. T. Murray, J. C. White, 
J. W. C. Eaton, A. A. Covalt, W. B. Cooper, J. V. Hoss, C. M. Ware, 
L. Marrill, J. H. Ross Simpson, L. Prater, J. 0. Garr, C. J. Kirk, R. 
Q. Wilson, J. A. Ellis, I. W. Martin, D. W. Moore, J. McL. Moulder, 
J. T. Scott, D. S. Caylor, W. H. Homiday. Dr. William Loraax, of 
Marion, is an honorary member. 

In 1865, the physicians of the city of Kokomo formed a City Medical 
Society, with thirteen members, and continued to operate under this 
organization until June, 1866, when a new constitution and a new name 
were adopted. From that time it has been known as the Kokomo Acad- 
emy of Medicine. This form of organization, as the name would indi- 
cate, was intended to change the mode somewhat in the investigation of 
medical subjects. The members are assigned some particular branch of 
medicine, upon which they are expected to write an essay or give a lecture. 
This has been found to be very much better than the old mode. Since its 
organization, the academy has been actively engaged, especially during 
the winter season, and much greater interest is manifested by the mem- 
bers than formerly, and the benefits are manifest. The profession in this 
county occupy a respectable standing in the community, and are recog- 
nized abroad as intelligent and worthy members of the profession. But 
few cages are met with where foreign aid is called in to assist, but among 
us are men prepared for any emergency likely to occur. We have one 
homoeopathic physician, Dr. Sawyer, who is enthusiastic and very ener- 
getic in his profession, and in that school is well qualified. The Doctor 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 85 

is doing quite an amount of business, and has the reputation among his 
customers of being quite successful. We have also one eclectic, Dr. 
Cooper, who maintains a fair standing among those who favor that school 
of medicine, and is doing his share of business. 

HOWARD COUNTY NEWSPAPERS. 

Kokomo Saturday Tribune. — In tracing the history of this paper it 
will be necessary to go back to 18-18, when the first newspaper was pub- 
lished with the appropriate name of The Pioneer., in New London, and 
edited by Dr. Moses R. Wickersham. It was a sixteen-column sheet and 
was published as a Free-Soil paper for one year. After this, by an ar- 
rangement with the editor, the Whig and Democratic parties were each 
given a page of the paper for the advocacy of their distinctive political 
views. The Whigs elected Charles D. Murray as their advocate, and 
the Democrats selected Dr. J. F. Henderson. Wickersham managed the 
balance of the paper to suit himself. The Pioneer was published reg- 
ularly until 1850, when the office was sold to John Bohan and Harles 
Ashley and moved to Kokomo, and on the 30th day of October, 1850, 
the first number of the Hoivard Tribwie was issued, published by James 
Beard and edited by Hon. C. D. Murray, both now deceased. It was 
published for one year and then for a time discontinued. In 1852, C. B. 
Hensley, a Logansport printer, bought the office and became editor and 
publisher ; he continued the publication of the paper until 1856, when 
the office was sold to T. C. Philips, Hiram Newlin and J. H. Young. 
Mr. Newlin was a Quaker, and Mr. Young was a Kentuckian, with strong 
pro-slavery ideas, andas tbe proprietors could not agree upon political and 
temperance measures, acompromise was effected and resulted in giving to T. 
C. Philips the exclusive control of the paper. In the edition o^tlieTribune 
of January 14, 1857, Mr. Philips presented his salutatory. The Tribune 
continued as a six-column folio paper until 1858, and has been changed 
three times since. From 186-1 until 1876, it was published as a nine- 
column folio, and in 1876 it was again enlarged to a six-column quarto, 
in which form it has continued until the present time. The office of the 
Pioneer was located in a small rude hut, situated on the corner of Ilio-h 
and Main streets, where Mrs. Martha McGool now lives. 

The first issue of the Howard Tribune was from the building known 
as the "'old dead-fall. " The office was subsequently removed to a build- 
ing owned by Crowley & Armfield, and used by them as a furniture 
store. The entire outfit of the office at this time was not worth more 
than §600. After several years, the office was moved to a two-story brick 
block on the southeast corner of the public square. In 1862, a tornado 
overthrew a three-story brick block, which was in processof being finished 



86 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

by Messrs. James, Armstrong & Co., upon the building in which the Trib- 
unp- office was located, totally destroying it, from the ruins of which 
only |60 worth of property was recovered. Mr. Philips declined the 
offer of four gentlemen to furnish the money, and only asked that one 
thousand subscribers should advance one year's subscription ; this number 
was raised in just four days and the publication of the paper was resumed 
July 31, 1862, in the second story of a frame building on the east side 
of the square, owned by J. M. Leeds. The patronage and business of 
the paper continued to increase, and in 1868 a new cylinder press and 
jobber were added to the outfit of the office. In 1869, the business of 
the paper had increased to such proportions that a building of its own was 
commenced, and in November of the same year the office was moved to 
its new quarters, where it has since been published. The office building is 
large and commodious. The lower room is occupied as a business office 
in front and the back part as a press room ; the upper story is divided, 
and the rear room is the composing room ; the front is arranged in a neat 
and comfortable manner as editorial rooms. 

Mr. Philips remained in control of the paper until 1878, when he 
died. He had associated with him, at different times, several different 
persons, among them S. T. Montgomery, James A. Wildman, A. F. and 
C. H. Philips ; the last two were admitted to an interest in the paper in 
1872, under the firm name of T. C. Philips & Sons. After the death of 
Mr. Philips, T. C. Philips' sons continued the publication until 1881, 
when C. H. Philips died. This left A. F. Philips to continue the pub- 
lication of the paper alone. In February, 1888, he associated his younger 
brother, William R. Philips, with him, under the firm name of A. F. & 
W. R. Philips. 

The history of the Tribune is a fair illustration of what may be ac- 
complished by talent, perseverance and industry. From a very small be- 
ginning, and in a locality where the conveniences and material of such an 
institution were difficult to obtain, it has increased in its capacity and in- 
fluence until it is not surpassed by any county paper in the State. Its 
literary character has been excellent, and through the efforts of C. H. 
Philips, he succeeded in bringing to its aid not only the best of home tal- 
ent, but a long list of foreign contributors of recognized ability as writers 
both in prose and poetry. T. C. Philips was an editor of the aggressive 
kind ; he had opinions and the courage to express them, and as a polit- 
ical writer was up to the standard of the times, and often made himself 
felt in the political contests through which he passed. C. H. Philips was 
a pleasant writer, and gave promise of greater attainments if his life 
had been spared him, but his career was suddenly checked in the midst of 
his aspirations for fame and usefulness. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 87 

The Tribune, under its present management, bids fair to maintain its 
reputation for usefulness. It adheres to the political faith of the Repub- 
lican party, and will put forth its best efforts in sustaining it. It now 
has a list of subscribers numbering over 2,000. Among the many con- 
tributors that have favored the Tribune vf'ith. special articles, the following 
is a partial list : J. C. Walker, Maurice Thompson, Crawfordsville, Ind.; 
J. W. Riley, Lee 0. Harris, Greenfield, Ind. ; Miss M. H. Krout, Mrs. 
Mary Hartwell Catherwood, Oakford, Ind. ; Mrs. L. V. Boyd, Dublin, 
Ind. ; Mrs Amy E. Dunn, Indianapolis, Ind. ; Mrs. Kitty Knox, New- 
ark, N. J. ; L. N. Cushman, West Meridan, Conn. ; Mrs. M. E. Har- 
man, Oshkosh, Wis., and many others. 

Kokomo Dispatch. — This paper also came up through great tribulation 
in its early life and history to finally attain to prominence and influence. 
The starting of a Democratic paper was, under the circumstances, rather 
a bold undertaking ; the Democrats in Howard County had but a feeble 
organization at that time, and did not know to what extent they could 
depend on the rank and file of the party to stand by them in this risky 
undertaking. The starting point of the Dispatch was a paper called the 
Radical Democrat. William J. Turpin, of Tipton, who had published 
the Tipton Times, and, having sold that paper, came to Kokomo in the 
early spring of 1870, full of the idea of founding a Democratic paper in 
the unpromising regions of Howard County. The first number of his 
paper was published on the 18th day of May, 1870, and when his bold 
venture Avas launched before the public he received the encouragement of 
many prominent, but not hopeful. Democrats ; and their fears were not 
to be made light of, when it was known that the majority against them 
was from 1.000 to 1,200, they casting but little over 1,000 votes in the 
county. But notwithstanding all these discouragements, Mr. Turpin 
started with a few hundred subscribers. A temporary contract was made 
with the then Kokomo Journal, a Republican paper, to do the com- 
position of the new venture, and another with the Tribune to do the press 
work. But little hope was entertained that the Democratic infant would 
survive the campaign of 1870. Thus, without a type, press or a dollar, 
the Radical Democrat was given to the world. 

Mr. Turpin was assisted in his editorial labors by John W. Kern, who 
was that year the regularly nominated candidate of the Democratic party 
for Representative. After the first number was issued, it was decided to 
drop the word Radical from the name of the paper, and in subsequent 
issues it was simply the Democrat. 

On the 3d of August, Mr. Turpin withdrew from the paper as editor, 
and was succeeded by Mr. John M. Goar, then of Tipton, but now editor of 
the Newcastle Democrat. On October 27, after the close of the campaign. 



88 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Mr. Goar retired from the editorial control of the paper. A joint-stock 
company was at once formed of ^1,000 capital, to continue the publica- 
tion of the paper, and Dr. John F. Henderson was elected editor and 
manager. A second-hand press and some type were purchased, and 
for the first time the Democrat was considered a fixed fiict. The party 
now began to have faith in the perpetuity of their organ in Howard 
County. Faith grew into confidence and the experiment of only a few 
months ago was now a realization. As the liabilities of the concern be- 
came due, Dr. Henderson paid them out of his own private funds, and in 
a short time, without any purpose on his part, he became sole owner of 
the paper. In April, 1871, the name of the paper was again changed to 
that of the Kokomo Dispatch. It was now Dr. Henderson's ambition to 
place the paper on a sure and paying basis, even at the cost of several 
thousand dollars. He was determined that a Democratic paper should 
be sustained in Howard County. The Democracy of Howard County 
are to-day indebted to Dr. J. F. Henderson for the existence of a Demo- 
cratic paper; the Doctor was willing and did make the sacrifice necessary 
to establish it, else most likely they would have no paper in the county. 

On January 9, 1873, J. 0. Henderson, then fresh from college, was 
admitted as an editorial writer and part owner in the concern. In 
September, 1873, the Dispatch moved into its present commodious quar- 
ters in the Opera House. Dr. Henderson had in mind a permanent 
home for his paper, and conceiving the project of the Opera House, he, 
in connection with other citizens, proceeded to build it. After attaining 
the object of his desire in regard to the paper, and feeling satisfied that 
its life was assured, on May 21, 1874, the Doctor formally retired, giving 
up his interest in the management of the paper, and was succeeded by H. 
E. Henderson. The Doctor, in turning over the paper to his sons, did it 
by bidding his patrons and the public farewell in a very original and 
characteristic valedictory. 

One of the first things done by the "boy editors," as the new pro- 
prietors were called, was to thoroughly refit the office throughout, and en- 
large the paper to a nine-column folio sheet ; they purchased new type, 
book, news and job, two new job steam presses for the paper, capable of 
printing 1,500 impressions per hour. They expended $2,500 at the out- 
set, and paid every dollar of it out of the profits of the office before their 
obligations became due. On January 27, 1876, the name of the paper 
was again changed to the Kokomo Dispatch, the name it has ever since 
borne. On December 11, 1879, the form was changed from a folio to a 
quarto, its present form. 

The life of the Kokomo Dispatch has been an eventful one, commenc- 
ing with doubtful prospects, and a very few hundred subscribers; it now 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 89 

has an assured foundation to rest upon, with over 2,000- subscribers, and 
the reputation of being one of the best Democratic papers in the State, 
and bids fair to be of extended and lasting usefulness to its party and the 
cornmunity. The "boy editors" are deserving of great credit for their 
energy, tact, and perseverance in the conduct of their paper ; they have 
without doubt made the paper a power in its field of operation. 

Kokomo Gazette. — This paper was established in October, 1879, by 
William Gause and Ed E, Russell, editors and proprietors. Mr. Russell 
in a short time went out of the concern, and Gause continued it alone for 
several months. He then associated with him F. M. Gideon ; they to- 
gether ran the paper until some time in 1880, when Gause withdrew from 
it, and Gideon continued it alone for a short period, when Omar Maris 
was taken in as a partner. They continued it together for some time and 
Gideon retired, leaving Maris to run it alone for another short period. 
Subsequently Ed Prichard took au interest in this paper, and in a few 
weeks bought out Maris, and he continued it alone, until some time in 
1881. In July, 1881, Mr. L. C. Hoss became a partner, under the firm 
name of Prichard & Hoss, and so continued until September, 1881, when 
Prichard sold his interest to J. M. Runk, and Hoss & Runk continued it 
until November, 1882, when Hoss purchased Runk's interest, since 
which time Hoss has continued it alone. 

The G-azette has ample facilities for doing job work, having recently 
added a new Gordon jobber. They have a cylinder press which is run by 
steam, upon which the paper is printed. Before Maris & Prichard took 
charge of the paper, its criculation was small ; they succeeded in increasing 
it to about 1,500. Up to about the time they got the paper, the press-work 
was done at the Dispatch office. They procured a cylinder press, and the 
paper started on a new era of prosperity, Mr. Prichard being the lead- 
ing spirit in its progress. Since the Gazette has been under its present 
management, the circulation has been increased to over 2,000, 

The Gazette is a newsy, readable paper, thoroughly Republican in poli- 
tics ; the ambition of its editor is to make it a permanent, creditable and 
reliable paper. During its history, it has twice for a short time been run 
as a daily — first by Gause & Gideon, and afterward by Prichard. The 
paper is now a six-column quarto, and well printed. 

The Russiaville Observer — Is published in Russiaville, Howard Coun- 
ty. This paper was founded in December, 1881, by Abram Cosand. After 
several other journalistic efi"orts had been abandoned, Mr. Cosand has 
succeeded in establishing his paper upon a good, sound, financial basis, and 
has also secured a good paying subscription and good job business. By 
pluck and industry, he will doubtless succeed. 

Following is a list of some of the defunct papers published for a short 



90 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

time in Kokomo : Hoivard County Citizen, Home Journal, Tndependenty 
Daily and Weekly Herald, Western Independent, Kokomo Journal, the 
Republican, the Kokomo Granger. 

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

Agi-icultural fairs were held at an early day in the county, but the 
history of the efforts in this direction are extinct, and nothing remains 
but the indistinct remembrance of them. The success attending their 
early life was varied by alternate tailure, but nevertheless some good fol- 
owed each effort, as was evident from the increase of quantities and qual- 
ity of products, and the manifest spirit of improvement aroused among 
the producing communities. The apparent want of success that still at- 
tends them is by many attributed to the kind of management introduced. 
There is no doubt but some things, intended to render the exhibitions 
more attractive, have been of very questionable propriety and many have 
ceased to patronize them on that account. 

In 1869, there was a society organized, with Col. W. Blanche at the 
head. This organization obtained the use by lease of the present site of the 
fair grounds, from David Foster, for ten years, with the privilege of buying 
it at any time for flOO per acre. This organization was upon a life 
membership plan, and was not a success. Since then a joint-stock 
company has been formed, and named " Howard County Agricultural 
Association ; " it purchased the fair grounds of Mr. Foster, in all about 
thirty-three acres. The object in view was to render the association per- 
manent in its character, so as to bring to its aid an increased and general 
interest in its prosperity and usefulness. Its success up to the present 
time has been variable. 

There can be no doubt of the good effects that have resulted from its 
influence, although it has had to contend against many discouragements, 
some of which have grown out of the management of the concern. There 
can be no question of the propriety of continuing this association, and in 
order to correct any mistakes or improper proceedings, more of the men 
and women of the county should take a more active part in it. 

That the efforts put forth, first and last, by the association have 
been productive of benefit can scarcely be doubted. We have only to 
look over the county to get the evidence of it, in the character and ex- 
tent of the improvement that has been made and is now making in farms, 
stock, grain and everything raised in the county. But a few years since 
a good horse was hard to find; now one man ships a car load of fine 
horses from here every month ; and has been doing it for two years or 
more, and still there are plenty of good horses in the county. The same 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 91 

is true of cattle and hogs. Finer stock of all kinds than is here raised in 
abundance is hard to find. 

But now, in the wind-up of this matter, we are under the necessity of 
recording the fact that the association failed to keep their grounds, hav- 
ing mortgaged them for the purchase money, and, failing to pay, the mort- 
gage was foreclosed, the land sold at Sheriff's sale and was purchased 
by Walter Hooper, who leases it to the association when they use it. 

PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY. 

The Patrons of Husbandry was first instituted in this county at Ver- 
mont Schoolhouse, Howard Township, July 25, 1873. Since then, 
some thirty-six granges have been established, and for a time they ap- 
peared to be prosperous and doing a good work among the farmers. 
Some seven or eight of the granges built themselves good houses in 
which to hold their meetings, and were for a time prompt in their atten- 
tioFn to the interests of the institution, but the newness wore off and the 
interest flagged, and now most of the granges are about dead, or at least 
not doing anything and only have a nominal existence. 

With an intelligent understanding of the objects and aims of such an 
organization, and a desire for improvement in the various directions that 
it afforded, and especially the material and social features of it, a vast 
amount of enduring good might be the result. The young men of the 
country might be developed into an intellectual and moral standing, that 
many of them will never attain without something of the kind to lead 
them on. This consideration alone is sufficient, if properly viewed, to 
induce the older men with boys growing up to exert themselves to sustain 
an institution of the kind in every neighborhood. The farmers of this 
county should have an ambition for their sons that looks farther than the 
daily routine of labor on the farm. The acquisition of wealth is not the 
only or greatest object of an intelligent mind in the pursuit of what will 
make for his greatest happiness, or secure a recognition in society or ren- 
der him a useful member of a community. Money is but a poor substitute 
for merit, which alone gives character that is desirable. Granges, when 
conducted properly within their legitimate sphere, would redound greatly 
to the benefit of all who participated in them. 

There are still one or two granges in operation in the county, and 
these might be made a rallying point from which to revive the benefits of 
the organization generally. 

ANTI-HORSE-THIEF SOCIETY. 

A company for the detection of horse-thieves presented their articles 
of organization to the board and were recognized as a legally constituted 



92 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

body. This occurred in September, 1858. In September, 1871, L. 
Kern and others organized the " Wild Cat Horse-Thief Detective Com- 
pany," and on presenting their articles of association were recognized as a 
legally constituted body. Since that time, nothing further has been re- 
corded of them. 

CRIMES AND CASUALTIES. 

The history of crime in Howard has nothing in it that is especially 
diiferent from crime in other localities ; the amount of it is not any 
greater here than in the average communities around, and in presenting 
it we shall not attempt anything more than a simple statement of the 
graver cases : 

The first killing, and perhaps the least objectionable one, was that of 
Jesse Lane by- John Brohard, in an affray. Lane was struck in the 
region of the stomach by Brohard, and died in a few minutes. Brohard was 
acquitted on a charge of manslaughter, but fined on a charge of an 
affray. 

The next case was the killing of Elisha McCool by Henry Shank, 
about the 8th day of January, 1853. The trial of the cause was protracted 
from time to time. The accused was once convicted of murder in the 
second degree, but, obtaining a new trial, was finally acquitted for want 
of prosecution. [This case is related more in detail in the Circuit Court 
record.] In the fall of 1866, N. C. Allen was killed by H. C. Cole, who 
met Allen at the door of the post office and shot him four times, killing 
him instantly. Cole was arrested, had a preliminary trial, and was com- 
mitted without bail, but after some weeks he was admitted to bail. When 
court came on, he took a change of venue to Tipton County, where he 
was tried and acquitted on a plea of insanity, when that plea was so pop- 
ular that few murderers failed to make it. 

On November 18,1869, for an alleged provocation, Daugherty shot and 
killed Joseph Vanhorn, for which he was arrested. He also took a change 
of venue to Tipton County, whete he was tried and acquitted ; upon what 
grounds was never certainly known ; some say one thing and some 
another ; by many, the trial was regarded as a farce. 

March 31, 1876, Jesse Kelly and Charles Hawkins had a diflBculty at 
the " Junction" and fought. During the fight, Hawkins stabbed Kelly with 
a dirk knife in the right side, the knife entering to some distance into the 
liver, from the effects of which Kelly died some time afterward ; Hawkins 
was tried and convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to prison for four 
years. 

May 21, 1875, a Mr. Slyter killed a man named A. P. Jones, in the 
east end of the county ; Slyter was tried and acquitted on a plea of self- 
defense. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 93 

October 4, 1879, Alexander Combs shot and killed George W. Olinger 
for alleged intercourse with Combs' wife. Combs was tried, found guilty 
and was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. 

August 22, 1877, Michael Gillooley shot and killed Thomas W. Lan- 
non at the "Junction " for the alleged interference in his relations with 
some youhig woman of the neighborhood. Giving way to strong drink 
and yielding to the taunting and jeers of a vile gang called the MoUihan 
gang, who mostly congregated about the " Junction, " he became desper- 
ate and shot Lannon dead, for which he was arrested and tried for murder 
in the first degree, found guilty and sentenced to hang, but upon the 
representation made to Gov. Williams, his sentence was commuted to 
imprisonment for life. 

On the night of September 19, 1881, Dr. Henry C. Cole, Mayor of 
the city of Kokomo at that time, was shot and killed at the Spring Mills 
in Kokomo, by a Sheriif's posse. 

In 1860 or 1861, an old man by the name of Davis resided in Fair- 
field ; he and his son, J. W. Davis, had some trouble, when the son 
struck his father with a stick of wood, and fractured his skull, of which 
injury the old man died. What was done with young Davis I am unable 
to find out. 

LYNCHING. 

On June 7, 1863, two men came riding into Kokomo on stolen 
horses, and rode up to the livery stable of John and Nelson Cooper, on 
the north side of the public square. N. Cooper, and H. H. Stewart, 
Deputy Sheriff, were on the lookout for these men and horses, and as soon 
as they rode up, Nelson Cooper took hold of the bridle of the horse of 
the forward man, who drew his revolver and shot Cooper dead, and then 
attempted to shoot Stewart, but missed him, the ball taking effect in the 
body of Rev. John Low, Sr., an old citizen and a worthy, highly respected 
man, who happened on the ground just as the men came up. Stewart 
had attempted to secure the other man and horse but failed, and they 
both turned there horses and fled. Henry Stewart, who happened to be 
home from the army, and was on the street at the time, drew his revolver 
and fired on the murderer as he rode off, the ball taking effect in the 
man's hip, when he fell from his horse and was captured ; the other man 
made his escape, though hotly pursued, but was afterward captured, 
taken to Indianapolis and sent to the penitentiary. 

This horrible tragedy stunned the community for a time ; the men 
killed were highly respected and valuable citizens, and the feeling ran 
deep. Mr. Low lingered for some hours before he died, and every 
hour increased the excitement ; men from the surrounding country came 
into town, consultations were numerous, and it soon became manifest 



94 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

that some decisive action was contemplated. Mr. Cooper was buried ; 
a large crowd was assembled ; among them arrangements were made, 
and when night came on they assembled at the jail, and by force secured 
the keys, opened the jail door and took out the prisoner and conducted 
him to the public square, where arrangements were speedily completed for 
the purpose of hanging, and the prisoner was told to say his prayers, but 
instead of doing this he put the rope about his own neck and defied the 
crowd to do their worst and expressed regret that he had not killed others 
while he was about it. 

While he was taunting the crowd, some one kicked the boxes from 
under him upon which he stood and he swung by the neck, and was left 
there until the next morning, when he was cut down and buried. He 
never divulged his name, and it is not known yet. He alleged that 
liquor was the cause of his being in that situation. 

In 1849, a man by the name of Brewer was supposed to be, and most 
likely was, killed by lynching. One Elijah Tyre had married a woman 
to whom this Brewer had paid some attentions, but had left the country 
for a time. He some time after returned and made efforts to re-establish 
his former relations with the woman. To this Mr. Tyre objected. 
Brewer and the woman met one night at David Garinger's, when it was 
imagined they were arranging to elope. Tyre got some friends to help 
him, and after masking themselves they repaired to the house of Garinger, 
where they found Brewer, seized him and conveyed him to some distance 
from the house and tied him to a tree, and, as is supposed, literally 
whipped the man to death, as quite a number of switches were found near 
the tree badly worn from use, and bloody. The man Brewer has never 
been heard of since. 

The next case of lynching was perpetrated on the night of April o, 
1881, by the hanging of Richard Long. On Saturday night previous, Mr. 
Ed Prichard's little three-year-old daughter was taken from its cradle 
and carried into the back yard, where an outrage was attempted upon her 
person ; she returned into the house and awoke her mother, who cared for 
the child, but made no discoveries until morning, when, from the com- 
plaining of the child, it was discovered she had in some way been injured. 
This man Long had been around and acting strangely, and by his con- 
duct excited some suspicion. He was finally arrested and put in jail on 
Sunday. All sorts of rumors were in circulation, and diligent search and 
inquiry were instituted to get evidence to convict him of the outrage upon 
the child. The news of the occurrence spread rapidly, and a large crowd 
was assembled near the jail most of the day on Sunday, and it was thought 
the attempt to lynch him that night would be made. But the crowd 
assembled, or that portion of it that contemplated the lynching, had not 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 95 

succeeded in imbibing a sufficient amount of artificial courage, and con- 
cluded to- await until the next night. During Monday, other criminal 
acts of Long were developed, and added to the excitement. Men from 
Rochester came down and identified a horse, a watch and a pair of boots, 
as stolen property. This fact settled the character of Long in the minds 
of the crowd, and added to what was alleged as connecting him with the 
outrage on this child, settled the question. 

On Monday afternoon the excitement seemed to subside, but it was 
noticeable that those who favored lynching were frequently seen together, 
holding whispered consultations. It was more and more evident that 
extreme measures were contemplated. Soon after midnight, a masked mob 
assembled at the jail and proceeded to cut the lock oft" of the door with a 
cold chisel, and thus effected an entrance. The prisoner was secured and 
marched to the iron bridge at the foot of Main street. The mob took 
possession of the bridge and would not allow any to pass but their own 
crowd, except Mr. McCune, the minister of the Congregational Church, 
who talked to and prayed with the prisoner. J. F. Vaile made a stirring 
appeal to the mob to desist, but to no purpose ; they had come to hang 
the man and were not to be diverted from their purpose. Before Long 
was swung oft", he asked to be allowed to sing a song, which was granted 
him, when he sung, in a clear and distinct manner and voice, two or three 
verses of the song, "Keep my grave green," after which the supports 
upon which he stood were removed, and he hung there by the neck until 
dead. After he was dead, he was cut down and carried to the court 
house, and next day buried. 

Other Tragedies. — On the night of February 27, 1868, a Mrs, Binns, 
living in Russiaville, while sitting in her room at work, was shot and 
fatally wounded, but lived ninety days before death. Her husband, from 
whom she had been separated sometime, was suspected of committing the 
crime, and was finally arrested, tried and convicted, but got a new trial ; 
was brought back from prison and again tried and convicted, and again 
got a new trial, and was again convicted, and is now in the penitentiary. 

November 3, 1875, David Robinson, living in the east end of the 
county, presumably when in a state of mental derangement, attempted to 
kill his family. He succeeded in killing tw^o of his children, and badly 
wounding the third child and also his wife. He then came to Kokomo, 
and boarded a train going south, and somewhere beyond Fairfield jumped 
from the train and was killed. 

February 10, 1875, John Sprunce, living in Kokomo, was killed by 
his son William, who beat him on the head with a wagon felloe ; William 
made his escape and was never tried for his crime. 

A man named John W. Moore was attacked upon the street of 



96 HISTORY OF HOAVARD COUNTY. 

Kokomo, and struck with a sand bag, from the eifects of which he died 
soon after. Strong suspicions were entertained against several persons, 
but on trial nothing conclusive was proven. This occurred on the 14th 
day of August, 1878. 

October 14, 1875, near Tampico, Jacob Warwick got in trouble about 
a saw mill, with James D. Pratt and Abraham Garr, which culminated in 
the shooting of Warwick by Pratt and Garr. They were both tried for 
the murder, but through some quirk and ledgerdemain practiced upon 
the jury, both were acquitted ; but Warwick was dead notwithstanding. 

June 18, 1880, Jacob Vogus, an old man who resided in the south- 
west part of the county, came to town ; his son James was also in town. 
They met at Jake Maas' saloon, when James asked his father for mone}^ 
but the father refused; some words passed, when James drew his revolver 
and shot his father two or three times, of which injuries he died the next 
day. James Vogus was arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to the 
penitentiary for life. 

May 20, 1882, two miles south of Kokomo, Leander Carter 
(colored) was attacked by Elijah Martindale (colored), who beat him over 
the head with a board, from the effects of which he died soon after. 
Martindale made his escape. 

Suicide. — Many years ago one Scott Mitchel resided here, and 
was a hard-working man when not drinking; he got tired and discouraged 
with the conflicts and turmoils of life and concluded to try the realities 
of the unknown, which he did by blowing his brains out with a shot-gun. 

In connection with the foregoing, it is proper to mention that several 
persons have been found dead upon the railroad track, northwest of the 
junction. The theory of their death given out was that they had 
laid down and went to sleep, and a passing train had killed them ; but 
there were such appearances about some of them that precluded that idea; 
although an investigation failed to develop any other cause, there evi- 
dently was some other cause, although it could not be brought to light. 
A desperate gang of fellows that were in the habit of lounging around 
the Junction, called the Mollihan gang, were supposed to be concerned in 
these cases, and since Mollihan has been run off, no more cases of this 
kind occur. The gang, after losing their leader, have mostly dispersed, 
and have ceased their depredations. 

CONCLUSION. 

In conclusion, we look back over the history of the county and feel 
that we, as a people, have a right to have some pride in view of our prog- 
ress during the thirty-eiglvt years we have been here. Coming in when 
it was all a howling wilderness, cutting away the brush to get room to 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 97 

camp on for the night, cooking our meals at a log-heap, and eating off the 
ground for a table and the cold earth for a bed. getting a drink from the 
branch or slough, and no neighbor anywhere near that we knew of, with 
the weird and mournful hooting of the owl and the croaking of the mill- 
ion of frogs, the annoying hum of the musquito to put us to sleep, we 
feel that we have the right not only to feel proud, but to be glad that we 
are out of the woods. 

The first settling of new countries is in most instances very much the 
same everywhere since t|ie days of Indian fighting, and our experi- 
ences were not remarkable in most that transpired. Cabins of various 
dimensions and forms were built up all through the woods, and finally 
formed into neighborhoods or settlements, and intercourse with each 
other was gradually established and extended until the pleasures of social 
life were appearing among the people. Social intercourse in those days 
meant something ; it was heartily enjoyed and highly appreciated. Each 
one was ready to go to the aid of his neighbor in sickness or to give him 
a lift at his log-rolling or house-raising without grudging the time or the 
labor. 

Occasionally families would get together and enjoy a day of vis- 
iting, recounting the trials and privations of life in a new country, but at 
the same time taking encouragement from the prospect ahead of a good 
fiirm, comfortable houses and plenty around to live on and make the bal- 
ance of life pleasant and happy — and many are now in the enjoyment of 
these anticipated blessings ; others have succumbed to the burden of 
labor, exposure and disease, and have passeil away to a life where priva- 
tions, disease and death are no more. 

The first settlement of a new country is generally attended with quite 
an amount of sickness; especially is this the case in the Western country ; 
that this is true, many living in Howard County can testify, so far as this 
locality is concerned, at least. 

A person may go into the dense forests of this region, clear out 
the underbrush, build a cabin "just big enough to hold Queen Mab in," 
and live there for years and not get sick; but let him commence and clear 
off the heavy timber and open up the ground to the unrestrained action of 
the summer sun, and before the summer is ended he will shake with the 
ague, and year after year, as the process of clearing progresses, the ague 
in some form will hang on ; he will work and shake, then shake and 
work, get discouraged and conclude that as soon as he and his family are 
well enough he will leave for more genial climes. But as winter comes 
on and the ague mostly quits, he thinks better of it and concludes it 
would be too much of a sacrifice to lose all he has done, so he determines 
to try it another season. Next summer and fall he is likely to have 



98 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUiNTY. 

more ague, but it is not quite so persistent in its attacks, and he has 
more time in which he can hibor and raise the necessaries of life. He 
also finds his land very productive and easily tended, and thinks the 
ague will quit, which it will, and he gives up the idea of leaving, goes on 
with his work, succeeds in making a farm that produces all he wants and 
a nice surplus for sale ; and now you find him a well-to-do-farmer, with 
all the comforts of life around him, and in his old age taking his ease. 
But the clearing and cultivation of the ground is not all that he has 
brought about in the improvement in the healthfulness of the country. 
At an early day, the farmers became aware of the benefits to be se- 
cured by draining the wet lands. To this end the creeks and branches 
were cleared of obstructions to the rapid flow of water, securing by 
this means an outlet to other drains that were to be made artificially. 
Of this kind of work, an immense amount has been done. So extensive 
is the drainage of the county that you can scarcely find a twenty-acre 
lot that is not more or less thoroughly drained by tile drains. 

At an early day, much of the land was regarded as swamp land, so much 
so that, when all the land was entered up at $2 per acre that men were 
willing to take, the balance was all returned as swamp land and sold as 
such. But to-day you will have to hunt a good while to find any swamp 
land in Howard County. It is regarded as a low estimate that of tile- 
drains there are 600,000 rods, and of public or company ditches there 
are 150, that cost from $300 to $15,000, and more going on. This is 
what has improved the health of the county so much, as well as the pro- 
ductiveness of the soil. 

From being an indifferent wheat-growing region, it is now one of the sur- 
est and best crops raised. It is also a good fruit-growing county ; some or- 
chards have been damaged by severe winters, but as a general thing we have 
abundance of fruit and of a good quality. Farmers have selected the very 
best kinds of fruit found to be suitable to this climate. 

We found the early settler living in a diminutive cabin, chinked 
and daubed with mud, with a stick chimney, puncheon floor and an 
old quilt for a door, paper windows that admitted but little light, 
with other conveniences to match, all inclosed in a small opening in 
the big woods. To-day you find many of them living in fine brick 
residences, furnished with all the modern improvements, large barns, a 
good-sized farm clear of stumps and well fenced, and abundance of stock 
of all kinds, with everything about them to make life comfortable. Some 
live in tasty frame cottages or commodious frame dwellings, while others 
have yet to live in their comfortably fixed hewed-log houses, until a few 
more crops are raised and sold, and then the new house is sure to go up. 

We found Howard County in 1811 a howling wilderness, with less than 



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HISTORY OF FIOWARD COUNTY. 101 

300 inhabitants ; now, in 1883, there are over 20,000. Then there was 
not a farm in the county that could properly be called a farm; now there 
IS a farm to every quarter-section ; then there were no schools, now there 
are 100 ; then there were no churches, now they are found in every 
neighborhood ; and we might name many other things in the same man- 
ner. But we have extended this article to a greater length than at first 
intended, and will close by announcing a conclusion long since arrived at 
to wit, that Howard County is destined to be one of the best counties in 
the State, considering its size. 

MILITARY HISTORY. 

BY .JOHN W. BARNES. 

This county is one of the youngest in the State, and having been 
organized as late as 1844 has no war history prior to the war with Mexico. 
Whether any soldier of the war of independence ever made his home in 
this county or not is unknown to the writer. An old man by the name 
Barngrover, who lies buried in a field two miles southwest of Kokomo, 
on the Alto Gravel road, is said to have been a hero of that war, but of 
this there is nothing definite. Certain it is that he was very old at the 
time of his death, which occurred many years ago. The heroes of the war 
of 1812, who in after years came to this county to find a last resting 
place, have all yielded to the frosts of time, with but one exception, and 
the story oftheir eventful lives can never be fully placed upon historic 
pages. So far as can be ascertained, there were eight who were residents 
of this county at the time of their death, besides the one who still survives. 
The story of their lives as gathered from friends and family records is as 
follows : 

THE MEN OF 1812. 

Alexander G. Forgey settled in Howard County in 1842, and died in 
1855, aged seventy-five. Israel Ferree wag born in Virginia about the year 
1775. He was stationed for a considerable portion of his enlistment at Nor- 
folk, Ya. He came to this county in 1850 and died in 1863. Daniel Hea- 
ton, or Eaton, was born in Pennsylvania August 27, 1780. While quite 
young, he formed a strong liking for frontier life, and leaving his home 
came westward and purchased land in what is now Preble County, Ohio. 
The town of Eaton, the county seat of this county, was afterward 'named 
in his honor. Here he married xMary Furgeson, who bore him eleven 
children. It is probable that he resided at the place at the time of his 
enlistment. Whether he was Captain of the company to which he be- 
longed at its first organization is not known, but that 'he held this office 
afterward, and by successive promotions was finally made Colonel, is well 
known. He was stationed part of the time at Fort Wayne, and partici- 



102 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

pated in the battle of Tippecanoe with Gen. Harrison, to whom he was 
ever afterward greatly attached. After the war, his desire for Western 
life brought him to Indiana, where he engaged in hunting, trapping 
beaver and trading with the Indians. In this pursuit he made several 
trips as far westward as Iowa, on horseback. In 1841, he came to 
Howard County and settled on Little Wild Cat Creek, in Harrison 
Township, six miles southwest of Kokomo. He was a member of the 
Masonic order and at the time of his death was the oldest member in the 
county, having belonged to the order nearly fifty years. The sword that 
he carried, during the war of 1812, he presented to the Masonic lodge 
in New London. He was an ardent and enthusiastic Union man during 
the war of the rebellion, and a great admirer of Lincoln. He firmly 
believed that the administration would finally be triumphant, although he 
did not live to see it. The Tribune of April 23, 1861, has this to say 
of him : " Col. Heaton, the veteran soldier, eighty-one years old, was in 
town on Sunday. He wants to volunteer. He says a man had better say 
his prayers, make his will and prepare to go to hell than to speak against 
our country in his presence." Col. Heaton was small of statute, ener- 
getic and active, positive in his nature and a great reader, especially of the 
current literature of the day. He was married three ;imes and had six- 
teen children, eight boys and eight girls. On the 11th day of January, 
1863, when the rebellion had grown to gigantic proportions, when the 
fierce winds of midwinter were howling without, and all nature seemed 
agitated, his life went out with the storm. His funeral rites were said 
by the Rev. Mr. Keeler, a Baptist minister, and his remains were laid 
forever at rest in the little burial ground at Alto. 

Samuel -Giles was born in Lexington, Ky., in 1792. He enlisted 
in his native State and served under Col. Richard M. Johnson. He 
was in the battles of Tippecanoe and the Thames. He came to this 
county in 1861, and died in 1866. 

Robert Morrison, also a soldier of 1812, died in 1868. 

John Miller was born in Westmoreland, County Penn., Octo- 
ber 13, 1794. His father died when he was seventeen years old. 
He, in company with his brother, George Miller, moved to Warren County, 
Ohio, near Lebanon, about the year 1811, which was then almost a 
wilderness. In 1814, he helped to organize a company, which was being 
recruited at the military post at Dayton, Ohio. This company was sent 
to Fort Meigs, on the Maumee. He was sent from this place to Hamilton, 
Ohio, as a recruiting officer. His regiment was transferred to the com- 
mand of Gen. Brown, and took part in the battle of Lundy's Lane. He 
also helped to defend Fort Erie against the repeated attempts of the British 
to take it. The siege lasted more than six weeks, when the British were 



I 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 103 

repulsed. After the war, Miller resided for a time in Darke County, near 
Fort Jefferson, famous in history as the place to which St. Clair retreated 
after his defeat by the Indians at Fort Recovery. In 1826, he married 
Sarah Broderick. In 1850, he moved to Howard County, three-quarters 
of a mile north of Jerome, where he resided -until his death, which 
occurred February 22, 1873. His wife survived him five years. The 
ashes of both repose in the Jerome Cemetery on the banks of Wild Cat, 
where rest many of the pioneers of Howard County. John Miller Avas an 
industrious citizen, identified with all the early improvements of the 
county, and a firm friend of education and free schools. 

William Apperson was born in Culpeper County, Va., April 
12, 1786, When the war was declared, he was living in Washing- 
ton County, Va. He enlisted in Capt. Byers' Company and served his 
full term. He came to Clinton County, Ind., in 1843, moved to 
Howard County in September, 1844, and settled on and pre-empted the 
farm now owned by his son, E. S. Apperson. He died December 20, 1874. 

Henry Jackson, born in Fleming County, Ky., in 1795, enlisted 
in his native State in 1813, serving nine months and participating in 
the battle of the Thames. In 1843, he emigrated to this county and 
settled in Clay Township. He died in 1853, and was buried in the Bar- 
nett Graveyard, about eight miles west of Kokomo. 

Peter Gray was born in Kentucky in 1780 or 1781. He enlisted 
in his native State, and served five years in the regular army. He was 
under Gen. Jacob Brown, and helped to gain the brilliant victory at 
Lundy's Lane. In this fierce contest, he received three wounds, one in 
the forehead, and one in the breast by saber strokes, and one, a musket 
ball, in the leg, which he bore with him to the grave. He died and was 
buried at Russiaville in 1879. 

John Rivers is the only survivor of this war of more than half a cen- 
tury ago, who now lives in Howard County. He was born in North 
Carolina September 5, 1795. He enlisted when only seventeen years of 
age as a soldier from that State. He came to this county about the vear 
1841, and settled two miles southwest of Russiaville. He has ever been a 
quiet citizen, a peaceful neighbor and an industrious farmer, who has 
many friends and few enemies. He became blind about twenty years ago, 
and has since resided with his children. The time is not far distant when 
this aged veteran, our only living representative of our second and last 
war with England, will be gone from among us. 

THE AVAR WITH MEXICO, 

In 1846, when the war with Mexico was declared, this county had 
only a few settlers, and consequently no thought of raising a company 



104 HISTORY OF HOV/ARD COUNTY. 

was entertained by any of its citizens. However, there was not wanting, 
even then, that patriotic spirit, that devotion to duty which has ever char- 
acterized the people of Howard, and that only a few years after sent 
hundreds to do battle for a principle in human government. 

Company A, of the First Indiana Regiment, was formed at Delphi, by 
Capt. Milroy, and the following are the names of those who joined it from 
this county : Barnabas Busby, Boston Orb, Andrew J. Forgey, Thomas 
Kennedy, William Gearhart, George Ervin, John Gearhart, Edward 
Ervin, Andrew Gearhart, James A. Forgey, Samuel Gearheart, Isaac 
Landrum, Daniel Isley, Thomas Landrum, William Harrison, Samuel Ya-- 
ger, John Barngrover, Samuel Gay, James Barngrover, William Judkins and 
Anthony Emley ; Andrew Park also went from this county, but probably 
not in the same company. Among those who volunteered in other coun- 
ties and have since become residents here, were the following : B. F. 
Voiles, Pollard J. Brown, John Myers, James A. Haggard, John Twinum, 
Charles M. Fifer, Irvin Tennell, Job Tennell, Michael Craner, William S. 
Reeves, Norvell Fleming, Paul Miller, Daniel Barnhart, Calvin Carter, 
James L. Bailey (dead), William Vandenbark and David Randall. Of those 
who went from this county only six or seven served their full term of enlist- 
ment, and these were Barnabas Busby, Andrew J. Forgey, John and James 
Barngrover, William Judkins and Anthony Emley. The others either 
died or were discharged. John Gearhart was the first man from this 
couty to die, as he was also the first in his regiment. 

CAUSES OF THE REBELLION. 

To give a complete summary of the causes which led to this " war of 
the States" would occupy more space than is allowable in a work of this 
kind, besides it is unnecessai-y, since they have been so ably set forth in all 
the numerous histories of our country by illustrious writers. 

The story of this, one of the greatest wars the world has known since 
the dawn of the Christian era, is yet green in the memories of the noble 
boys who were engaged in it and who survived the conflict. It will never 
be forgotten by those who bade fathers, husbands, brothers and sons 
good bye, and watched and waited in vain for their return. 

Between the North and the South, for many years had been raging a 
controversy of principle. The North was for freedom, the South was for 
slavery. The North favored freedom of discussion ; the South repressed 
it with the tar-brush and the pine fagot. Discussion strengthened the 
North and weakened the South. While the North was growing conscious 
of the popularity of its principles, the South was growing desperate 
over what must be the final result. It had become enamored of slavery, 
and feared that the North would prevent its extension and cause its 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 105 

death. The South violently denounced free labor as degrading and dis- 
graceful, and treated with scorn and contempt the honest triumphs of 
the poor man who boldly worked, his way to independence. The 
North and the South represented two classes that early peopled this 
country ; the one came to the bleak shores of Massachusetts in the 
Mayflower — a band of bold, conscientious, industrious laborers ; the 
other landed at Jamestown in 1G07 — a band of idle, improvident fellows, 
who knew nothing of honest labor, but styled themselves gentlemen ; 
and even at this time had English or German slaves, known as '' ap- 
prenticed servants," to do their bidding. They were well prepared to 
welcome the Dutch slaver that steamed up the river in 1619, and en- 
tailed a curse upon them that was to blight their growth for more than 
two hundred and fifty years. When, in 18G0, the people chose Abraham 
Lincoln President, the work of secession began at once in South Caro- 
lina. So threatening became the attitude of the South, that near the 
4th of March, 1861, Mr. Lincoln had to steal in disguise through 
Baltimore on a midnight train to avoid assassination. And why ? 
Because, in the language of Gov. Vance, of North Carolina : " It is 
totally unbearable that the chivalry should be ruled over by a com- 
mon, low bred, Illinois lawyer." Had it not been for the precautions 
of the veteran Scott, it is doubtful whether the President's inauofuration 
could have been accomplished. So great was the danger, that men 
held their breaths, and felt, when the ceremony was over, that they 
had escaped a great danger. No man knew whom lo trust, and four- 
fifths of the ofiicers of the Government were rampant rebels. Let any 
one glance back at the state of things on the 4th of March, 1861, 
and if he has the pride of a true American, he will thank God that 
his country has escaped such great dangers. 

About this time, three representative men of this county, who had 
been viewing with alarm the gathering storm-cloud that was already 
hanging like a pall over the country that they loved, met in Kokomo, 
and after a short and hurried discussion of the threatening aspect of 
the Southern States, they shook hands and pledged their manhood and 
their sacred honors, each to the other, that sliould the alarm become 
a reality and the country be plunged into civil war, they would go to- 
gether to the defense of the Union. These men were Thomas J. 
Harrison, Thomas M. Kirkpatrick and Barnabas Busby. How well they 
kept their words is recorded elsewhere in these pages. 

BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES. 

The conciliatory measures of President Lincoln, and his declaration 
in his inaugural address that he had no purpose or inclination to interfere 



106 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

with slavery where it already existed, and his further statement that he 
had "no lawful right to do so," had no effect on the hot-headed Southern 
leaders, who claimed that loyalty to their particular States was more bind- 
ing than their obligations to the General Government. So affiiirs went 
rapidly from bad to worse, until finally, on Thursday, April 12, at 
1:30 P. M., the roar of a mortar, quickly followed by the 
rushing shriek of a shell, gave notice to the world that the final step was 
taken, and war, with its grim visage, was upon us. It was the signal- 
rocket, fired away into night and lost, but its blaze illuminated tlie whole 
North, and aroused every freeman to arms. When the news of the fall 
of Fort Sumter swept over the country, the most intense excitement 
prevailed everywhere ; a few weeks before, the South had many 
sympathizers in this county, and many angry words had been spoken. 
Now the plain first intention of the Southern traitors was seen. The Tribune 
at this time said : " Let all old party lines be obliterated and all angry 
words of other days be forgotten. These are not the times in which to 
remember former difficulties. A dark cloud hangs over the country. 
All the world looks on amazed and anxious. Already has our Govern- 
ment been disgraced, and wherever civilization is known the people are 
awaiting in astonishment to see whether or not the American Union is 
what it has been represented, or no Government at all." 

The people in the country left their farms and flocked to Kokomo in 
great crowds to hear the news. If a man dared to raise his voice in 
sympathy with the South, he was pounced upon and beaten and driven 
from the city. Men forgot their daily employment and thought and 
talked only of war. Over the wires came the President's call for 75,000 
men to serve for three months. 

THE CALL TO ARMS. 

Following close upon this came the following proclamation by the 

Governor of Indiana : 

Whereas, An armed rebellion has been organized in certain States of this Union, 
having for its purpose the overthrow of the United States ; and 

Whereas, The authors and movers in this rebellion have seized by violence var- 
ious forts and arsenals belonging io the United States and otherwise plundered the 
Government of large amounts of money and valuable property ; and 

Whereas, Fort Sumter, a fortress belonging to the United States, the exclusive 
possession and jurisdiction over which were vested in the General Government, by the 
Constitution of the United States, has been besieged by a large army, and assaulted by a 
destructive cannonade, and reduced to submission, and the national flag hauled down and 
dishonored ; and 

Whereas, The President of the United States, in the exercise of the power vested 
in him by the Federal Constitution, has called upon the several States remaining true to 
their allegiance to aid him in the enforcement of the laws, the recovery of the national 
property and the maintenance of the rightful authority of the United States; 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 107 

Now, therefore, I, Oliver P. Morton, Governor of the State of Indiana, call upon 
loyal and patriotic men of this State, to the number of six regiments, to organize them- 
selves into military companies, and forthwith report the same to the Adjutant General, in 
order that they may be speedily mustered into the service of the United States. The 
details of the organization are set forth in the instructions of the Adjutant General, here- 
with published. Oliver P. Morton, Governor, 

These earnest appeals from the President and Governor met with a 
hearty wave of response from the loyal citizens of this county. They 
felt that the final test had come, and that the ancient devil — slavery — 
already banished from every country in Europe, had taken its last stand 
among our foes. The Tribune of April 16 contained the first call : 
" Dr. C. Richmond and other citizens request us to call a meeting at 
Richmond & Leeds' Hall to-night for the purpose of considering the 
duties of citizens in the present crisis. Turn out, patriots. Volun- 
teers are being offered all over the country. All parties agree now." 
Although only a few hours elapsed between the appearance of the notice 
and the meeting, it was well attended. Fiery speeches were made and 
ringing resolutions were passed, and preparations immediately begun for 
the organization of a company. 

THE FIRST COMPANY. 

William R. Philips, who was one of the first to fall in defense of his 
country from this county, headed the list of volunteers. In less than one 
week nearly two hundred names were enrolled. On Friday evening, 
April 19, the company met in Richmond & Leed's hall and elected the 
following officers : Thomas J. Harrison, Captain; Thomas Herring, First 
Lieutenant, and William R. Philips, Second Lieutenant. 

On the Saturday afternoon following, posters were put out calling a 
meeting at the Methodist Episcopal Church in the evening, for the pur- 
pose of securing a fund for the support of the families of volunteers who 
were about to start in the service of their country. Accordingly, at an 
early hour the house was filled to overflowing. Mr. Charles Murray was 
made chairman, and on motion of Mr. James W. Robinson, the following 
persons were appointed as an executive committee : J. W. Robinson, 
Thomas Auter, Herman Keeler, Benjamin R. Norman and Samuel 
Rosenthal. Thomas Jay was elected Treasurer. The books were opened 
for subscriptions, and never did citizens of any place respond more 
nobly. It was headed by Jay & Dolman, with a subscription of $200. 
Nearly every citizen present gave something. The amounts varied 
from $200 down to $5. One man gave a lot in the city of Ko- 
komo and several farmers subscribed 100 bushels of corn each. The total 
subscription amounted to over $2,000. Some one suggested that the cit- 
izens should furnish the volunteers with blankets. Here again was a 



108 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

great rush to see who shouhl have the privilege. Gentlemen offered " all 
they had," together with comforts, to answer until the volunteers could 
get where they could buy blankets, and $25 to buy them with. This was 
the spirit of the people, and in five minutes over 100 blankets were 
provided. Flannel shirts and drawers were also named ; as the boys were 
to leave on Monday morning, it was suggested that, as the company would 
remain a week or two at Indianapolis, these could be made and shipped 
down to the care of Capt. Harrison. This was agreed upon, when 
immediately ladies offered a dozen each, gentlemen offered bolts of flannel, 
others came up and handed in money, and in a few minutes the whole 
company was well provided for. 

The following persons were appointed a committee to solicit further 
aid in Centre Township: Worley Leas, R. F. Kennedy and George W. 
Hocker. By a motion, the people in each township were requested to 
act immediately and secure a large fund for the support of the families of 
volunteers. Messrs. Thomas Jay, Samuel Rosenthal and — Chapin were 
appointed to receive and distribute blankets on Sunday. After several 
short speeches were made, the meeting adjourned, the most patriotic feel- 
ings pervading the entire assembly; 

Sunday, April 21, was a memorable day. In the issue of the Trib- 
une of April 23, 1861, appeared the following in regard to it: " The 
streets were crowded early in the morning. The people from all parts 
of the country came in by scores and fifties. Both churches were filled 
at the usual hour of holding meeting. At the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, a first-rate sermon and devout prayers for the safety of the 
country were listened to with close attention. At the Christian Church, 
Francis O'Dowd addressed a large audience in the most patriotic style, 
pledging his all at the close for the Government. Meanwhile, volunteers 
were constantly enrolling their names. About noon, the fife and drum 
were heard and most of the afternoon the companies were under drill. 
At 3 o'clock P. M., the volunteers marched out the East Road and met 
a tremendous procession coming in that direction. There was a large 
number of four-horse wagons and a large procession of horsemen. In 
the crowd were many volunteers coming down to leave for service. When 
the two multitudes met, thundering cheers for the stripes and stars were 
heard for miles around. The procession, about a quarter of a mile in 
length, returned to the public square, where Prof. Baldwin addressed the 
assembly most eloquently. So great was the enthusiasm that Prof. Bald- 
win himself and all the teachers and pupils who were old enough enlisted, 
so that the school was discontinued for some time. The dry goods stores 
were kept open and such things as were needed by soldiers were freely 
given without a cent of pay. Money was distributed for use while in 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 109 

camp, and every want that could be thought of was provided for. Such 
a Sabbath never was or perhaps never will be Avitnessed in Kokomo as this 
one was." As the evening shadows thickened into night, the bells pealed 
forth a strange, sweet music to those who were to leave on the morrow. 
The churches were crowded again and many fervent prayers were oiiered 
for the flag of our country and for those who had pledged themselves to 
stand by it against every foe. 

DEPARTURE OF THE BOYS. 

At sunrise on the morrow, the town was full of wagons and horses, 
and from 6 o'clock until train time an immense multitude thronged all 
the streets about the depot. The time had now come when the first com- 
pany of soldiers ever organized m Howard County were waiting to de- 
part for a service of which no one at that time had the least conception. 
There were hundreds of tearful eyes as the last farewells were said. It 
was the parting of parents with their children, husbands with their wive-j, 
brothers with sisters, and lovers with each other with pledges to be 
true till war's desolation was over. The thought of it being the last 
good-bye paled many a cheek and moistened many an eye unused to tears. 
As the train steamed up, not a word of complaint was made ; it was a 
firm pressure of the hand, a warm look of encouragement, a "God bless 
you," and they were gone. The Tribune of the next day contained this 
patriotic sentiment from the able pen of Mr. T. G. Philips : 

The times that will try men's souls are upon us. Every man, every woman, every 
person able to work has important duties to perform. Let us begin now. There must 
not be an idle person. A large crop must be raised, and fewer men than usual must 
raise it. Every acre of ground must be tilled. Patriots are in demand, and, thank 
Heaven, they are ready. Thousands of strong men will be needed in defense of our 
country, and they are presenting themselves asking to serve in that defense. Every one 
left at home can do the work of two. In the days of the Revolution, women performed 
the labor of men, and men did double labor. The days of '76 are present with us in '61. 
The battles must be fought over again. An army of rebels ten times worse than the tyrants 
who denied us liberty in '76 would now wrench that liberty from us and drag the flag 
of our country and our fathers in the dust. Arouse, freemen ! If patriotism ever was 
needed, that time is now. Let there be no influence against the enlisting of your son in 
the cause. Ask God's blessing on him and let him go. We heard, a day or two since, a 
man offer to furnish the family of a volunteer all the flour needed until he should return. 
"But," said another, "if he never returns ?" " While I live the contract shall be kept 
inviolate," was the answer. That is the true spirit. May the people be imbued with a 
spirit of true patriotism, and may those who remain at home do their whole duty. Those 
who go away we know will do theirs. 

When the company arrived at Indianapolis, it took quarters at Camp 
Morton, and was immediately organized. It was found that there were 
nearly enough men for two companies, so the boys organized a new com- 
pany and Dr. C. Richmond, who, it seems, was a most zealous worker in 



110 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

the cause, hurried home and procured a sufficient number of men to 
complete the second company. So energetic were our boys that in one 
week from the day the first meeting was called in Kokomo, the first 
company was mustered into the service and succeeded in obtaining a 
place in the Sixth (three months') Regiment. They were the first mus- 
tered in in this State for the war of the rebellion. (Five regiments 
had been raised for the war with Mexico.) 

The following is the oath which each man was required to take, 
and which all volunteers and regulars mustered into the service of the 
United States are required to take before their final enrollment. " I 
do solemnly swear that I will bear true allegiance to the United States 
of America, that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all 
enemies or opposers whatsoever ; that I will obey the orders of the 
President of the United States and of the other officers appointed over 
me, according to the rules of the armies of the United States, so help 
me God." This company designated themselves the " Howard Rifles," 
and was known as Company " D " in the regiment. 

The Indianapolis Journal paid them the following tribute on the day 
they were mustered in : " Capt. Harrison, who was a member of the 
Legislature in 1858, arrived yesterday with his company, the Howard 
Rifles, and took quarters at Camp Morton. His men are of those who 
can pick squirrels out of the tops of the tallest trees and rebels from the 
secession ranks as far as a Sharp's rifle will carry." Thomas M. Kirk- 
patrick and Barnabas Busby, both being farmers, did not get their affairs 
arranged in time to join the first company, but, true to their vows, 
hastened to Indianapolis and joined the second company. In the election 
of officers, Mr. Kirkpatrick was chosen Captain, Mr. Busby, First Lieu- 
tenant, and N. P. Richmond, Second Lieutenant. Kirkpatrick's company 
was made Company C, in the Twelfth Regiment, and, after failing to get 
in for three months, was transferred to the Thirteenth Regiment as Com- 
pany " E," and was stationed at Camp Sullivan. 

While Capt. Harrison's company had the honor of being in the first 
three months' regiment organized in the State, Capt. Kirkpatrick's com- 
pany had the distinguished honor of being in the first three years' regi- 
ment. During the stay in camp at Indianapolis the men were in active 
preparation for war, drilling almost constantly. Many little incidents, 
however, occurred to break the monotony of camp life, and when, on the 
30th of May, the Sixth was ordered to the front, they were in high spirits. 
They loft for Western Virginia via Cincinnati and Parkersburg. They 
had been fully equipped, armed and clothed, and presented a gay appear- 
ance. Their passage through Indiana and Ohio was a grand ovation. 
The Cincinnati Enquirer of May 31, has this to say of them : 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. Ill 

The attendance at the depot yesterday when Col. Crittenden's command arrived was 
very large, and all along the entire length of the march through the city the throngs on 
the sidewalks and street corners were immense, and, as the bi-ave Indianians marched 
along, the cheers that greeted them were vociferous. The gallant troops made a fine 
appearance, and were applauded by everybody for their soldierly demeanor. The regi- 
ment was brought to a halt and a front-fi.ce when opposite the residence of Larz Ander- 
son, Esq. Col. Anderson advanced to the curbstone, and was greeted by a present arms 
and a salute from the officers, with a remark from Col. Crittenden that the salute was a 
compliment from the Sixth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. Col. Anderson replied, 
"I thank you, gentlemen: God bless and protect you." The column then wheeled 
inio line and as the troops marched by the hero of Sumter, they rent the air with enthu- 
siastic cheering. 

On the 2d of June, the regiment arrived at Webster, Va.. and was 
marched, with other troops, the same night through a drenching rain a 
distance of fourteen miles, and on the morning of the 3d of June took 
part in the first battle of the war, at Philippi. It participated in the 
march to Laurel Hill, and the engagement with Garnett's rebel command 
at Carrick's Ford on the 12th of July. It returned to Indianapolis on 
the 25th of July and was finally discharged x\ugust 2, 1861. 

RECORD OF THE THIRTEENTH REGIMENT. 

The Thirteenth Regiment, in which was Capt. Kirkpatrick's company, 
left Indianapolis on the 4th of July, 1861, and on the morning of the 
10th joined McClellan's forces at the foot of Rich Mountain in Western 
Virginia, where, on the following da}', it participated in battle. In this 
battle William Rifile was killed. On this day, for the first and the last 
time, he heard the shrill blast of the bugle calling to battle. Obeying the 
hurried call to arms, he heard the thunder of the cannon, the roar of the 
musketry and the clash of resounding arms ; but as the banner of his 
regiment went forward to victory William Riffle went down to death — 
Howard County's first martyr for the preservation of the Union. From 
this time onward, the Thirteenth was in active campaign work for the en- 
tire three years. It took part in the numerous skirmishes at Cheat 
Mountain Pass; and, on the 12th and 13th of September,1861, in the engage- 
ments on Cheat Mountain Summit and Elkwater, supported Howe's Bat- 
tery, Fourth United States Artillery. At Greenbrier, on the 3d of Oc- 
tober, and during the remainder of October, it was engaged in scouting 
expeditions along the Holly and Kanawha Rivers. After this, it marched 
to Alleghany under Gen. Milroy, and participated in the battle there on 
the 13th of December. It wintered at Green Spring Run. Gen. Shields 
took command of the division in the spring, and under him the regiment 
moved to Winchester, and then scouted up the valley to Strasburgh, re- 
turning to Winchester. It participated in the battle of Winchester 
Heights March 22, 1862. Two or three months were now employed in 



112 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

marching up and down the valley giving chase to the rebels, and in the 
latter part of June the regiment embarked at Alexandria for Harrison's 
Landing, on the James River, where it arrived July 2. In August, it 
marched to Fortress Monroe, and thence to the valley of the Nansemond 
River, where it remained nine months, engaging in numerous operations 
in that region of country, making three reconnoissances to Black River, 
fighting the battle of the Deserted Farm on the 30th of January, 1863, 
defeating Longstreet in his attempt to seize Suffolk, from April 10 to 
May 3, 1864; and in tearing up and bringing off about forty miles of 
track from two railroads from the 13th to the 19th of May. In these op- 
erations tlie regiment marched over 400 miles. On the 2Tth of June, the 
regiment left Suffolk. It participated in the operations on Morris Island 
during the siege of Forts Wagner and Gregg, and was the first regiment to 
enter Fort Wagner in the assault on the 7th of September. The Thirteenth 
participated in nearly all the operations of Gen. Butler's army south of 
Richmond, and was conspicuous in the engagement at Wathal Junction, 
Chester Station, and the charge on the rebel rifle pits near Foster's farm ; 
in all of which the loss was about 200. It joined the Army of the Po- 
tomac in June, 1864, marching with this army to Cold Harbor, where, 
there being no field oflicers present for duty, Capt. Kirkpatrick assumed 
command. The regiment was actively engaged in the battle at that place, 
and in all the operations in the vicinity of the Chickahominy until June 
12, when it returned to Bermuda Hundred. On the 15th, it crossed 
the Appomattox River, and was engaged in the assaults on the rebel 
works in front of Petersburg. On the 18th, Capt. Kirkpatrick's com- 
pany, having served the full term of its enlistment, was ordered from the 
skirmish line, and on the 19th left for Indianapolis, arriving on the 24th 
of June. They were mustered out of the service July 1, 1864. About 
one-half of the company afterward veteranized. 

MILITIA COMPANIES. 

In May, 1861, the boys of Kokomo, from twelve to eighteen years of 
age, catching the military spirit that pervaded the county, organized a 
company under the name of the " Wild Cat Rangers." Said the Trib- 
une: " We learn that the officers have reported their company to the Gov- 
ernor, have purchased a part of their musical instruments, made arrange- 
ments for caps, etc., and will begin to drill regularly at an early day." 
The names of many of these boys appear on the regular muster rolls of 
regiments that were formed in later years. 

In the latter part of June, 1861, the first company of the Howard 
County Regiment of the Indiana Legion was formed at Kokomo. 



\ 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 113 

The following letter from the Adjutant General shows how the com- 
pany was organized : 

Indianapolis, Ind., June 13, 1861. 

The Union Tigers, a volunteer militia company, organized at Kokomo, in Howard 
County, Ind., under the military laws of said State, having complied with the require- 
ments of said laws, are hereby authorized and ordered to elect officers at their armory 
in Kokomo, on Tuesday evening, the 18th day of June, 1861 : and John Bohan, Thomas 
Jay an<l J. F. Hendej'son are hereby appointed to receive and count ballots cast at said 
election (in the presence of m honisoever may be deputized to preside at such election), 
and to make return of such election to this office without delay. 

Lvz's Noble, Adjt.Oen. Vol. Militia. 

Mr. T. C. Philips was delegated authority by the Adjutant General 
to preside at the meeting of the Union Tigers, and the election resulted 
as follows : James Bailey, Captain ; James A. Wildman, First Lieuten- 
ant ; William S. Snow, Second Lieutenant. 

At various times after this, other companies were formed in all or 
nearly all the townships, and were known as : Union Wild Cat Rifles, 
The Union Legion, Harrison Guards, Howard Guards, Fairfield Guards, 
Wild Cat Rangers, Cassville Guards, Honey Creek Legion, Liberty 
Guards, Noble Guards, Ervin Guards and Wild Cat Rifles. The field 
ofiicers and staff" of this legion were : John M. Garrett, Colonel (after- 
ward entered United States service); N. P. Richmond, Colonel; James 
A. Wildman, Lieutenant Colonel ; Charles E. Disbrow, Major ; Samuel 
W. Thornton, Adjutant ; Morgan A. Chestnut, Quartermaster ; Ruben 
King, Surgeon ; John W. Cooper, Judge A.dvocate : Thomas Lytle, Pay- 
master. 

THE THIRTY-FOURTH REGIMENT. 

In the latter part of August, 1861, Dr. Jacob S. White, who had 
succeeded in raising a company in this county, left for Anderson, where 
a regimeat for this Congressional district was forming under Col. 
Asbury Steele. The Tribune had this to say of the departure of this 
company : "A very large multitude assembled at the C. & C. depot 
last Wednesday to see the boys of Dr. White's company off" to camp at 
Anderson. Some of the partings brought tears to the eyes of many. 
The grief of some was manifested in loud cries, but the deepest feeling 
was quieter. Husbands left their wives and babes with emotions that 
cannot be described. One gentleman, Mr. Clarke, of Ervin, got married 
on Sunday evening, on Monday volunteered, and left on Wednesday. 
One wagon with six horses came in from Western Howard loaded with 
young ladies and other decorations. Banners floated, and music was 
furnished of the best kind. The little cannon was out, and after fifty or 
sixty thundering discharges, it bursted. Squire Norman was touched on 
the leg, but was not hurt. No injury was receiv ed by any one, but how 
the people escaped we cannot tell." In the organization of the regiment, 



114 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Dr. AVhite was appointed Surgeon, and Thomas S. Terrell was elected 
Captain. This, the Thirty -fourth Regiment, participated in the siege of 
Vicksburg, the battle of Port Gibson, Champion Hills, the siege of Jack- 
son and many encounters. As in the Sixth (three months') Regiment, 
Howard County boys had the honor of participating in the first battle of 
the war, so Howard County boys in the Thirty-fourth, more than two 
thousand miles from Philippi, engaged in the last battle at Palmetto 
Ranche, on the 13th of May, 1865. This battle was fought partly on 
the old Palo Alto battle-ground, where Gen. Taylor first encountered the 
Mexicans on the 8th of May, 1846. It is quite a coincidence that the 
first battle of the Mexican war and the last battle of the great rebell- 
ion were fought on the same ground, and that the respective dates of the 
month only differed five days. 

THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT. 
The work of organizing a company of 101 men for an independent 
regiment of sharpshooters, authorized by the War Department, began 
here about the time of the departure of Dr. White's company. This 
company filled up rapidly, and in a few days seventy names were down 
for still another company. Prior to leaving, the company organized by 
electing the same officers that had served in the first company organized 
here, viz.: T. J. Harrison, Captain; Thomas Herring, First Lieutenant, 
and W. R. Philips, Second Lieutenant. The company left on Wednes- 
day, August 28, 1861, for Indianapolis. In the regimental organization, 
Capt. Harrison was made Colonel, John Bohan, Quartermaster, and Dr. 
L. D. Waterman (now of Indianapolis), Surgeon. After Capt. Harri- 
son's promotion, Herring and Philips were promoted by the unanimous 
approval of the company ; Stephen D. Butler was elected Second Lieuten- 
ant. This regiment left for Kentucky early in September. It marched 
with Buell to Nashville, then to the Tennessee River, and was in the battle 
of ShilohontheTth of April, 1862, where Lieut. W. R. Philips, who had 
formerly been associated with his brother, T. C. Philips, in editing the 
Tribune^ was killed. The regiment took part in the battles of Stone 
River December 31, 1862, and January 1 and 2, 1863. Through the re- 
mainder of the campaign of 1863, it served as mounted infantry. On 
June 6, 1863, it had a sharp fight with Wheeler's cavalry near Mur- 
freesboro, took part in the skirmishes at Middleton and Liberty Gap, and 
during the movement upon Chattanooga engaged the enemy at Win- 
chester. On the 19th and 20th of September, it participated in the 
battle of Chickamauga, and on the 15th of October, 1863, was re-organ- 
ized as the Eighth Cavalry. The regiment re-enlisted as a veteran organ- 
ization on the 22d of February, 1864. It participated in the McCook 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 115 

raid around Atlanta, and the Kilpatrick raid in Georgia, and at the battle 
of Lovejoy Station led the charge of the left wing, riding over Ross' 
division of rebel cavalry, capturing his artillery and four battle flags. It 
was in the battle of Jonesboro and Flint River, and in the campaign 
through Georgia was in the following battles and skirmishes : Waynes- 
boro, Buckhead Church, Browne's Cross Roads, Reynold's Farm, Aiken, 
Bentonville, Averysboro and Raleigh. It whipped Hampton's entire 
force at Morrisville, and thus had the honor of fighting the last battle 
in North Carolina. The regiment was mustered out of service on 
the 20th of July, 1865, reached Indianapolis the last week of July, and 
was finally discharged early in August. This regiment had in all 2,500 
men on its rolls, and had nine officers killed in battle. It lost about 
three hundred in prisoners, and captured from the enemy over fifteen 
hundred men, one thousand stand of arms, three railroad trains, fourteen 
hundred horses and mules, many wagons, fourteen pieces of artillery, four 
battle flags, besides destroying many miles of railroad. It was also en- 
gaged in many raids and skirmishes of which no mention is here made. 
In September, 1861, the County Commissioners appropriated ^750 out 
of the county funds for the relief of the families of those who had vol- 
unteered. On the evening of October 31, the Ladies' Union Aid As- 
sociation was organized for the purpose of making underclothing for the 
boys who were far away in open tents, and who would soon be exposed 
to the rude blasts of winter. Many a " God bless the noble women of 
Howard" went up to Heaven that winter, and each succeeding winter, 
till the war was over, from Howard County boys in every Southern State. 



FIFTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT. 

The company that was forming at the time Capt. Harrison's com- 
pany departed, organized by electing Willis Blanche, Captain, Timothy 
H. Leeds, First Lieutenant, and John L. Hall, Second Lieutenant. Another 
company was also partly organized in this county with William K. Hoback, 
Captain, Joel H. Hoback, First Lieutenant, and Lewis S. Horn, Second 
Lieutenant. These companies proceeded to Richmond in November, 1861, 
where they were organized as companies G and H, respectively, of the 
Fifty-seventh Regiment. On the 10th of December, the regiment moved 
to Indianapolis, where it remained until December 23, when it took its 
departure for Kentucky, where it spent the winter without engaging 
in battle. The regiment marched to Nasliville, Tenn., arriving there 
early in March. It started for Pittsburg Landing on the 21st of March, 
and was in hearing of the battle of Shiloh on the 6th of April, but did 
not arrive till the afternoon of the 7th, when it immediately engaged in 



116 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

battle. During the siege of Corinth the regiment was actively employed. 
After this, it marched into Northern Alabama, and in July, 1862 to Middle 
Tennessee where it remained till September, making many arduous marches 
and undergoing great hardships. It took an active part in the campaign 
against Bragg, engaging in the battle of Perryville, Ky., with only slight 
loss. After this, it went to Nashville, December 1, 1862. At the battle 
of Stone River, the Fifty -seventh suffered severely, losing seventy-five 
men out of about 350 engaged. Here the regiment greatly distinguished 
itself. During the remainder of the winter and the spring of 1863, it re- 
mained in camp near Murfreesboro, drilling constantly and doing severe 
picket work. It took part in the "eleven days' scout" of Maj. Gen. 
Reynolds, and in the battle of Mission Ridge it bore a conspicuous part. 
The campaign in East Tennessee during the winter of 1863 and 1864, 
was probably unequaled during the whole war for hardships and privations ; 
of these the Fifty-seventh suffered a full share. On the 1st of January, 
1864, the regiment almost unanimously re-enlisted as a veteran organ- 
ization. It took part in the initial operations of the campaign against 
Atlanta, and during the summer was almost constantly engaged in battle 
or in skirmishing. It was in the assault on Rocky Face Ridge, near Dal- 
ton, Georgia, May 9th, at Resaca, and in the action near Adairsville 
it took an active part. On May 27, it lost severely in the battle near 
New Hope Church on the Altoona Mountains. It was under fire every 
day from this time until June 8, losing many men. In the terrible 
struggles and skirmishes around Kenesaw it bore a full part. On the 27th 
of June, the regiment, then commanded by Col. Willis Blanche, formed 
the skirmish line in front of the assaulting column of the Fourth Corps ; 
its loss was heavy. It participated in the battle of Peach Tree Creek 
July 20, and from this time until the 25th of August lay in the trenches 
in front of Atlanta. The regiment was slightly engaged in the battle of 
Jonesboro, August 31. After the occupation of Atlanta the Fifty- 
seventh was sent to Chattanooga. It helped to drive Hood into Alabama, 
and afterward formed a part of the army of Gen. Thomas which re- 
sisted the invasion of Tennessee. It was engaged at Franklin November 
30, 1864, where it sustained severe loss. On the 15th and 16th of De- 
cember it participated in the battle at Nashville, where Col. Blanche was 
wounded. After the pursuit of Hood's army, the regiment lay in camp 
at Huntsville, Ala., some months, moving into East Tennessee as far 
as Bull's Gap in April, 1865. It then went to Nashville and was trans- 
ferred to Texas, where it remained until mustered out of the service. The 
Fifty-seventh saw much arduous service, its losses in battle were heavy, 
and its marches severe, but it behaved with great gallantry on every oc- 
casion, and achieved an enviable record and an honorable fame. In its 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 117 

commanding officers it was particularly fortunate, one o whom, Col. 
Blanche, of this county, being a soldier of distinguished merit. 

RELIEF SENT TO SHILOH. 

When the news reached our citizens of the great battle of Shiloh, a 
meeting was hastily called and a surgeon was immediately dispatched to 
the sufferers, together with money, lint and bandages and whatever was 
thought would aid in their relief This movement was connected with 
an authorized organization at Indianapolis and it was a noble work at the 
right time. 

SEVENTY-FIFTH REGIMENT. 

In July, 1862, another company was organized here, which elected Fran- 
cis M. Bryant, Captain, James C. Metsker, First Lieutenant, and Irvin Pol- 
son, Second Lieutenant. It was mustered into service as Company C, of the 
Seventy-fifth Regiment, at Wabash, on the 19th of August, 1862. This 
regiment proceeded to Kentucky, where it took an active part in the cam- 
paign, marching to Scottsville and Gallatin and then back to Cave City 
in pursuit of Morgan's forces. The v/inter was passed mostly in camp at 
Gallatin, and in January the regiment moved to Murfreesboro, where it 
remained till June 24, 1863, when it started toward TuUahoma, and on 
the march engaged in the battle at Hoover's Gap. It was the first reg- 
iment to enter the rebel works at Tullahoma about the 1st of July. It 
participated in the battle of Chickamauga on the 19th and 20th of Sep- 
tember. It then returned to Chattanooga, engaging in the battle of 
Mission Ridge on the 25th of November. The Seventy-fifth passed the 
winter of 1863-64 in the vicinity ©f Chattanooga, and in the spring of 
1864 moved to Ringgold, Ga. During the Atlanta Campaign it was ac- 
tively engaged, participating in the battles of Dalton, Resaca, Adairs- 
ville, Dallas, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and Jonesboro. In 
October, it marched in the campaign against Hood, and returned to Atlanta 
in time to start with Sherman's army on the 16th of November, in its 
famous march to the sea, reaching Savannah in December. In January, 
1865, it marched through the Carolinas to Goldsboro, in North Carolina, and 
participated in the battles of Bentonville and Fayetteville. After the 
surrender of Johnston's army, it marched to Richmond, Va., and thence 
to Washington, D. C, where on the 8th of June, 1865, it was mustered 
out of service. 

EIGHTY-NINTH REGIMENT. 

In the month of August, 1862, three more companies were raised 
in this county. The first was officered as follows : William Burns, 
Captain ; B. F. Haven, First Lieutenant, and John T. Stewart, Second 
Lieutenant ; the second, John E. Williams, Captain ; G. Markland, 

G 



118 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

First Lieutenant ; William Styer, Second Lieutenant; the third, B, W. 
Gifford, Captain ; William A. Hunt, First Lieutenant ; William T. 
Hutchinson, Second Lieutenant. These companies were rendezvoused at 
Wabash, and were organized with other companies into the Eighty- 
ninth Regiment, at Indianapolis, August 28, 1862. The companies 
were lettered F, D and G, respectively. In the organization of this reg- 
iment, Charles D. Murray was made Colonel and J. F. Henderson, Sur- 
geon, both of Kokomo. In the October following, Harles Ashley, also 
of Kokomo, was appointed Quartermaster. Proceeding to Kentucky, the 
regiment re-enforced the garrison at Munfordsville. After a long and 
stubborn resistance, it was compelled to surrender to superior numbers on 
the 16th of September. The officers and men were paroled and after a 
furlough to their homes, the regiment re assembled at Indianapolis on the 
27th of October. The order for their exchange being received, the regi- 
ment, on the 5th of December, proceeded to Memphis, and on the 21st of 
December was placed on duty at Fort Pickering, where it remained until 
the 18th October, 1863. It was then transferred to the city of Memphis, 
where it was engaged on picket duty until the 26th January, 1864, when 
it left on transports for Vicksburg, reaching there on the 31st of January. 
From this point it moved on the Meridian raid, skirmishing with the 
enemy at Queen's Hill and at Meridian, where it arrived on the 14th of 
^February. After tearing up the Mobile & Ohio Railroad track, it pro- 
ceeded to Marion, camped a few days and then returned by way of Can- 
ton to Vicksburg, reaching there on the 4th of March. The Eighty-ninth 
left Vicksburg on the 10th of March, for the mouth of Red River, reach- 
ing Semmesport on the 12th, and on the next day assisted in assaulting 
the fort, which was captured on the 14th. It moved from here to Alex- 
andria, thence to Henderson's Hill, and there captured 270 rebels and 
four pieces of artillery. The Eighty-ninth bore a conspicuous part in 
the battle of Pleasant Hill, on the 9th of April, 1864. On the 7th of 
May, the regiment met the enemy at llayou La Mourie, and after a sharp 
engagement charged and repulsed him. Resuming march toward the 
Mississippi, the regiment repulsed the enemy near Marksville, in a slight 
engagement, and on the 18th, at Smith & Norwood's plantation, had a 
severe contest and repulsed the enemy with great slaughter. On the 
19th, the regiment embarked for Vicksburg, arriving on the 24th of 
May. It remained here till June 4, when it embarked for Memphis, 
leaving this point for Collierville. It now escorted a wagon train to Mos- 
cow, and then moved to LaGrange, Tenn. Here it remained till the 5th 
of July, and marched to Pontock, Miss., arriving there on the 11th. 
Moving from here it engaged in the battle of Tupelo on the 14th of July. 
The regiment then returned to Memphis, where it remained till Septem- 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 119 

ber, excepting a short expedition into Northern Mississippi in pursuit of 
Forrest, made in August. On the 19th of September, the regiment 
landed at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., and on the 2d day of October, started 
in pursuit of the rebel Gen. Price. In this expedition, the regiment 
marched seven hundred and fifty miles, and was in no engagement, but had 
the misfortune to lose Quartermaster Ashley, who, with two other officers, 
stopped to take dinner at a country house. Falling behind the column a 
short distance, they were captured by guerrillas and murdered almost im- 
mediately after, near the village of Greenton, Mo. This long march ended 
at St. Louis, where the regiment remained till the latter part of Novem- 
ber, and then took steamer for Nashville, where it arrived on the 30th, 
and on the 15th and 16th of the following month participated in battle 
near that place. On the 17th, starting in pursuit of Hood's army, it 
marched to the Tennessee River, and on January 1, 1865, was transported 
to Eastport, Miss. Here it remained till February 9, when it pro- 
ceeded by steamer to Vicksburg, and thence to New Orleans, arriving 
there on the 21st of February. From there it moved on transports to 
Dauphin Island, near Mobile, on the 8th of March, and on the 19th up 
Mobile Bay by steamer to the mouth of Fish River, and thence to Doris 
Mills, where it remained till March 25. It then marched to a point 
between Spanish Fort and Blakely, and participated in the siege until 
the rebel fortifications were taken. The regiment now went to Montgom- 
ery. Ala., thence to Providence, and there took transports to Mobile, 
where it was mustered out of service on the 19th of July, 1865. During 
its term of service, the Eighty-ninth marched 2,363 miles on foot, trav"- 
eled by steamer 7,112 miles, and by rail 1,232 miles ; making the total 
distance traveled 10,707 miles. 



COMPANY A, FIFTH CAVALRY. 

Early in August, 1862, J. C. P. Negly received authority from Col. 
Pettit to recruit ten men at Tipton for cavalry. This number enlisted 
in a few hours, and finally thirty-five were raised without any difficulty. 
The company departed for Wabash, and from there to Indianapolis, and 
was organized as Company A, of the Fifth Cavalry. This regiment was 
in twenty-two battles and skirmishes, and during the month of June, 1864, 
in Georgia, was engaged in skirmishing nearly every day. It marched', 
during its term of service, 2,400 miles, and was transferred 1,000 miles 
by water. It captured 640 prisoners during its term of service. It was 
mustered out of service June 16, 1865, and was publicly welcomed home 
at Indianapolis, June 21. 



120 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



THE FIRST BOUNTIES — MILITIA ENROLLMENT. 

At a special session in July, 1862, the County Commissioners had ap- 
propriated $5,000 as a bounty to volunteers, and at their regular meeting 
in September following, |^5,000 more was appropriated. To raise this 
fund, a tax of iJO cents on each $100 of taxable property was levied. 
This action was strongly criticized by soldiers in the field who had 
gone at the first call, without bounty, and were now taxed for a fund 
that was to increase the pay of those who enlisted more than a year 
afterward, and which, to the amount of their taxes, at least, diminished the 
pay of those first enlisting. The first week in September, the enrollment 
of the militia was completed. The Enrolling Commissioner, R. Vaile, 
Esq., with C. Richmond, Examining Surgeon, J. W. Cooper, Provost 
Marshal, and the eleven Deputy Commissioners in each township in the 
county, met at the County Clerk's office to decide on applications for 
exemption from the draft. The attendance was large, and the examina- 
tion lasted several days. 

The following table shows the number enrolled in each township, the 
number exempt, the number now in service, and also those conscientiously 
opposed to bearing arms : 



Townships. 


Enrolled 
MiLiriA. 


No. 
Exempt. 


No. Volun- 
teers. 


No. Consci- 
entiously 

OPPOSED. 


Centre 


323 
74 
158 
108 
181 
331 
171 
200 
123 
182 
200 


70 
10 
15 
19 
31 
71 
48 
31 
59 
28 
46 


205 
42 
76 
44 

150 
73 
57 
81 
50 
70 
54 





Jack.son 


I 


Harrison 


9 


Clay 





Taylor 


6 


Er vin 





jMonroe 


56 


Union 





Honey Creek 





Howard 


18 


Liberty 


35 






Totals 


2,051 


428 


902 


125 







The above shows that at least one third of the population liable to bear 
arms were already in the field. 

In the month of September, Capt. Herring, of the Thirty-ninth Regi- 
ment, and Hoback, of the Fifty-seventh Regiment, returned to Kokomo, 
and opened a recruiting ofiice, and enlisted quite a number of men for 
their respective regiments. 

PARTY DISSENSIONS. 

From this time on to the close of the war, many enthusiastic Union 

meetings were held in the county, at which the most stirring speeches 

were made, and patriotic resclutions adopted, commending the boys in 

blue, the Governor of the State and the Administration, but severely 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 121 

denouncing the enemies of our country, whether traitors in arms, or 
tories, or sympathizers at home. As a natural consequence, much bitter 
feeling began to exist between those in favor of a vigorous prosecution of 
the war and those who were directly or indirectly opposed to it. The 
terms, "Abolitionists," "Nigger-lovers," " Butternuts " and "Copper- 
heads" now became very common, and many a pugilistic combat settled 
arguments between disputants on our streets and at public gatherings. 
These fierce encounters were not always confined to the males, but fre- 
quently were participated in by the females, who even got so far ad- 
vanced in the art as not to confine it solely to a hair-pulling. 

■ FRUITLESS CHASE AFTER MORGAN. 

On the morning of July 10, 1863, the following telegram, was re- 
ceived here from the Governor : 
T. C. Phillips, Kokomo, Ind.: 

I want all the available force from your coiiniy brought to this city at the earliest 
possible momeut. Come organized, if possible. Organization, however, can be completed 
here and arms furnished. PleHse send runners over the county and inform all the 
people. Answer what you can do. BriDg blankets. Oliver P. Morton. 

This telegram was received at 10 o'clock, A. M., on Friday morning, 
and at 1 o'clock over 100 men got aboard the train for Indianapolis, and 
about 300 followed on Saturday. After organization was completed at 
Indianapolis, it was learned that Morgan had crossed into Ohio. When 
the Indiana troops were asked if they were willing to follow the rebels 
into another State, every man from Howard responded in the affirmative. 
Had the troops been hastened forward immediately, the Howard County 
boys might have had the honor of helping to capture the guerrilla chieftain 
at Hamilton, Ohio, but when they arrived at that place, they learned that 
Morgan had crossed the railroad at Glendale only an hour before. They 
proceeded to Cincinnati and arrived at home Friday evening, having ac- 
complished nothing. 

THE FIRST DRAFT. 

On Monday, October 6, 1862, the first draft took place in this county, 
under the supervision of Commissioner R. Vaile, as follows : Ervin 
Township, 18 men ; Liberty Township, o men ; Clay, 1 man ; total, 24 
men. 

Those who were conscientiously opposed to bearing arms, having been 
excused, though able-bodied, from actual military service, were regarded, 
so far as the draft was concerned, as separate communities, and were re- 
quired to furnish the same per cent of the whole number of able-bodied 
men as had been furnished by other citizens of the Government. The 
average number of volunteers and men drafted for actual service was 
about forty per cent of the whole number of those not exempt from actual 



122 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

military service. Consequently, the Government saw fit to draft forty per 
cent of the conscientious ones, and assessed the commutation fee at 
$200 each. Their names were placed in a separate hox and drawn 
as follows : Ervin Township, 17 ; Monroe Township, 23 ; Harrison 
Township, 4 ; Taylor Township, 3 ; Howai'd Township, 8 ; Liberty 
Township, 14 ; Union Township, 6 ; Jackson Township, 1 ; Honey 
Creek Township, 9. Total. 75. 

Under the call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 men, the total quota 
of the State was 18,507. Of this number, Howard County was required 
to furnish 158 men, which was accomplished without resorting to draft. 

COMPANY E, ELEVENTH CAVALRY. 

Late in the fall of 1863, a company was recruited in this county, 
under the call of September 14 of that year — John M. Grarrett, Captain; 
William PL Sumption, First Lieutenant, and Jesse A. Cate, Second 
Lieutenant. This company became Company E, of the Eleventh 
Cavalry, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment, which perfected its 
organization at Indianapolis, March 1, 1864, the command being given 
to Robert T. Stewart. On the 1st of May, the regiment left Indianapolis, 
and moved by rail to Nashville, Tenn. It arrived there on the 7th of 
May, aiid remained until the 1st of June, when it marched to Larkins- 
ville, Ala., and was placed on duty along the line of the Memphis & 
Charleston Railroad. The regiment was kept on this duty until the 16th 
of October, when it marched back to Nashville, where it was mounted 
and sent to the front. It was actively engaged in the campaign in front 
of Nashville in November and December, and after the defeat of Hood's 
forces pursued him as far as Gravelly Springs, Ala. It was then dis- 
mounted and placed on duty until February 7, 1865, when it crossed 
the Tennessee River to Eastport, Miss., and i-emained there until the 
12th of May. In obedience to orders, the regiment embarked on a 
steamer for St. Louis, arriving May 17. After being re-mounted, it 
marched to Rolla, Mo., and from there to Fort Riley, Kan., arriving on 
the 8th of July; from there it moved to Council Grove, Kan., where it 
was engaged in guarding the Santa Fe route across the plains, with 
headquarters at Cottonwood Crossing. From this place it marched to Fort 
Leavenworth, arriving September 11. On the 19th of September, the 
regiment was mustered out of service in compliance with telegraphic 
orders received from the General commanding the Department of Missouri. 
It arrived at Indianapolis on the 26th of September, partook of a sump- 
tuous dinner, and was publicly welcomed at the State House. The regi- 
ment was then marched to Camp Carrington, paid oft" and discharged. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 12 3 

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTIETH REGIMENT. 

During the winter of 1863 and 1864, the One Hundred and Thirtieth 
Regiment was recruited from the Eleventh District, with headquarters at 
Camp Stilwell, Kokomo. This camp was located on the beautiful grounds 
just east of the C & C. Railroad, and south of the residence of M. Gar- 
rigus. T. N. StUwell, of Anderson, was appointed Commander of the 
Post. Company A, of this regiment, was composed wholly of Howard 
County volunteers, who elected Elijah W. Penny, Captain ; John B. 
Littler, First Lieutenant, and William S. Birt, Second Lieutenant. This 
regiment left its camp in Kokomo, on the 16th of March, for Nashville, 
Tenn. On the 5th of April, it marched from this place to Charleston, 
Tenn., where it arrived on the 24th. On the 3d of May, it broke camp, 
and on the 9th first came into the presence of the enemy at Rocky Face 
Ridge. From this time until the 15th of May, the regiment was engaged 
in a continual series of skirmishes, terminating in the decisive battle of 
Resaca, during which the regiment repelled a charge of the enemy. 
After the battle, it joined in the pursuit; skirmishing was constant, as day 
followed day. The rain fell in torrents, and the men were destitute of 
shelter, and for a lonoj time short of rations. On the I7th of June, the 
regiment was engaged with the enemy at Lost Mountain, and on the 22d 
at Pine Mountain, On the 27th, -it drove the rebels into their works at 
Kenesaw Mountain. It next encountered the enemy near Decatur, 
drove him beyond its limits, and destroyed the railroad. It took a full 
share in the siege of Atlanta, and on the 29th of August was engaged in 
the battle of Jonesboro. From the 4th of October, the regiment was in 
pursuit of Hood until the 15th of December, when the battle took place 
in front of Nashville, lasting two days and resulting in the extinction of 
Hood's army. Joining in the pursuit, the regiment pushed on rapidly 
until the 27th, when it went into camp at Columbia. On the 5th of 
January, 1865, the regiment marched to Clifton and embarked for Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio, and thence to Washington City by rail Embarking on 
steamer at Alexandria, the regiment sailed to Fort Fisher, N. C, and dis- 
embarked. From Fort Fisher, the regiment embarked for Morehead City, and 
thence went by rail to Newbern, N. C. On the 8th of March, the enemy was 
encountered at Wise's Forks, and abandoned the field in great confusion. 
The One Hundred and Thirtieth took a prominent part in this engage- 
ment, and moved immediately after its close to Kingston, and on the 20th 
of March moved to Goldsboro. Leaving this place, it went to Smithfield, 
and thence to Raleigh, where it arrived April 14. From Raleigh, the regi- 
ment moved to Greensboro, thence to Charlotte, where it went into camp. 
During the summer and fall of 1865, the regiment was employed in 
guard duty at Charlotte. On the 2d of December. 1865, the regiment 



124 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

was mustered out of service at this place, and arrived at home on the 13th. 
Upon its arrival, it was greeted with a public reception. Its members, on 
receiving final payment and discharge, left for home. 

On the 28th of April, 1864, Mr. T. C. Philips received the following 

teleffram : 

Twenty thousand vohinteers to serve one liundreJ days in the army of the United 
States are called for from Indiana. Will you please consult with the patriotic citizens 
of your county, and take such steps as will insure the raising of the men as speedily as 
{lossible. Plan of organization by mail to-day. By order of the Govenor. 

William. H. Schlatkr, Col. and Military S^'.c. 

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIFTH AND ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY- 
SEVENTH REGIiMENTS. 

Harrison Stewart, who had been one of the first to volunteer in the 
three months' service, immediately began to recruit a company under this 
call. Failing to raise a full company, the men from this county were 
consolidated with a part of a company from Montgomery County, and be- 
came Company I, of the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment. Mr. 
Stewart was commissioned First Lieutenant, This regiment departed for 
Tennessee in the latter part of May, 1864. 

In a few days after the organization of the above company, anothei* 
full company reported ready for service, Avith B. Busby, Captain ; Milton 
Garrigus, First Lieutenant, and Daniel G. Wilkins, Second Lieutenant. 
This company proceeded at once to Indianapolis, and became Company C, 
of the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment. In the organization 
of the regiment, Mr. Garrigus was promoted Adjutant.' This regiment 
also proceeded to Tennessee. Both regiments,- on arriving at Nashville, 
were assigned to duty along the lines of the railroad used by Gen. Sherman 
for the transportation of supplies to his army, then advancing on Atlanta. 
Both these regiments served beyond the period of one hundred days, 
and returned to Indianapolis, where they were finally discharged from 
service. 

THE SECOND DRAFT. 

On the 26th and 27th of October, 1864, a second draft took place at 
Kokomo, for six townships. The following was the result by town- 
ships, being double the number of men necessary to fill the quota of each: 
Clay, 18 men ; Honey Creek, 28 men ; Jackson, 22 men ; Liberty, QQ 
men ; Monroe, 68 menj Union, 78 men ; Howard and Taylor Town- 
ships were exempt from this draft, having more than their quota of men 
in the field. Centre, Harrison and Ervin, though in arrears, were not 
drawn at this time., and in a few days they raised a sufficient sum of 
money (about $10,000 each) by voluntary subscription to procure substi- 
tutes, and thus filled their quotas and were freed from the draft. 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 125 

COMPANY I, ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SECOND REGIMENT. 

At the expiration of his term of service in the One Hundred and 
Thirty-seventh Regiment, M. Garrigus at once set about organizing an- 
other company, with headquarters at Indianapolis. A few men from this 
county joined this company, which, when organized, became Company I, 
of the One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment,which enlisted for one year 
under the call of July, 1864. Mr. Garrigus was commissioned Captain 
and Timothy Scott Second Lieutenant. 

THE MATTER OF BOUNTIES. 

A meeting was held at James' Hall, in Kokomo, on Saturday after- 
noon, January 7, 1865, and organized by calling Michael Thompson, of 
Jackson Township, to the chair, and appointing A. B. Walker, of Center, 
Secretary. 

At this meeting, the following resolutions were adopted, with slight op- 
position: 

Whereas, The President of the United States has called for 300,000 more men and 
has limited the time of raising them by volunteering to the 15th of February next, and 

Whereas, The Governor of Indiana has permission to raise eleven new regiments in 
this State, and the time for raising same has been limited to the 7th of February next, and 

Whereas, The citizens of other counties are moving actively in the matter by paying 
liberal bounties, by appropriation from their County Commissioners, thus securing for 
themselves the available men who are in their own midst as well as in other localities , 
thereby rendering it entirely out of the question and impossible for those counties not 
paying a local bounty to secure any credits whatever, thus leaving all such counties one 
way only to fill their quotas, and that by draft, and 

Whereas, It, is the opinion and sense of this meeting th'it, it is the surest, most reli- 
able, equitable and expeditious way of raising a fund to pay a local bounty, to have our 
County Commissioners make an appropriation. Thus making the burden of this work in 
which all should be interested, Ml equally upon all in proportion to the ability of each 
individual to pay. Therefore, be it 

Resolved, By this meeting, that we hereby request our County Commissioners to make 
an appropriation of a sufficient amount of money to pay a local bounty of .$800 to each 
and every volunteer necessary to fill the quota of this county. 

In a few days after this meeting, the County Commissioners were 
called together by the Auditor, but after a consultation adjourned with- 
out taking any action whatever, excepting to adjourn till February 6. 
In the meantime, the Governor had extended the time for raising the re- 
quired number of troops, a few days. Large bounties were being paid in 
adjoining counties, and our boys were leaving and volunteering elsewhere. 
The people were becoming thoroughly aroused and alarmed, and on Mon- 
day morning, February 6, the day appointed by the Commissioners to 
meet again in special session, at a very early hour the people began to 
flock into Kokomo in great numbers, highly excited over the prospect oi 
the draft. They saw that Howard County would be depopulated, and 



126 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

preferred taxation rather than that their farms should lie uncultivated for 
want of help. A meeting of the people convened at an early hour in 
James' Hall, the largest in the city, and it was crowded to its utmost 
capacity. Upon a vote being taken, only four persons voted against pay- 
ing a county bounty. The Commissioners were present at this meeting 
and seeing that the people were almost of one mind, at once held a meet- 
ing and placed upon record the following order: 

It is this day ordereil by the Commissioners of Howard County, Ind., that an appro- 
priation of $08,000 be and the same Is hereby made and ordered for the purpose of 
mining a local bounty of $400 to each and every volunteer who may enlist in the military 
service of the United States under the call of the President of the United States for 300,- 
000 men, bearing date December 19, 18G4. 

This appropriation shall be made in county orders, signed and issued by the Aud- 
itor of said county, and in sums ranging from $10 to flOO each. Said orders to be 
paid within one year, or as soon thereafter as the money to pay the same can be col- 
lected for that purpose by taxation. This appropriation to be paid to the several 
towuirhips in proportion to llie number of men required from each township to fill 
said call. And if the entire quota of said county shall not be filled by volunteers, 
then the number that have volunteered to be apportioned to the several townships 
in proportion to the number of men required from each. 

It is further ordered that the County Auditor aforesaid shall issue said county or- 
ders to regular appointed agents of each and every township of the county, when 
they shall deposit with the Auditor a certificate or receipt that money enough has 
been collected to cover the amount of the order or orders, called for by said town- 
ship, provided, however, that if volunteers wish to take orders in lieu of money they 
have that privilege. 

It is further ordered that all volunteers obtained from other than Howard County 
are to be credited to the several townships in proportion to the quotas required. It 
is further ordered that Ithamer Russel be appointed to receive said funds and dis- 
burse the same whenever certificates are presented, showing that volunteers have been 
received and mustered into service and credited to Howard County, under this call. 

Signed, David Greason, 

Jerome Brown, 
John Moulder, 

County Comviissioners. 

THE FINAL ENLISTMENT. 

After the adoption of the above, the last company raised in the coun- 
ty was recruited by Harrison Stewart. This was Company H, of the 
One Hundred and Fifty-third Regiment. The officers were Harrison 
Stewart, Captain; Aquilla Myers, First Lieutenant, and Henry B. Stew- 
art, Second Lieutenant, This regiment was organized at Indianapolis on 
the 1st of March, 1865, and left on the 5th for Nashville, but was stopped 
at Louisville by order of Gen. Palmer, and sent to Russellville, where it 
was sent out in detachment to Hopkinsville, Bowling Green and other 
points in that section of country. Company H was at different times 
engaged in fighting guerrillas, but sustained no losses. On the 16th of 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 127 

June, the regiment returned to Louisville and was assigned to duty at 
Taylor Barracks, where it remained until September 4, 1865, when it 
was mustered out of service. It was publicly welcomed home at Indian- 
apolis on the 6th, in the capitol grounds. Speeches were made bv Gen. 
Mansfield, Hon. John H. Farquar and Col. Nelson Trusler. 

CLOSE OF THE STRUGGLE. 

On the 4th of March, 1861, when Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated Pres- 
ident of the United States, he stood in the midst of frowning traitors, with 
open rebellion staring him full in the face. Hands were already clutching 
the banner of our country, ready to drag it to dishonor, and the people 
stood aghast with fear. Now four years, the most eventful years the na- 
tion had ever known, had rolled away, and in 1865 the 4th of March had 
come again, and the plain, care-worn Illinois lawyer was once more inau- 
gurated in that office, which, in spite of all rebellion, is still the proudest 
and noblest office on earth. This time he had stolen through on no mid- 
night train to avoid assassins. He was surrounded by no small guard 
trembling with fear, but a magnificent army Avas at his bidding, warm 
friends stand where traitors stood before. The hand of treason had been 
stricken from our banner and the "flag of the seas" flaunted its colors on 
every ocean. Grant, with a powerful army, was battering down the last 
walls of rebellion in front of Richmond ; a black smoke rising to the skies 
marked the track of the army, famous for its great "march to the sea;" 
while Sheridan, the fearless hero of Murfreesboro, Chickamauga and 
Missionary Ridge, was thundering down the Shenandoah Valley, spread- 
ing ruin and desolation. On the morning of the 2d of April, the stars 
and stripes waved over Richmond and Petersburg. On the 9th, over- 
taken and seeing no hope of, escape, Lee agreed to surrender. On the 
morning of the 10th, the story of Appomattox reached Howard County 
and fairly set the people wild with joy. The Tribune of April 13, 1865, 
said: 

Last Monday was that "happy clay" that the people have been siu^ing about for 
several years. It was the happiest day that the people of this generation ever experi- 
enced. The enthusiasm extended over the entire country, and the people everywhere 
rejoiced. Our town was all ablaze on Monday night. Bonfires lighted up the streets; 
thou.sands of burning candles were in the windows. Old and young were on the streets; 
gentlemen congratulated each other. Old enemies met and buried the past. Ladies 
sang patriotic songs, and Rev. Mr. .Jenkins, Elder Hobbs and others made brief speeches. 
Everi body felt good, glorious and festive. At a late hour, the greater number of those on 
the streets began to move homeward, feeling just as happy as they well could feel, while, 
many went in out of the cold and kept up their rejoicing until the early hours of morn- 
ing. It was indeed a glorious day and evening, made glorious by the brilliant achievements 
of our gallant army on Sunday, April 9. Hurrah for the Fourth of July, the 9th of 
April, Yankee Doodle and Yankee army ! 



128 I-IISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

THE president's ASSASSINATION. 

" The brightest joy brings sometimes deepest sorrow." While the 
nation was still rejoicing, he who had stood proudly at the helm through 
all the perils of the long, dark night of war, and was just now beginning 
to see the sunlight of peace dawn once more on a distracted land, was 
vilely shot by a half-mad actor named John Wilkes Booth. He was 
dead, but his words, " With malice toward none, with charity for all, 
with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive 
on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, * * * 
to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among 
ourselves and all nations," will live forever, and stamp him the most gea- 
erous conqueror the world ever knew. 

On the 19th of April, 1865, the day set apart by the Governmeut 
for the funeral ceremonies of this great and good man, the Rev. C. Mar- 
tindale was selected by the people of this community to preach a befitting 
and appropriate sermon, which he did in the Methodist Episcopal Church 
in Kokomo, choosing the following text: "Clouds and darkness are 
"round about him, righteousness and judgments are the habitation of his 
throne — " (Psalms xcvii, 2). In his closing remarks, he said: 

On this memoi'iible occasion, we should resolve to live for God and humanity. Let the 
memory of Lincoln aud Washington arouse us to action; let the blood of the heroes of 
'76 and '61-64 cry in our ears ; let the dangers and struggles of the past teach us lessons 
of wisdom. Especially let the munier of our b.doved Chief Magistrate, Abraham Lincoln, 
arouse us to crush treason and slavery, and to teach us to trust the living God, as the 
Ruler of our great nation. Four years ago Mr. Lincoln left his quiet home in the West to 
assume the great duties required at his hands, appealing to heaven for help and asking 
the prayers of the pious. Assassins sought his life then, but God protected him till his 
work was done. Now he returns to his boyhood home again ; though fallen, he goes a 
conqueror. He has freed 4,000,000 bondmen and saved a nation, and now, amid sor- 
rows such as were not felt at the death of Washington, he goes to his long, last repose 
where the boom of the cannon, the tramp of the armed host, the groan of the bondman 
or the hand of the assassin shall not disturb his repose. Peaceful be his rest, quiet 
his repose. Softly whisper the winds of the West around the grave of Abraham Lin- 
coln, the second Washington of America and the worlds great liberator. 

THE WELCOME HOME. 

Tuesday, July 4, 1865, was the day set apart for extending a 
formal welcome home to our brave boys after a service of four years in 
the army of the Union. Great preparations had been made to make 
this a happy day to citizen and soldier. At 5 o'clock in the morning, a 
loud report from the cannon on the public square reminded the people 
that the glorious day had dawned. Soon the city was astir ; some vil- 
lain had spiked the gun in the night or the exercises would have begun 
an hour sooner. By 9 o'clock, the streets were crowded with people ; at 



\ 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 129 

10 o'clock, a large procession of soldiers, under command of Col. Blanche, 
marched to the grove on the east of the city, followed by the artillery 
squad and a large concourse of citizens. Col. Richmond, the Chief Mar- 
shal, called the assemblage to order and introduced Rev. Mr. Martindale, 
who announced the old familiar hymn, " Am I a Soldier of the Cross," 
which was sung with much spirit; Mr. Martindale then led in prayer, 
and was followed by a national air by the band ; then the gallant Mets- 
ker, of the old Seventy-fifth, stepped forward and, in a loud voice, read 
the Declaration of Independence. Elder Hobbs was then introduced to 
the audience, and delivered an eloquent oration. The Tribune, of July 
6, complimented the oration as being one of the finest ever delivered in 
this city. Elder Hobbs paid a glowing tribute to the memory of those 
who had fallen in defense of our liberties ; and to those who had been 
spared to return he gave cheery welcome, and said : " For all the grand 
results of the past four years, under God, we are indebted to the armies 
and navies under the stars and stripes. The soldiers have suffered much 
in battle, in loathsome prisons and dreadful marches, but God gave them 
victory at last." The speaker then concluded his address by repeating 
the following lines of- welcome, which he had hastily composed for the 

occasion : ,„, . , *i, u v • ui 

inrice welcome the brave bovs in blue. 

With your banners all torn, yet true, 

Welcome ye sons of patriot sires — 

Now rekindle the sacred fires. 

From year to year renew the flame 

Until fair Columbia's name 

Shall be in every land revered, 

And shall on ev'ry sea be feared. 

Welcome, thrice welcome all ye braves. 

This the land of our fathers' graves. 

A goodly land, by them blood-bought, 

Came to us unearned, unsought. 

But now, bravely thro' freedom's war 

You've borne their flag, nor lost a star. 

After this eloquent address, dinner was announced. Baskets of luxuries 
had been prepared in nearly every loyal home in Howard County, and 
the committee had tastefully arranged the tables in the public square, so 
that all could be accommodated. The soldiers and their families were 
first given places, and afterward the citizens. This was a sumptuous repast, 
and all partook freely, and though hundreds were served, there was enough 
left for as many more. After dinner, the crowd re-assembled at the 
grounds, and speeches were made by Judge Linsday and Capt. M. Garri- 
gus. In the evening, there was quite a display of fire-works, and the 
cannon sent its echoes far into the night. Everybody felt happy when 
the day was done. 



130 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

RESULTS OF THE WAR. 

The great civil war was now at an end — '' a war," says Alexander 11. 
Stephens, in his History of the United States, " waged by the Federals, 
with the sole object, as they declared, of maintaining the Union under the 
Constitution ; while by the Confederates it was waged with the great object 
of maintaining the inestimable sovereign right of local self-government 
on the part of the peoples of the several States, ft was the most lament- 
able, as well as the greatest of modern wars, if not the greatest, in some 
respects, 'known in the history of the human race.' It lasted four years 
and a little over, as we have seen, with numerous sanguinary conflicts 
and heroic exploits on both sides, many of which will live in memory and 
be perpetuated as legends, and thus be treasured up as the themes for 
story and song for ages." 

This opinion we freely grant Mr. Stephens, and further state that the 
war, which was the nation's blessing in disguise, has forever 
swept away the great first cause. The United States has taken a great 
stride forward. Our flag has been avenged, and, though it cost much blood, 
we have freely welcomed back under its folds those who madly fought to 
destroy the proud monument of their fathers. Though they got ruin — 
desolation — the death of countless thousands and the destruction of mill- 
ions of property, they got a blessing, for " upward through the blood 
and ashes spring afresh the Eden flowers." They have been baptized, as 
by fire, into a new life, and though they may never build up their old 
homes and their old civilization, they can and they will build better of 
both. 

Four years of war demonstrated that intelligent, peaceful citizens of 
a free republic make the bravest of soldiers ; and now eighteen years of 
peace have demonstrated that the same brave soldiers make the best of 
citizens. In this county, the oflfices of trust and honor have been placed 
largely in the hands of our citizen-soldiery since the war, and they have 
never been dishonored. In all public enterprises, the former soldiers freely 
bear their part. They are charitable and benevolent, nor do they forget 
their fallen comrades and brothers who now slumber in our cemeteries, 
but annually, on Decoration Day, do they go, 

" Lovingly laden with flowers," 
no matter whether in storm or in sunshine, and strew those silent tokens 
of love and affection upon the graves, and over and over again recount the 
strange, sad story that makes those lives glorious, even in death. A 
beautiful circular mound in Crown Point Cemetery has been dedicated 
to our fallen heroes, and some day, in the near future, we hope to see 
erected upon it a monument that shall have inscribed upon it the name of 
every soldier that fell in defense of his country, with room enough left 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



131 



for the names of those who. still surviving their comrades, will, one by 
one, as the years go on, be borne to the tomb. 

In conclusion we cry all hail to our heroes, to our nation, and our 
banner, the stars and stripes ! Under that flag, Washington conquered 
at Yorktown and Jackson at New Orleans; under that flag, McDonough 
and Perry humbled the haughty pride of Britain on Erie and Champlain ; 
under that flag, Jones and Decatur swept the sea. And never shall that 
bright flag that was flaunted by Taylor on the heights of Monterey, and 
by Scott over the Halls of the Montezumas — that flag that was borne to 
victory, backed by more than a million loyal hearts and bristling bayonets 
from 1861 to 1865 — be surrendered, but shall live to the end of time to 
wave in triumph over a prosperous and united people. 

Howard's regimental representation. 

The following are the regiments in which Howard County soldiers 
were represented: 6th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 20th, 21st (1st Heavy 
Artillery), 26th, 34th, 36th, 39th (8th Cavalry), 46th, 47th, 51st, 57th, 
60th, 63d, 73d, 75th, 77th (4th Cavalry), 79th, 86th, 87th, 89th, 90th 
(5th Cavalry), 99th, 126th (11th Cavalry), 130th, 131st (13th Cavalry), 
135th, 137th, 140th, 142d, 153d, 155th, 28th (Colored), 8th (U. S. 
Colored) and 17th Battery. 

The following table is a statement of quotas and credits in Howard 
County under calls of February 1, March 14, and July 18, 1864, as 
shown by the Adjutant-General's reports: 





•*' 










1 






*s 
























J, 


1 




£ 










































































T~t 




<£> 




^' 
























•*" 






a 


fa 


S 




a 












































^ 




>» 




<a 


W--5 


w« 


















h 


S 


1-^ 




P 


>» h 


>%a 
















TOWNSHIPS. 


o 

"3 


o 


o 


a 
2 


s 

as 




c3 aj 


d 


a 




















a 
























b. 


fe 


u 


2 


>'A 


> 


o 








2 








■a 


■a 


•a 


2 


C 


>> 


(>» 


r>> 




■ 


9' 




>. 






p 


s 


3 


1^ 


C.H 


X! 


J 




u 


a 


d 


>H 





m 




ce 


cS 


ce 






■»-» 


♦^ 


^S 




H 


(H 




.2 


3 




o 


§ 


o 

3 


S 


5 
o 


■a 


•a 


"O 


a 


a 







«3 


& 




C 


C 


<y 


fa 


H 


CJ 


O 


o 


H 





H 


EH 


Q 


OQ 


Centre 


74 
18 
38 
25 
30 
19 


30 

15 

10 
12 

7 


75 
17 
41 

27 
31 
20 


456 
104 
250 
160 
184 
123 


179 
42 
94 
62 
73 
4fi 


133 

38 
78 
61 
65 
38 


46 
6 
8 
1 
9 
9. 


"4 


179 
44 
86 
62 
74 
43 


10 

"27 
27 


14 
10 


155 
34 
59 
35 
74 
32 






Clay 


...„ 


V 


Ervin 




H arrison 




Howard 


3 


1 


Honey Creek 








Jackson 


10 

30 


4 


9 
31 


55 
185 


23 


12 
5--' 


6 
11 




18 
63 


4 


1 


13 
40 


5 
10 




Liberty 




Monroe 


24 

32 
34 


10 
13 
14 


2« 
36 
37 


157 

213 
219 


60 
81 

85 


35 
78 
54 


2 
16 
11 


1 
"18 


38 
94 
83 


10 


1 


27 
94 
84 


22 
""2 




Taylor 


13 


Union 


29 










Total 


334 


134 


350 


2,105 


818 


644 


117 


23 


784 


141 


26 


617 


50 


18 







132 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



The following is a statement of quotas and credits in Howard County, 
under call of December 19', 1864, for 300,000 men, as shown by the Ad- 
jutant General's reports : 







^ 






i? 


,., 




. 


















































^ 


^ 




a 




















i 


C 


a 




■a 

3 
























S 




















^ 




a 






















i 


1 


l 




"c 




p 












TOWNSHIPS. 


a 
1 


1 


a 

a; 


a 

a 

a 

J 

o 


s 

3 
o 


£ 

a 

3 

5> 


1 


"a 
i2 














w 


-a 
c 
9 


P 


a 


^■1 


X! . 


.S» 


1 


fe 


S3 


e 

H 


3 






a 

s 


o 

3 


P. 


o 

3 




i^ a 
'■5 S 


'S 


"3 


3 


o 


.3 


ta 


3 




K 


<y 


OJ 


E-1 


o 


u 


o 


B 


o 


H 


H 


l-l 


03 


Center 


353 

63 

181 

106 

123 

94 

25 

107 


47 
5 

46 

25 
8 

19 
8 

80 





47 
15 

46 
25 

8 
19 

9 
30 


45 
5 

40 

26 
8 

14 
2 

'>1 


43 

1 
2 




...„ 

3 

7 


88 
6 

42 

27 
9 

17 
7 

V9 


45 

5 
40 
26 

8 
16 

5 
V8 




43 

1 
2 


4 

"■'2 

1 
1 


41 


Clav 


?, 






Harrison 


9. 


Howard 


1 


Honey Creek 




Jackson 




Liberty 






89 
17? 


33 
4 




33 
4 


11 
4 




18 


30 
5 


29 
4 






3 




Taylor 


1 


Union 


96 


20 




20 


13 






14 


13 






6 









Total 


1409 


94h 




'?4fi 


189 


55 


30 


'^^74 


'^19 




55 


17 


48 





















BOUNTY EXPENDITURES. 

Amount expended for local bounties, for relief of soldiers' families, 
and for miscellaneous military purposes by the county of Howard and 
townships. 



DISTRICT. 



Howard County 

Center Township 

Clay Township 

Ervin Township 

Harrison Township 

Howard Township 

Honey Creek Township. 

Jackson Township 

Liberty Township 

Monroe Township 

Taylor Township 

Union Township 



Total. 



Grand Total. 



1108,000 

11,000 

2,870 

24,550 

12,500 



7,000 

3,000 

17,030 

10,500 



4,915 



201 ,365 



!pl5,000 

10,000 

1,500 

2,065 

1,550 

550 

830 

450 

700 

1,2.50 

850 

1,375 



36,120 
237,485 



HOWARD COUNTY OFFICERS' RECORD. 

The following list contains the name, rank and promotion of each 
officer that went to the army from this county. Also the number of the 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 133 

regiment, the letter of the company, the date of commission and the time 
when mustered out of the service : 

Sixth Infantry (three months) — Thomas J. Harrison, commissioned 
Captain April 20, 1861 ; mustered out at expiration of term ; re-entered 
service as Colonel of the Thirty-ninth Regiment (Eighth Cavalry) ; date 
of commission, August 28, 1861 ; mustered out January 15, 1865 ; bre- 
vetted Brigadier General January 31, 1865. Thomas Herring, com- 
missioned First Lieutenant of Company D April 22, 1861, and 
mustered out at the expiration of term ; re-entered service as Cap- 
tain of Company D, Thirty-ninth Regiment; date of commission, 
September 2, 1861 ; promoted Major March 5, 1864: ; promoted Lieu- 
tenant Colonel January 20, 1865, and mustered out with regiment. 
William R. Philips, commissioned Second Lieutenant April 22, 1861, 
of Company D, and mustered out at expiration of term ; re-entered service 
as First Lieutenant of Company D, Thirty-ninth Regiment ; date of com- 
mission, September 2, 1861 ; killed, April 7, 1862, at Shiloh. 

Tivelfth Infantry (three years) — Alfred B, Taylor, commissioned 
Assistant Surgeon August 7, 1862; mustered out June 8, 1865; term 
expired. 

Tkirteenth Infantry (three years) — Thomas M. Kirkpatrick, com- 
missioned Captain Company E April 25, 1861 ; mustered out August 22, 
1864 ; term expired. Barnabas Busby, commissioned First Lieutenant 
Company E April 25, 1861 ; resigned December 4, 1862. Nathaniel 
P. Richmond, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company E April 25, 
1861 ; promoted Lieutenant Colonel of the First West Virginia Cavalry. 

Twentieth Regiynent (three years) — Charles D. Murray, commis- 
sioned First Lieutenant Company A July 23, 1861 ; resigned, and re- 
entered service as Colonel of the Eighty-ninth Regiment ; date of com- 
mission, August 28, 1862; dismissed April 18, 1865; restored by War 
Department April 28, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. John W. 
Yanderbank, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company I June 6, 
1863 ; promoted Captain of Company K of the Twentieth (re-organized) 
Regiment ; date of commission, December 2, 1864 ; mustered out with 
regiment. 

Twenty-firBt Regiment (First Heavy Artillery) — Tipton D. Clary, 
commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company L December 23, 1863 ; 
promoted First Lieutenant and commissioned September 9, 1864. 

Thirtyfourth Regiment — Jacob S. White, commissioned Surgeon, 
September 13, 1861 ; resigned December 23, 1862. Daniel W. Taylor, 
commissioned Assistant Surgeon September 25, 1861 ; promoted Sur- 
geon December 24, 1862 ; . resigned July 5, 1865. William W. 
Stephenson, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company H April 5, 

H 



134 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

1862; promoted First Lieutenant; date of commission, September 1, 
1862 ; then promoted Captain of Company G ; date of commission, Sep- 
tember 20, 1868; transferred as Captain of Company H; date of com- 
mission, September 20, 1863 ; resigned April 12, 1865. John 0. Har- 
desty was commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company H February 3, 
1863 ; promoted First Lieutenant September 20, 1863 ; promoted Cap- 
tain ; date of commission, April 13, 1865; resigned as First Lieutenant 
June 28, 1865. Thomas S. Terrell, commissioned Captain of Company 
H September 16, 1861 ; died July 26, 1863, at Memphis, Tenn. Har- 
rison Shannon, commissioned First Lieutenant of Company H August 1, 
1865. Joseph E. Libby, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company 
H September 1, 1862 ; resigned February 2, 1863. Aaron Welty com- 
missioned Second Lieutenant Company H August 1, 1865. 

Thirty-ninth Regiment (Eighth Cavalry) — Thomas J. Harrison, 
commissioned Colonel August 28, 1861 ; mustered out January 15, 
1865 ; brevetted Brigadier General January 31, 1865. Thomas Herring, 
commissioned Captain of Company D September 2, 1861 ; promoted 
Major March 5, 1864 ; promoted Lieutenant Colonel ; date of commission, 
January 20, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. Matthew C. Mill, com- 
missioned Adjutant March 5, 1864; mustered out January 1, 1865. 
John Bohan, commissioned Quartermaster August 30, 1861 ; mustered 
out October 4, 1864 ; term expired. Josiah Stanley, commissioned Sec- 
ond Lieutenant, Company D April 20, 1862 ; promoted Captain May 1, 
1864; mustered out January 1, 1865; term expired. Stephen D. 
Butler, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company D September 2, 
1861 ; promoted First Lieutenant; date of commission, April 20, 1862; 
killed at Chickamauga September 20, 1863. Edward W. Scott, com- 
missioned First Lieutenant of Company D March 1, 1865 ; mustered 
out as Sergeant with regiment. George T. Ogden, commissioned Second 
Lieutenant of Company D March 1, 1865 ; promoted Captain of same 
company ; date of commission, August 1, 1865 ; mustered out with regi- 
ment. William D. Ward, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company 
B August 1, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. John Pearson, com- 
missioned as Captain of Company D March 1, 1865 ; mustered out with 
regiment. Noah Downs, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company 
I March 1, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. 

Fifty-first Regiment — Marion Anderson, commissioned Second 
Lieutenant Company D April 30, 1862; promoted Captain ; date of com- 
mission, December 11, 1862; resigned, June 16, 1865. Evan E. Sharp, 
commissioned First Lieutenant Company D April 30, 1862 ; honorably 
discharged March 24, 1865, under Circular 75, War Department. 

Fifty-seventh Regiment — Willis Blanche, commissioned Captain 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. I35 

Co.,pa„y G October 80, 1861 ; promoted Major; date of commission, 

Jut"7l86S ' 'Tn'^f I--'--' Colonel ; date of commission 

July _», 1863; promoted Colonel; date of commission, June 24 1864- 
resigned May 1, 1865; cause, disability. Tnnothy Leeds, commissioned 
F,rst L.eutenant of Company G October 80, 1861; promoted Captain of 
same company; date of commission, February 21, 1863; promoted 
Major; date of comm.ss.on, May 3, 1865; promoted Lieutenant Colonel • 
date o commission, June 1, 1865. John H. Terrell, commissioned Adiu- 
tant May 3, 1865. Joim S. Summers, con,missioned First Lieutenant 
of Company I January 24. 1863; promoted Captain; date of comrais- 

1865 W-ll' '*^'', P™r"^-^ M^J"; '1* of commission, June 1, 
1865. Wilham K. Iloback, commissioned Captain of Company H Oc 
ober .0, 1861; resigned March 20, 186.3, to accept a Cha'^laincv ; 
date of commission, February 20, 1868 ; resigned October 26, 1868 ^ 
cause, disability. James Leonard, commissioned Chaplain April 5,' 

H n: I i7\ of' <"'"'">'«^'°'"^'l Second Lieutenant of Company 
H November 14,1 62; promoted Captain ; date of commission, March 
^1, 1863; resigned June 17, 1864; cause, disability. William T Sew- 
ar,l commissioned First Lieutenant of Company A September 1, 
1864; promoted Captain; date of commission, March 19 1865- re 
signed June 11, 1865; cause, personal business. Joel H. Iloback, 'c„m- 
ZTof 1^6? ^"'"'^»;"' Company II October 80, 1861; resigned 
Marlil 78.1 '*"'°' ''"'f '"'y^ ^«^i« commissioned First Lieutenant 
luarch Zl, 1863; promoted Captain June 18, 1864. Robert T Becket 
commissioned Second Lieutenant Corap.,ny I January 21 1862- re' 
signed March 27. 1862 ; cause, disability. Enoch R. Adams'on, commis- 
sioned Second Lieutenant of Company G December 13, 1862; promoted 
iirst Lieutenant; date of commission, February 12. 1863- resigned 
November 22 1864; cause, disability. Benjamin' F. Rhoad; cZis 
sioned First Lieutenant of Company G December 17, 1864; promoted 
Captain; date of commission. June 18. 1864, John W. Garner com 
missioned First Lieutenant of Company G May 3, 1865. John L ' Hall 
commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company G October 30 1861 • re- 
signed December 12, 1862; cause, disability. William E. Todhumer 
commissioned Second Lieutenant February 12, 1863; resigned Septem! 
ber 25, 1864; cause, disability. Samuel G. Woodfill, commissioned 
Second Lieutenant of Company G June 1, 1865 

SMeth Eeifiment-ChavhsM. Murray,' commissioned Second 
Lieutenant Company K January 20, 1862 ; promoted First Lieutenant 
of same company April 3, 1863; promoted Captain of same company; 
date of commission, December 6, 1863; mustered out December 31, 
1864, on consolidation of regiment. Michael B. Cramer, commissioned 



136 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

First Lieutenant of Company K January 20, 1862; resignedJuly 3,1862. 
Sixti/-tJnrd Regiment — William Curlee, commissioned Second Lieu- 
tenant of Company K May 1, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment June 
21, 1865. 

Seventy-third Regiment — Wilson Daily, commissioned Second Lieu- 
tenant Company K July 24, 1864 ; mustered out with regiment. 

Seventy-fifth Regiment — James C Medsker, commissioned First 
Lieutenant of Company C July 28, 1862; promoted Adjutant; date of 
commission, August 20, 1862 ; mustered out with regiment. J. C. P. 
Negley, commissioned Assistant Surgeon August 20, 1862, but de- 
clined. Robert H. Buck, commissioned Assistant Surgeon Sep- 
tember 16, 1862; resigned April 23, 1863; re-entered service as 
Surgeon of the One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment ; date 
of commission, September 19, 1863; mustered out when term ex- 
pired. Francis M. Bryant, commissioned Captain of Company C 
July 28, 1862 ; died December 2, 1863, of wounds received at Missionary 
Ridge. Irvin Poison, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company C 
August 21, 1862 ; promoted First Lieutenant; date of commission, Au- 
gust 2, 1863 ; promoted Captain ; date of commission, November 26, 
1863 ; mustered out with regiment. Daniel D. Downs, commissioned 
Second Lieutenant of Company C July 28, 1862 ; promoted First Lieu- 
tenant; date of commission, August 21,1862; resigned August 1, 1863. 
George W. Holton, commissioned Second Lieutenant May 1, 1865 ; 
mustered out with regiment. 

Seventy-ninth Regiment — William C Shortridge, commissioned 
Quartermaster August 11, 1862 ; resigned April 23, 1863. 

Eighty-ninth Regiment — Charles D. Murray, commissioned Colonel 
August 28, 1862 ; dismissed, April 18, 1865 ; restored by War De- 
partment April 28, 1865; mustered out with regiment. Jesse T. Cox, 
commissioned Assistant Surgeon February 15, 1865 ; mustered out with 
regiment. Harles Ashley, commissioned Quartermaster November 3, 
1862 ; killed November 1, 1864, by guerrillas. John E. Williams, commis- 
sioned Captain of Company D August 9, 1862; resigned November 5, 1864. 
Garah Markland, commissioned First Lieutenant of Company D August 
9, 1862 ; promoted to Captain; date of commission, November 6, 1864; 
mustered out with regiment. Oliver P. Moulder, commissioned First 
Lieutenant of Company D December 14, 1864 ; mustered out with regi- 
ment. William H. Styer, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company 
D August 9, 1862 ; resigned October 20, 1863 ; William Burnes, com- 
missioned Captain of Company F August 13, 1862 ; resigned January 15, 
1863. John T. Stewart, commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company 
F August 13, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant December 26, 1862; 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 137 

promoted Captain ; date of commission, January 16, 1863 ; mustered 
out with regiment. Benjamin F. Havens, commissioned First Lieutenant 
of Company F August 13, 1862 ; resigned December 25, 1862. James M. 
Armantrout, commissioned Second Lieutenant December 26, 1862 ; 
promoted First Lieutenant ; date of commission, January 16, 1863 ; 
died February 17, 1863, of disease. Hugh Willits, commissioned 
Second Lieutenant of Company F January 16, 1863 ; promoted First 
Lieutenant; date of commission, February 24, 1863; died in hospi- 
tal at Nashville February 17, 1865, of disease. Hezekiah H. Winslow, 
commissioned Second Lieutenant Company F February 24, 1863 ; 
promoted First Lieutenant February 15, 1865 ; mustered out with reg- 
iment. Bedford W. Gifford, commissioned Captain of Company G Aug- 
ust 16, 1862 ; killed in battle of Yellow Bayou, La., May 18, 1864. 
William A. Hunt, commissioned Captain Company G, May 19, 1864 ; 
killed by guerrillas, June 23, 1864. Jeremiah P. Brown, commissioned 
Second Lieutenant Company G August 16, 1862; promoted First Lieu- 
tenant ; date of commission, December 26, 1863 ; died of wounds re- 
ceived in action June 3, 1864. William M. Gifford, commissioned First 
Lieutenant Company G December 26, 1864 ; discharged as Sergeant 
March 17, 1865, on account of wounds. 

Ninetieth Regiment (Fifth Cavalry) — Jacob P. C. Negley, commis- 
sioned First Lieutenant Company A August 13, 1862 ; commissioned 
Assistant Surgeon of the Seventy-fifth Regiment August 20, 1862, but 
declined, and was honorably discharged November 25, 1863. Ferdi- 
nand Dorsch, commissioned Second Lieutenant August 13, 1862 ; super- 
numerary ; mustered out by order of the War Department, May 16, 1863. 

One Hundred and Eighteenth (Six Months' Regiment) — Joseph Bald- 
win, commissioned Captain of Company B July 28, 1863 ; mustered out 
when term expired. Benjamin Norman, commissioned Captain of Com- 
pany D July 4, 1863 ; mustered out, term expired ; re-entered service as 
Captain Company F, One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment ; date of 
commission, April 11, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. Harrison 
Stewart, commissioned First Lieutenant of Company D July 4, 1863 ; 
mustered out, term expired ; re-entered service as Captain Company H, 
One Hundred and Fifty-third Regiment ; date of commission, February 
23, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. William J. Fallsner, commis- 
sioned Second Lieutenant of Company D July 4, 1863 ; mustered out 
when term expired. Samuel Richey, commissioned Second Lieutenant 
of Company I September 3, 1863; mustered out when term expired. 

One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment (Eleventh Cavalry) — Abram 
C. Barnhart, commissioned Chaplain April 8, 1864 ; mustered out with 
regiment. John M. Garrett, commissioned Captain of Company E 



138 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

December 23, 1863 ; resigned February 20, 1865. William H. Sump- 
tion, commissioned First Lieutenant of Company E December 23, 1863 ; 
promoted Captain ; date of commission, March 1, 1865; resigned August 
14, 1865. Jesse A. Cate, commissioned Second Lieutenant Company E, 
December 23, 1863; promoted First Lieutenant; date of commission 
March 1, 1865 ; promoted Captiiin ; date of commission, August 15, 
1865; mustered out with regiment. William L. White, commissioned 
Second Lieutenant of Company E March 1, 1865; mustered out with 
regiment. 

One Hundred and Thirtietli Regiment — Elijah W. Penny, commis- 
sioned Captain of Company A January 20, 1864; promoted Major; date 
of commission, September 1, 1861; promoted Lieutenant Colonel; date of 
commission, April 1, 1865; mustered out with regiment. George W. 
Pattison. commissioned Assistant Surgeon March 1, 1861 ; promoted 
Surgeon; date of commission, July 20, 1861 ; mustered out with regiment. 
John B, Littler, commissioned First Lieutenant January 20, 1861 ; pro- 
moted Captain ; date of commission, September 1, 1861 ; mustered out 
with regiment. William S. Birt, commissioned Second Lieutenant Janu- 
ary 20, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant; date of commission, September 
1, 1864; resigned September 18, 1864. Edwin R. W. Truax, commis- 
sioned Second Lieutenant September 1, 1864 ; promoted First Lieuten- 
ant ; date of commission, March 1, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. 

One Hundred and Thirty-first Regiment (Thirteenth Cavalry) — Rob- 
ert H. Buck, commissioned Surgeon June 30, 1864 ; resigned February 
4, 1865. Levi Hillis, commissioned First Lieutenant of Company G 
February 27, 1864; promoted Captain ; date of commission, October 1, 
1865 ; mustered out with regiment. 

One Hundred and Tliirty-fifth Regiment — Harrison Stewart, com- 
missioned First Lieutenant May 21, 1864; mustered out witii regiment. 

One Hu7idred and TJiirty-seventh Regiment — Barnabas Busby, com- 
missioned Captain of Company C May 12, 1864 ; mustered out with regi- 
ment. Milton Garrigus, commissioned First Lieutenant May 12, 1864 ; 
promoted Adjutant; date of commission, May 25, 1864; mustered out 
with regiment. Daniel Wilkins, commissioned Second Lieutenant May 
12, 1864 ; promoted First Lieutenant ; date of commission. May 26, 1864; 
mustered out with regiment. Samuel W. Thornton, commissioned Second 
Lieutenant May 26, 1864 ; mustered out with regiment. 

One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment — Milton Garrigus, com- 
missioned Captain Company I November 3, 1861 ; mustered out with 
regiment. Timothy Scott, commissioned Second Lieutenant Company I 
November 3, 1864; mustered out with regiment. 

One Hundred and Fifty-third Regiment — Isaac C. Johnson, com- 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 139 

missioned Assistant Surgeon March 7, 1865; mustered out with regiment. 
Harrison Stewart, commissioned Captain of Company H February 23, 
1865 ; mustered out with regiment. Henry B. Stewart, commissioned 
Second Lieutenant February 22, 1865 ; mustered out with regiment. 
Aquilla Myers, commissioned First Lieutenant February 22, 1865 ; 
mustered out with regiment. 

ROLL OF HONOR 
"How sleep the brave, who sink to rest 
By all their country's wishes blest! 
When spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mold. 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 

By fairy hands their knell is rung; 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung; 
There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, 
To bless the turf that wraps their clay; 
And Freedom shall awhile repair, 
To dwell a weeping hermit there." 

Thirteenth Infantry — William H. Bates, died at Indianapolis July 14, 
1861 ; Thomas Bogue, killed at Allegheny December 13, 1861 ; John 
Burns, died June 6, 1862, of wounds received at Allegheny; Francis 
M. Hardesty, died at Cheat Mountain Pass September 3, 1861 ; Daniel 
Helms, died at Suffolk, Va., November 3, 1862 ; Mark Helms, killed at 
Winchester March 23, 1862; Jonathan Hockstedler, killed at Win- 
chester March 23, 1862; William Honner, died at Folly Island Janu- 
ary 26, 1864; Eleazer Jones, died at Cheat Mountain Pass September 
19, 1861; William Rader, killed at Winchester March 23, 1862; Will- 
iam Riffle, killed at Rich Mountain July 11, 1861 ; George L. J. Ring, 
died at Beaufort, S. C, October 4, 1863; Benjamin Seward, killed at 
Foster's farm May 20, 1864 ; William Shirley, died February 19, 1862, 
of wounds received at Allegheny ; John M. Simpson, died June 7, 1864, 
of wounds received at Cold Harbor. 

Thirty-fourth Infantry — John Brown, died at Nelson Barracks, Ky., 
February 22, 1862. Henry Brown, died at Buffalo, Ky., February 
11, 1866. Adam Ferrell, died at Vicksburg July 26, 1863; Will- 
iam Albertson, died at St. Louis July 22, 1863; George Burns, died 
at Louisville, Ky., March 20, 1862; Theodore P. Butcher, died 
while on furlough. May 16, 1862; John Hale, died at Buffalo, Ky., 
February 11, 1862 ; Silas A. Hoover, died at Louisville, Ky., February 
26, 1862; William J. Johnson, died at St. Louis, Mo., February 12, 
1863; Willianj Linvill, killed at Champion Hill May 16, 1863; Tobias 
M. Overholser, killed at Champion Hill May 16, 1863; David Proud, 



140 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

died at Nelson Barracks, Ky., February 15, 1862 ; Thomas S. Terrell, 
died July 26, 1863, at Memphis, Tenn.; Hiram Van Horn, died at St. 
Louis, Mo., October 13, 1862 ; Thomas P. Winterode, died at New Or- 
leans September 30, 1864. 

Thirty-ninth Regiment (Eighth Cavalry) — William R. Philips, killed 
at Shiloh April 7, 1862 ; Stephen D. Butler, killed at Chickamauga 
September, 20, 1863. Jacob Brown, died in prison at Florence, 
S. C, January 20, 1865; Elijah F. Colter, killed at Fairburn, Ga., 
August 19, 1862 ; Henry B. Colter, killed at Cannelton, Ga., Sep- 
tember 10, 1864 ; Benjamin C. Davis, died September 5, 1864, of 
wounds; James P. Davis, died at Louisville, Ky., December 31, 
1861; Herrick Hoback, died of wounds April 14, 1862 ; Milton Jones, 
died of wounds September 9, 1863, at Stone River; Fauzy Julien, died 
January 23, 1863, of wounds received at Stone River; Thomas F. 
Julien, died at Nashville, Tenn., September 14, 1862 ; William H. Bin- 
der, died April 27, 1862, of wounds received at Shiloh ; George Mc- 
Kinsey, died at Nashville July 11, 1864 ; Nicholas Mulvany, died at 
Savannah, Ga., March 16, 1865 ; Erwin W. Richardson, killed at 
Pulaski September 27, 1864; Richard J. Ricks, died at Louisville 
December 4, 1864; Charles Robertson, died at Nashville September 5, 
1863 ; John W. Shilling, died of wounds received at Stone River ; AVill- 
iam Stanley, died January 9, 1863, of wounds received at Stone River; 
Uriah Snyder died at home May 5, 1864 ; Ausborn E. Thompson, died 
at Louisville February 28, 1862 ; Henry H. Thornburg, died at Hub- 
bard's Cove August 31, 1862 ; William F. Tyler, died at Nashville Sep- 
tember 22, 1864; Jeremiah Washburne, killed by bushwhackers Septem- 
ber 14, 1863; Nathaniel F. Whitaker, died at Murfreesboro June 16, 
1863; Samuel P. Witherow, died at Louisville, Ky., January 19, 1862. 

Fortieth Infantry — John M. Baly, died at JefFersonville, Ind., Jan- 
uary 7, 1865 ; William Burt, died at Camp Irving, Tex., August 14, 
1865; Levi Ellis, died at Huntsville, Ala., February 21, 1865; Louis 
W. Jones, died at Nashville December 16, 1864 ; Joel Law, died Janu- 
ary 23, 1865 ; Henry A. Pickering, died at Nashville March 24, 1865 ; 
Samuel Scales, died at Louisville February 18, 1865; William Smith, 
died of wounds at Nashville December 1, 1864. 

Fifty-seventh Infantry — John Adamson, killed in battle at Stone 
River December 31, 1862 ; John W. Adamson, veteran, killed in battle 
at Kenesaw June 23, 1864; Joseph Arnold, died at Kokomo, Ind., May 
18, 1862; Isaac Browning, died at Paducah, Ky., May 26, 1862; 
George Campbell, veteran, died at Big Shanty, Ga., July 29, 1864; 
John L. Colvin, died at Camp Irwin, Tex., October 14, 1865 ; William 
Dimitt, veteran, died at Chattanooga July 24, 1864. David H. Doug- 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 141 

lass, veteran, died at Memphis, April 28, 1865 ; Melvin C. Endecott, 
died at Corinth, Miss.; Robert A. Gordon, killed at Resaca, Ga., 
May 15, 1864; Andrew J. Harding, died November 16, 1862; John 
Hawkins, died at Quincy, 111., March 12, 1863 ; Joseph Higgins, killed 
at Pine Mountain, Ga., June 15, 1864; Willis Hilton, died at Nash- 
ville March 29, 1862 ; Andrew J. Langly, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., 
March 10, 1864; Samuel Mathers, veteran, killed in battle at Kenesaw 
June 18, 1864 ; Peter W. McReynolds, veteran, died at Louisville, Ky., 
August 24, 186 i; Stephen A. Miller, veteran, died at Chattanooga July 
5, 1864, of wounds ; Lewis Pike, veteran, lost on Steamer Sultana, April 

27, 1865; George T. Pike, veteran, killed near Nashville December 
16, 1864; Henry Ravel, died at Bardstown, Ky., March 30, 18^2; 
Andrew Rhoads, killed in battle at Stone River December 31, 1862; 
Lewis Snoddery, died of wounds in 1864 ; James Weaver, died at Mur- 
freesboro, Tenn., April 13, 1863; George D, Winders, died at Nash- 
ville January 13, 1863 ; James Yount, died June 4, 1863. 

Seventy-third Infantry — Henry H. Thornton, killed at Stone Riv- 
er December 31, 1862. 

Seventy -ffth Infantry — Emsly Bright, died at Nashville, Tenn., 
October 15, 1863 ; Francis M. Bryant, died December 2, 1863, of 
wounds received at Missionary Ridge ; Eli Burris, died at Gallatin, 
Tenn., February 20, 1863 ; John G. Coate, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., 
February 27, 1865 ; David M. Cox, died at Richmond, Va., February 
16, 1864; James Ellet, died at home February 20, 1863; John Fay, 
died at Louisville, Ky., December 7, 1863; George W. Hender- 
son, died at Murfreesboro, Tenn., March 26, 1863; Jacob Hin- 
kle, died at Gallatin, Tenn., January 20, 1863; John M. Hodson, died 
at Nashville, Tenn.; Benjamin Huff, died at Nashville, Tenn., Novem- 
ber 21, 1863; Henry Jones, died at Scottsville, Ky., January 5, 1863; 
Samuel McClure, died at Bowling Green, Ky., December 11, 1862; 
Henry Myers, died at Lebanon, Ky., September 5, 1862; Allen M. 
Paff, died at Louisville, Ky., October 11, 1862 ; John Smiley, died at 
New Albany, Ind., October 30, 1862; Hiram Stephens, died at Galla- 
tin, Tenn., February 23,1863; Thomas J. Stringer, died at Murfrees- 
boro, Tenn., March 6, 1863; Richard Templin, died at home February 

28, 1864; James Thorington, died at Richmond, Va., February 21, 
1864; Reuben Waldron, died at Gallatin, Tenn., February 17, 1863; 
James B. Whisler, died at Atlanta, Ga., November 1, 1863. 

Eighty- ninth Infantry — James L. Armantrout, died February 17, 
1863 ; Francis M. Beard, died in Howard County, October 27, 1862 ; 
William H. Bishop, killed at Yellow Bayou, May 7, 1864; Will- 
iam R. Brener, died at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., October 20, 1863 ; Jer- 



142 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

emiah P. Brown, died June 3, 1864, wounds ; John Carpenter, died 
March 1, 1863; William J. Carter, died near Canton, Miss., March 1, 
1864 ; Wesley Defenbaugh, died at Fort Pickering, Tenn., June 22, 

1863 ; Nathan M. Elmore, died of wounds received at Yellow Bajou, 
La., May 18, 1864 ; Harvey Earley, died April 10, 1863 ; Tilghman A. 
Farlow, died at Memphis, Tenn., June 20, 1864; Alexander Fleming, 
died June 25, 1863 ; William II. Fritz, died July 29, 1863 ; Bedford W. 
Gilford, killed May 18, 1864, at Yellow Bayou, La.; Thomas Gordon, 
died at Fort Pickering, Tenn., February 23, 1863; Hugh Heathcoat, 
killed at Munfordsville, Ky., September 14, 1862 ; Nicholas Hughes, 
died at Fort Pickering, Tenn., July 8, 1863; Richard M. Hughes, died 
at home January 10, 1863; William Hughes, died at Jefferson Barracks, 
Mo., December 17, 1864 ; William R. Hulse, died at Memphis, July 10, 

1864 ; William A. Hunt, killed June 23, 1864, by guerrillas; Henry T. 
Jennings, killed at Yellow Bayou, La., May 18, 1864 ; Reuben E. John- 
son, died at Nashville, Tenn., December 8, 1864; John M. Kane, died at 
New Albany, Ind,, September 28, 1862 ; Ulysses P. King, died at Fort 
Pickering, Tenn., August 10, 1862 ; George E. Knoble, died January 19, 
1863; Lewis Long, died at Memphis, Tenn., December 16, 1862; Allen 
McDannel, died August 15, 1864 ; Robert McReynolds, died at Memphis, 
Tenn., January 18, 1864 ; John F. Martin, died at Memphis, Tenn., 
March 16, 1864 ; David Morris, died at Fort Pickering, Tenn., August 
30,1863; La Fayette Morris, died at Woodsonville, Ky., October 24, 
1862 ; Francis M. O'Dowd, died in Andersonville Prison August 9, 1864 ; 
Benjamin F. Oiler, died at Fort Pickering, Tenn., May 26, 1863 ; Simon 
Peters, died at home December 28, 1862 ; James W. Plougbe, died at 
Andersonville, Ga., September 2, 1864 ; William H. Poif, died near 
Memphis, Tenn., December 12, 1862 ; Allen Ramsey, died at Memphis, 
Tenn., August 3, 1863 ; Erastus Ross, died at New Orleans June 22, 
1864, of wounds; Jesse Sanders, died at Memphis, Tenn., September 
23, 1864 ; Daniel Sheets, died July — , 1864 ; Adam Shepard, died 
November 15, 1862 ; John S. Springer, died at Memphis, Tenn., June 
5, 1864 ; Daniel W. Straugn, died September 18, 1863 ; William R. Tow, 
died August 9, 1864 ; Elijah E. Thrailkill, killed at Fort Pickering, Tenn., 
April 27, 1863 ; Charles N. Tyler, died at New Orleans March 11, 
1865 ; Nathan Wickersham, died at home, August 7, 1863 ; Hugh 
Willits, died February 17, 1865, of wounds in hospital at Nashville, 
Tenn.; William T. Wilson, died at home, October 18, 1862 ; William 
Yates, died May 18, 1863. 

Ninetieth Regiment (Fifth Cavalry) — John V. Champion, killed in 
East Tennessee, by bushwackers'in 1864 ; John S. Holler, died in An- 
dersonville Prison in 1864 ; Augustus Q. Myers, killed at Rheatown, 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 143 

Tenn., October, 1863; Jeremiah A. Starr, killed at Rheatown, Tenn., 
October, 1863. 

Ninety-ninth Infantry — Noah Gate, died of wounds received August 
15, 1864. 

One Hundred and First Regiment — Wiley Bagwell, died at Bacon 
Creek, Ky., November 20, 1862 ; Tidell Rush, died at Danville, Ky., 
October 25, 1862 ; Barrett Spray, died at Munfordsville, Ky., December 
16, 1862; George Sumption, died at Marietta, Ga., October 6, 1864. ' 

One Hundred and Eighteenth Infantry — Richard Bodle, died at Camp 
Nelson, Ky., January 5, 1861 ; Jefferson W. Carr, died at Camp Nel 
son, Ky., December 7, 1863 ; James L. Golding, died at Tazewell, Tenn. 
December 14, 1863 ; Ezeriah Hutson, died at Knoxville, Tenn., De 
cember 10, 1863 ; William J. Purois, died at Tazewell. Tenn., January 12 
1864, of starvation ; Emory Russell, died at Cumberland Gap, Tenn 
December 14, 1863 ; Milton E. Reiley,died at Powell River, Tenn., Jan 
uary 26, 1864 ; Ovid Youngs, died at Indianapolis, Ind., September 6, 
1863. 

One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment (Eleventh Cavalry) — Daw- 
son M. Brown, died at Nashville, Tenn., November 6, 1864 ; George 
W. Crewtherd, died at Indianapolis, Ind., March 31, 1864 ; Isaac Car- 
penter, died at Louisville, Ky., February 12, 1865 ; John W. Cochran, 
died at Indianapolis, Ind., March 5, 1864 ; Enoch Dale, died at Nash- 
ville, Tenn., December 26, 1864 ; James Hutlo, died at Louisville, Ky., 
May 2, 1865 ; Moses Hinkle, died at Nashville, Tenn., December 26, 
1864; James Hodson, died May 14, 1865; William King, died at 
Bellefonte Station, Ala., July 7, 1864; William Lindley, died at 
Kokomo, Ind., May 3, 1864; Henry M. Long, lost on Sultana, April 
27, 1865; Albert N. McCoy, died at Larkinsville, Ala., June 20, 
1864 ; Lloyd Pennington, died at Jeffersonville, Ind., January 12, 1865 ; 
George B. Pennington, died at Nashville, Tenn., March 13, 1865 ; 
Andrew J. Pierce, died at Nashville, Tenn., November 6, 1864 ; Israel P. 
Pool, died at Nashville, Tenn., October 22, 1864; Jacob Pool, died at 
New Albany, Ind., March 4, 1865 ; Charles L. Summers, died at Nash- 
ville, Tenn., December 22, 1864, of wounds; Robert Steward, died at 
Louisville, Ky., February 6, 1865. 

One Hundred and Thirtieth Infantry — Thomas N. Armstrong, died 
November 28, 1864, of wounds; Thomas H. Endicott, killed near 
Atlanta, Ga., August 5, 1864 ; William Elliot, died at Atlanta, Ga., 
October 18, 1864 ; George Boffman, died at Louisville, Ky., April 17, 
1865 ; John H. Denman, died at Nash^lle, Tenn., December 15, 1864 ; 
Joseph Godfrey, died at Kingston, Ga., August 15, 1864 ; William F. 
Havens, died at home February 29, 1864 ; Albert W. Hoke, killed by 



144 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

accident April 3, 1864 ; Nathan Maudlin, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., 
June 4, 1864 ; Thomas O'Neil, died at Knoxville, Tenn., September 16, 
1864; William T. Rolston, died at Chattanooga, Tenn., November 8, 
1864 ; John T. Shepherd, died at Kingston, Ga., June 5, 1864 ; Ruben 
J. Smith, killed at Nashville, Tenn., December 15, 1864 ; Jesse Swinger, 
died at Marietta, Ga., September 1, 1864 ; William White, Jr., died at 
Marietta, Ga., August 20, 1864. 

One Hundred and Thirty-first Megiineni (Thirteenth Cavalry) — 
George M. Burns, died at Cahaba Prison, Ala., January 5, 1865; Nich- 
olas Tow, died at Mobile, Ala., October 5, 1865. 

One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Infantry — Baker BofFman, died at 
Bowling Green, Ky., June 20, 1864. 

One Hundred and Fortieth Infantry — Jonathan Berry, died at New 
Albany, Lid., December 3, 1864, 

One Hundred and Forty-second Infantry — John H. Golding, died 
at Nashville, Tenn., April 17, 1865. 

One Hundred and Fifty- Third Infantry — William M. Floyd, died at 
Russellville, Ky., August 1, 1865 ; Levi Seward, died in Tipton County, 
August 18, 1865. 

Note. — Since the foregoing was written and placed in type, action has been taken by 
the Common Council of Kokomo in relation to the Cenotaph, which action will be found 
described in the following extract: 

Ata special meeting of the Common Council on Tuesday evening, June 12, 188:i, G. 
D. Tate introduced a resolution ceding to the county the round plat in Crown Point Cem- 
etery, known as the Cenotaph ground, on condition that a suitable memorial monument 
be erected thereon, which shall record the names of all soldiers who died in the Union 
service in the late war. The County Commissioners voted on yesterday $5,000 in equal 
installments to apply to the purchase of the proposed Cenotaph. The proposed Cenotaph 
is to be erected at a cost of not less than |10,000. It is proposed to raise the additional 
$5,000 by private contributions. The monument will be an honor to the county, as well 
as a grateful tribute to the dead who died for the old flag. Let the good work go bravely 
on. — The Kokomo Dixpatch. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 

BY DANIEL A. WOODS. 



The present site of the beautiful city of Kokomo was first visited by 
a white man in the early part of the year 1842. In the spring of 1842, 
David Foster came here from Burlington, Carroll County, and in the 
center of Main street, near the Wild Cat, he erected a log cabin. This 
was a double cabin, in one end of which he and his family lived, and in 
the other of which he kept his supply of goods. He was then a full- 
fledged Indian trader. He thus became our first merchant, and uncon- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 145 

sciously the founder of the city of Kokomo. A more unpromising place 
to build a town cannot well be imagined. A dense underbrush covered 
the earth so thick that the sunlight could not penetrate. To add to the 
unfavorable circumstances under which those old pioneers labored when 
commencing to clear away the dense forest, was the fact that the ground 
during all the wet season of the year was covered with water. Where the 
Essex House and Price's livery stable now stand, the water was three and four 
feet deep in the spring of the year. When the timber had been cut into 
logs, the passengers on foot would jump from one log to another to keep 
out of the mud and water. 

Mr. Foster lived in the log cabin first built by him until 1852, when he 
built the large frame house where he died, now owned by Mrs. Walsh. 
The next man who came here was Benjamin Newhouse, who became the 
first Auditor of Howard County, being elected in the fall of 1844. 

Benjamin Newhouse built his house on the southwest corner of Main 
and High streets, being the second house built in the town. A part of 
this house still stands as a reminder of " Auld Lang Syne." On Novem- 
ber 20, 1844, Corydon Richmond, Judge N. R. Linsday, Lewis Snell 
and James L. Barrett arrived in town. They had come by the " over- 
land ox team route " from Alexandria, Madison County. They came to 
provide homes for their families. As their experience was that of the 
ordinary pioneer, it will be given in part, that we may know how they 
fared. The first thing they did was to provide a place of shelter while they 
might remain. Their house was made of four posts in the ground, " clap- 
boards " on end for weather-boarding, and "clapboards" to cover the 
cabin. The door also served them for a table. They had no stove and 
no candles. A large log heap was kept burning in front of the shanty, 
day and night. This served them for both light and fuel. Dr. Rich- 
mond was unanimously elected cook, Judge Linsday "boss," and Snell 
and Barrett general work hands. The house of Lewis Snell was built at 
the corner of Union and Sycamore streets, where the Wills' property now 
stands ; Barrett's house was built where E. C. Scoven's property now 
stands ; Judge Linsday's property was on the west side of Union street, 
half-way between Sycamore and High streets ; Dr. Richmond's house, 
which was a little more aristocratic, was a story and a half log building. 
To show the amount of labor expended on one of the houses, it is but 
necessary to say that the house of Lewis Snell was 16x16 feet. The roof- 
ing material was ready, and on Monday morning the foundation was 
laid, and on Tuesday evening the house was ready for occupancy by 
his family. The house-building of this quartette closed by the building 
of the house of Dr. Richmond. It was here that they had a grand feast. 
Dr. Richmond himself tells the story, so it must be true. To the feast 



146 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

were invited David Foster and their Indian friends. A large kettle had 
been borrowed of Mr. Foster, and into this kettle were put a half bushel 
of potatoes, a fore-quarter of pork and a fore-quarter of venison, 
and ten or fifteen pounds of beef. All were thoroughly boiled, 
and then the door of their tent was taken down to serve as a 
table. The potatoes were piled upon the table and dinner was 
ready. The kettle held the post of honor, and we have been 
assured it was a royal feast. On December 31, the four gentlemen started 
for Madison County on foot. The next day, January 1, 1845, Capt. 
John Bohan arrived in town and cast his fortunes with our infant city. 
He is now the only man living of all those whom he found here. He is 
one of our responsible and honored citizens. 

In the spring of 1845, Linsday, Richmond and Barrett moved here 
with their families ; Mr. Snell soon sold his property, as he did not care 
to brave the hardships of a pioneer's life. 

In the fall of 1844, Charles Ellison built a double log store-room 
where Darby's dry goods store now stands. He lived in one end of the 
building and sold intoxicating liquors in the other. This was Kokomo's 
first saloon. During the winter of 1844 and 1845, Austin North had 
erected a store-house where the "mammoth corner" now is, and stocked 
it with boots and shoes, dry goods, groceries, etc. The contractor was 
John T. Penny, father of Col. E. VV. Penny, of our city. This was the 
first frame building erected in our town. The first brick building erected 
in our town was by Harles Ashley for Thomas Kimball, in 1848, and 
this is now used by 0. V. Darby as a dry goods store. Kimball after- 
ward sold his building and goods to Thomas Shepherd and went to 
Indianapolis. 

The early merchants of our town were Austin North, John Bohan, 
Samuel Rosenthal, J. D. Sharp; N. R. Linsday was the first lawyer; 
Corydon Richmond was the first doctor; Austin North was the first 
Postmaster, receiving his commission from President James K. Polk ; J. 
M. Harlan and John T. Penny were the first carpenters; Harlese 
Ashley, John Albright and S. T. Mills, the first brick-masons ; George 
W. Poisal, the first tailor ; H. C. Stewart, the first plasterer, and Riley 
Altum, the first blacksmith. 

NAMING THE TOWN. 

Kokomo is an Indian word meaning "she bear." The name 
was given to it in honor of Kocoman, a celebrated chief of the Miamis, 
for his many acts of kindness and humanity to the early settlers. At the 
time of naming the town, there was a difference of opinion as to the or- 
thography and pronunciation. Some argued in favor of spelling the word 
Cocomo, and accenting the second syllable ; but the majority favored the 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 147 

present style of orthography and pronunciation. On the 15th day of 
January, 1844, an act was passed by the General Assembly of Indiana, 
organizing the county of Richardville. The name was soon after changed 
to Howard in honor of Gen. T. A. Howard. When a county had been 
organized, a seat of justice was necessary in which to transact the official 
business of the new county. The following-named gentlemen were se- 
lected by the General Assembly to perform this arduous and responsible 
task : Samuel Caleb, of Hamilton County ; John Armstrong, of Carroll ; 
Oliver Raymond, of Wabash ; Hiram Mendenhali, of Miami ; and John 
Moulder, of Parke, the latter now an honored citizen of Russiaville, this 
county. These gentlemen were served with notice of their appointment 
and the time and place of meeting by the Sheriff of Carroll County. 
The time of meeting had been arranged for the second Monday in May, 
1844. Each man had to come on foot or horseback through interminable 
woods and over almost impassable swamps, and yet, on the second Mon- 
day in May, 1844, all were present at the house of John Harrison, in 
Ervin Township. The farm is now owned by T. A. Harrell, Esq. 

The most of the cleared land in the county was then in the western 
part of the county. Some of the Commissioners favored the Harrison 
farm as the place for the county seat; others argued that this was too 
near the western boundary of the county. The next place where there 
was any cleared land east of the Harrison farm was about five miles east 
of there, at the boundary line on the Wild Cat pike. Near here was the 
old Cromwell Mill, around which there had been made a little clearing. 
This was next visited by the Commissioners. The place found favor in 
the sight of some, but still the majority argued in favor of a point nearer 
the center of the county, from east to west. The Commissioners had been 
invited by David Foster to visit him, and inspect the country round 
about here. Therefore, from the Cromwell Mill, they took the path 
through the woods for this place. There was no road except the path, 
which was just wide enough for persons to pass on horseback in single 
file. There was a small patch of ground cleared around the cabin of 
Mr. Foster, and also a small clearing, amounting to two or three acres, 
south of Wild Cat, which had been cleared by the Indians. The land 
south of the creek was a much more eligible site for the building of a 
town than the present one ; but Mr. Foster — as this land was fit for 
nothing else — could well afford to donate a part of it for a town. The 
land south of the river was better drained, and, therefore, was of some 
value for agriculture. The Commissioners remained at Foster's two days, 
trying to induce him to donate land south of the river, but he remained 
firm, and an agreement was finally reached by which the present site was 
chosen. On his part, Mr. Foster agreed to donate forty acres of land 
for a town site, to put up a court house, in size 24x24 feet, put in a punch- 



3 48 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

eon floor, and arrange proper receptacles for the public records. This 
building was completed in a short time, according to contract. 

LOCATION OF THE CITY. 

The city is situated on the Lafontaine reservation, being a section of 
land granted to one Lafontaine, a celebrated chief of the Miami Indians. 
His father was a Frenchman, and his mother the daughter of a chief. 
This land had been given to Lafontaine by the Government because of 
his many acts of kindness and generosity to the early settlers of our 
State. David Foster had purchased this land from Lafontaine. Austin 
C. Sheets, who had been appointed Surveyor, surveyed and made the 
original plat of the town, now city of Kokoino, Ind. There were 
100 lots in the original plat, numbered from 1 to 100. Peter Gay had 
been appointed County Agent for this county in August, 1844. The 
first public sale of lots was held on the 18th day of October, 1844, at 
which he disposed of twenty-nine lots, the price averaging about $30 
apiece. One-third of this amount was paid cash, and, upon the other, 
time was given. The infant city grew very slowly for several years. 
The heavy timber and underbrush, and the swampy condition of the sod, 
combined to retard the growth and prosperity of the town. When the 
timber was cut down, so that the sunlight could penetrate to the earth, 
vegetation became very profuse and luxuriant. This decaying vegetable 
matter created chills and fevei', ague and incidental diseases. For many 
years, quinine was an article as staple as flour. 

It was no uncommon thing for all the members of a family to be con- 
fined to the bed at the same time. Many moved away, because of sick- 
ness, and others feared to come, from the same cause. In 1852, the 
number of inhabitants of the town was only 152, after eight years of 
existence. All this has been happily changed. Now, no city in Indiana 
can boast of better streets, better merchants, better health. The report 
of Dr. John B. Moore, a careful, painstaking physician. Secretary of the 
Board of Health, for the city, for 1882, shows this to be true. Dr. 
Moore's report is as follows : 

To the Mayor and the Common Council of the City of Kokomo, Ind,: 

Gentlemen : I come to you, after some delay, with a report despite my best efforts 
slightly defective in one or two particulars, yet I am persuaded that the report, as it is, 
will not prove wholly valueless nor entirely devoid of interest. In view of the fact that 
a winter season, accompanied with much snow and ice, is peculiarly favorable to the 
deposit of large amounts of filth and garbage in our streets and alleys, it is obvious to any 
one that in the near future there will be plenty of work for your Board of Health, and we 
deem it not out of place here to hint to your Honorable body that without your aid we 
are next to powerless in our efforts to put the city in a good sanitary condition. This, we 
believe, will be forthcoming, as it has never, so far, deserted us. But allow us to suggest 
that you take measures to supply to the Street Commissioner ample means to insure the 
thorough cleaning of the streets and alleys in the shortest possible time consistent with 




?«^-i<^ 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 



151 



your power in that direction. We consider the Street Commissioner, with his labor 
force, a very substantial auxiliary in our work. I am glad to be able to report to you 
that during almost the entire year our city has been free from contagious diseases of 
serious import, and at the present time we are almost entirely clear of all diseases known 
as contagious. The following is my statistical report of the year that has just closed, as 
compiled from the monthly statements of the physicians of the city. 

BIRTHS. 

NUMBER OF BIRTHS OCCURRING IN THE CITY DURING THE YEAR 1882. 



January.... 
February... 

Marcii 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September. 

October 

November . 
December.. 



Total . 



White 

Males. 



63 



White 
Females 


Total. 


8 


10 


6 


13 


9 


11 


4 


8 


6 


10 


2 


9 


2 


9 


5 


11 


5 


13 


1 


6 


6 


10 


2 


8 


55 


118 



Colored 
Males. 



Colored 
Females 



Total. '^°^\^y 
Month. 



10 
13 
11 

9 
11 
11 

9 
11 
14 

7 
10 

9 



125 



Percentage of births to population, 25. 



DEATHS — CAUSES OF DEATHS. 
Apoplexy, 1 ; cancer, 3 ; congestion of brain, 2 ; congestive chills, 1 ; cystitis, 1 ; 
croup, 1 ; congestion of stomach, 2 ; dysentery, 4 ; hernia, 1 ; jaundice, 1 : leucocythemia, 
1 ; meningitis, 2 ; inanition, 1 ; inflammation of bowels, 2 ; puerperal fever, 2 ; pulmonary 
consumption, 6; pneumonia, 4 ; premature delivery, 2 ; rheumatism,!; still-born, 8; 
small-pox, 1 ; scarlet rash, 1 ; typhoid fever, 2 ; whooping-cough, 1 ; not classified, 1 ; 
total, 56 ; exclusive of still-births, 50. Average age of males, 20| years ; average age 
of females, 19 years. Still-births — males, 3; females, 5. Died under one year of age, 
18 ; died under five years of age, 25. On a basis of 5,0C0 as the population of the city, 
the death rate from all causes is 11.2 per thousand. According to sex, the deaths were 
males 25, females 35. 

DEATHS BY MONTHS. 



MONTHS. 



January... 
February.. 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 

October 

November, 
December. 

Total. 



5 
3 
11 
6 
2 



4 
2 
3 

56 



1 
4 

2 
3 
6 
5 
1 
4 
2 
2 
2 
3 

35 



152 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Leaving out the January report, of the correctness of which I have some doubt, the 
lowest rate of mortality is found to be in July and November, with two deaths each, 
while May shows the highest rate, with eleven deaths. It is very unpleasant to note the 
deaths that occur from what are termed preventable causes. Fortunately, but few deaths 
occurred in the city during the past year from what are called preventable diseases. 
Among these diseases are classed pneumonia, bronchitis and the contagious diseases. By 
the exercise of even ordinary care, very few people will contract pneumonia, bronchitis or 
croup. The latter is about always in some way the fault of those having the care ot the 
young. A large proportion of cases of acute inflammation of the throat, lungs, kidneys 
and brain are due to needless exposure to cold and damp and to insufficient clothing of 
the person. Allow me to call attention, briefly, to a few points in the statistical report : 
By reference to Dr. Moulder's report to the County Commissioners, we find that seventeen 
still-births have occurred in the county. It will be noticed that my report credits eight 
of these to the city. Is it any wonder that we have so much concern for our little ones, 
when we have staring us in the face the appalling fact that of the fifty-six persons re- 
ported as dying in this city in the last year, thirty-three were under five years of age, 
and even excluding the still-born, nearly one-half failed to reach the fifty years of life. 
Eighteen of the twenty-five born alive did not live one year. It is not too much to say 
that correct habits of life on the part of parents would cause a favorable modification of 
this rule. But correct habits, to be efi'ective, should begin early in life ; it will not do to 
live recklessly up to the time of setting about the business of rearing a family, and then 
begin to live exemplary lives. It will be noted that the percentage of births in the city 
is small as compared with the county at large. Some other points deserve discussion^ 
but I must not ask any more of your time. John B. Moore, 

Secretary Board of Health. 

The city, as we have said, progressed but indifferently until about 
the period of the commencement of the late war, when it grew very 
rapidly. 

INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN. 

At the June term, 1855, of the Commissioners' Court of Howard 
County, Judge Henry A. Brouse, on behalf of the citizens of Kokomo, 
petitioned for its incorporation. He recited the facts in his petition that 
there had been a survey made of the town, and an accurate map made 
thereof; that the census had been taken, and the same had been deposited 
in the office of the Treasurer of Howard County, on the 7th day of May, 
1855. He further stated, that the number of inhabitants was found to be 
620 ; that his petition was signed by sixty-nine of the legal voters of the 
town, which he said were a majority ; that the following were the true 
boundaries : Commencing at the southeast corner of the town, on the 
north bank of Wild Cat Creek, thence along the line between the lands 
of Faulk and the land of Ward, thence northeast on said line tV the 
Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad at a point opposite Walnut street, on 
a line dividing the land of Foster and Brown, thence on the south line of 
said railroad to the south line of Andrew Kennedy's land, thence west 
with said line to the southeast corner of Clarke's land, thence north 
on the line between the land of Clarke and Kennedy to the Cincinnati 
& Chicago Railroad, thence- northwest along the south side of said 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 153 

railroad to a line described on said map dividing the land of Mills, thence 
due east and west on the south side of town, thence west with said 
line to a line described on the map on the west side ot town, thence south 
with said line to the south side of the Burlington & State road, thence 
east along the south side of said road to the northwest corner of the land 
belonging to Young, on a line dividing the lands of Dale and Young to 
the southwest corner of Young's land, thence east along the line dividing 
the land of Young and Dale to Washington Street, at the southeast corner 
of Lot 101, thence south to the State road, running from Kokomo to 
Michigantown, thence southwest to the north bank of 'Wild Cat Creek, 
thence east with the meanderjngs of said stream to the place of beginnino-, 
containing 166 acres. 

This petition having been duly made in compliance with the require- 
ments of the statute for the incorporation of towns, an order was issued, 
requiring proper notice to be given, and that an election be held on the 
22d day of June, 1855, at the oifice of the County Clerk. The election 
was not held at the time specified, so that on the first day of the Septem- 
ber term of the Commissioners' Court, J. W. Robinson, on behalf of the 
citizens, asked for an order extending the time for the election and fixing 
the time for holding the same, the 1st day of October, 1855. 

Accordingly, the election was held on the 1st day of October, for on 
the first day of the December term of the Commissioners, we find the 
following: Now comes Henry C. Johnson and makes the following report 
of the corporation election in the town of Kokomo : " We, the under- 
signed inspectors of the corporation election of the town of Kokomo, 
Howard Co., Ind., held on the 1st day of October, 1855, at the Clerk's 
office of said county, report that the following is a true and correct state- 
ment of votes cast for and against the corporation : 

The whole number 'of yeas cast for said corporation is 62 

The whole number of nays cast against said corporation is 3 

Total (35 

The report is signed Elihu Hunt, Daniel Harris and Henry C. 
Johnson, Inspectors. 

ORGANIZATION OF CITY GOVERNMENT. 

At the February meeting, 1865, of the Board of Trustees of the 
town of Kokomo, Ind., Matthew Murden, on behalf of the citizens of 
Kokomo, presented a petition signed by 155 legal voters of said town 
praying for the incorporation of said town as a city. It was further 
shown that the petitioners constituted more than one-third of the le^al 
voters of said town, and therefore the prayer of the petitioners was 
granted, and it was ordered : That the Marshal proceed to take the cen- 



154 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

8U8 of all voters within the town corporation who had been residents for 
forty days before the order, and that said Marshal appoint necessary 
assistants, with the concurrence of the Board of Trustees. At the 
March term of the Board of Trustees, A. J. Norton, who had been ap- 
pointed an assistant, reported that he had made a full and true census of 
the town of Kokomo, and that there were 2,044 inhabitants in said town. 
The Board of Trustees, therefore, ordered an election to be held on the 
31st day of March, 1865, " to determine whether or not said town should 
be incorporated." In the First Ward, William Markland was Inspector; 
B. Johnson and John C. Lindley, Judges ; Jacob Sims, Clerk. The 
votes for incorporation were eighty in number ; the votes against incor- 
poration eleven ; majority for incorporation, sixty-nine. 

In the Second Ward, the Inspector was William H. Traut ; Judges, 
William Tolley and J. W. Lovin ; Clerk, H. S. Cloud ; votes for incor- 
poration, thirty-five; votes against incorporation, one; majority in favor, 
thirty-four. 

Third Ward — Inspector, S. Longfellow ; Judges, William Wilson 
and Philip Thompson ; Clerk, J. H. Welsh ; votes for incorporation, 
thirty; votes against incorporation, four ; majority in favor, twenty-six. 

Fourth Ward — Inspector, N. B. Brown ; Judges, John W. Slider 
and James A. Haggard; Clerk, S. P. McClure ; votes for incorporation, 
thirty ; votes against incorporation, one ; majority in favor, twenty-nine. 

Fifth Ward — Inspector, Samuel McNutt ; Judges, J. A. Coffin and 
J. M. Scotton ; Clerk, I. N. Pattison ; votes for incorporation, thirty- 
six ; votes against incorporation, none; majority in favor, thirty-six. 

The whole number of votes cast was 228 ; in favor of incorporation, 
211; against incorporation, seventeen. 

The Board of Trustees met on the 1st day of April, 1865, and de- 
clared the town of Kokomo a duly "incorporated dity." David Brown, 
Orsemus Richmond and Richard Nixon were the first School Trustees 
of the city of Kokomo. The Board of Trustees met on the 28th day 
of April and appointed Tuesday, May 2, as the day for the election of 
city officers. On the 3d day of May, the Inspectors of the election, 
James A. Haggard, William C. Markland and Isaiah M. Floyd, re- 
ported the vote to have been as follows: Mayor, 1865 and 1866, Nel- 
son Purdum, 123; A. J.Norton, 122. City Attorney— C. N. Pollard, 135; 
J. H. Kroh, 112. Marshal— John E. Williams, 166 ; R. N. Collings- 
worth, 81. City Clerk— Alpheus Coffin, 142 ; A. Auten, 1 ; M. E. 
Pleas, 103. Treasurer— P. B. Kennedy, 153 ; D. D. Downs, 90. As- 
sessor — William Styer, 122 ; Tence Lindley, 119. Engineer — Corydon 
Richmond, 132. Councilmen, First Ward — N. R. Linsday, 46 ; J. A. 
James, 45 ; Second Ward— I. N. Pattison, 41 ; Matthew Murden, 26 ; 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 155 

Caswell Sharp, 65; Third Ward— H. Davis, 54; A. F. Armstrong, 73; 
Samuel T. Mills, 58. 

CITY OFFICERS. 

Following are the names of the officers of the city government of 
the city of Kokomo from 1865 to 1884 : 

1865 and 1866— Mayor, Nelson Purdum; Clerk, J. A. Coffin; 
Treasurer, P. B. Kennedy ; Marshal, John E. Williams ; Attorney, 
Clark N. Pollard ; Councilmen, First Ward, N. R. Linsday and J. A. 
James; Second Ward, I. N. Pattison and Caswell Sharp; Third Ward, 
A. F. Armstrong and Samuel T. Mills. 

1867 — Mayor, Corydon Richmond; Clerk, R. M. Click; Treasurer, 
S. C. Moore ; Marshal, John E. Williams ; Attorney, Milton Bell ; Civil 
Engineer, Benjamin F. Fields ; Chief Fire Engineer, J. M. Leeds ; 
Street Commissioner, John W. Slider ; Assessor, William Styer ; Coun- 
cilmen, First Ward, J. A. James and J. A. Haggard ; Second Ward, I. 
N. Pattison and Elijah White ; Third Ward, S. T. Mills and A. F. Arm- 
strong; Fourth Ward, W. R. Michener and G. W. Pearson. 

1868 — Mayor, Corydon Richmond; Clerk, R. M, Click; Treasurer, 
S. C. Moore ; Marshal, John E. Williams ; Attorney, Milton Bell ; Civil 
Engineer, Benjamin F. Fields ; Chief Fire Engineer, J. M. Leeds; Street 
Commissioner, J. W. Slider; Councilmen, First Ward, J. A. James and 
John A. Haggard ; Second Ward, Elijah F. White and C. Sharp ; Third 
Ward, S. T. Mills and A. F. Armstrong ; Fourth Ward, G. W. Pearson 
and T. Rayl. 

1869— Mayor, J. W. Cooper; Clerk, R. M. Click; Treasurer, W. 
A. Beeks ; Attorney, C. N. Pollard ; Marshal, A. H. Duke ; Civil En- 
gineer, Benjamin F. Fields ; Assessor, Ed A. Moore ; Street Commis- 
sioner, J. W. Slider ; Chief Fire Engineer, J. M. Leeds ; Councilmen, 
First Ward, J. A. James and N. P. Richmond ; Second Ward, W. R. 
Kistler and E. C. Leach ; Third Ward, A. F. Armstrong and L. W. 
Leach ; Fourth Ward, T. Rayl and George W. Pearson. 

1870— Mayor, John W. Cooper; Clerk, J. F. Elliott; Treasurer, 
W. A. Beeks ; Attorney, C. N. Pollard ; Marshal, A. H. Dukes ; Civil 
Engineer, Benjamin F. Fields ; Assessor, E. A. Moore ; Street Commis- 
sioner, J. D. Pitzer; Chief Fire Engineer, H. C. Cole; Councilmen, First 
Ward, J. A. James and John A. Haggard; Second Ward, E. C. Leech 
and A. J. Norton ; Third Ward, A. F. Armstrong and T. Jay; Fourth 
Ward, G. W. Pearson and W. E. Robinson. 

1871 — Mayor, John W. Cooper ; Clerk, D. Shewmon ; Treasurer, 
W. A. Beeks ; Attorney, John W. Kern ; Marshal, C. J. Becktel ; Civil 
Engineer, C. Richmond ; Assessor, E. A. Moore ; Street Commissioner, 
I. M. Floyd ; Chief Fire Engineer, H. C. Cole; Councilmen, First Ward, 



156 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

John A. Haggard and G. W. McCool ; Second Ward, A. J. Norton and 
N. P. Richmond ; Third Ward, T. Jay and George D. Tate ; Fourth 
Ward, W. E. Robinson and G. W. Pearson. 

1872 — Mayor, John W. Cooper; Clerk, Joseph D. Johnson ; 
Marshal, George R. Hutto ; Attorney, J. W. Kern ; Treasurer, W. A. 
Beeks ; Civil Engineer, A. C. Hopkins ; Assessor, E. A. Moore ; Street 
Commissioner, H. H. Stewart; Chief Fire Engineer, H. C. Cole; Coun- 
cilmen, First Ward, John A. Haggard, A. B. Walker; Second Ward, N. 
P. Richmond, J. F. Reagan ; Third Ward, George D. Tate, T. A. Davis ; 
Fourth Ward, G. W. Pearson, W. E. Robinson. 

1873— Mayor, N. P. Richmond; Clerk, W. D. Kistler: Attorney, 
J. W. Kern ; Marshal, George R. Hutto ; Treasurer, W. A. Beeks ; 
Street Commissioner, H. H. Stewart ; Assessor, W. W. Hughes ; Civil 
Engineer, I. C. Ware ; Chief Fire Engineer, H. C. Cole ; Councilmen, 
First Ward, John A. Haggard, John M. Leach ; Second Ward, E. S. 
Ludlow, J. M. Darnall; Third Ward, George D. Tate, T.A.Davis; 
Fourth Ward, W. E. Robinson, James H. Watson. 

1874— Mayor, N. P. Richmond ; Clerk, W. D. Kistler ; Attorney, 
J. W. Kern ; Marshal, George R. Hutto ; Treasurer, W. A. Beeks ; 
Street Commissioner, H. H. Stewart; Assessor, W. W. Hughes; Civil 
Engineer, A. T. Wright ; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Council- 
men, First Ward, J. M. Leach, E. C. Scoven : Second Ward, E. S. Lud- 
low, J. M. Darnall ; Third Ward, G. D. Tate, T. A. Davis ; Fourth 
Ward, W. E. Robinson, J. H. Watson. 

1875— Mayor, N. P. Richmond: Clerk, W. D. Kistler; Attorney, J. 
D. Johnson; Marshal, Joseph Kelly; Treasurer, W. A. Beeks; Street 
Commissioner, A. W. Lehman; Assessor, W. W. Hughes; Civil En- 
gineer, C. Richmond ; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Councilmen, 
First Ward, E. C. Scoven, J. F. Henderson ; Second Ward, R. Q. Wil- 
son, J. Johnson ; Third Ward, T. A. Davis, C. A. Jay ; Fourth Ward, 
W. E. Robinson, W. H. Sellers. 

1876— Mayor, N. P. Richmond : Clerk, W. D. Kistler ; Attorney, 
J. W. Kern ; Marshal, Joseph* Kelly ; Treasurer, W. A. Beeks ; Street 
Commissioner, A. W. Lehman ; Assessor, W. W. Hughes ; Civil En- 
gineer, M. Murden ; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Councilmen, 
First Ward, E. C. Scoven, J. F. Henderson ; Second Ward, R. Q. Wil- 
son, J. Johnson ; Third Ward, T. A. Davis, C. A. Jay ; Fourth Ward, 
W. H. Sellers, G. W. Price. 

1877— Mayor, N. P. Richmond : Clerk, G. W. Duke ; Attorney, 
John E. Moore ; Marshal, Joseph Kelly ; Treasurer, E. F. White ; Street 
Commissioner, J. W. Slider ; Assessor, Alvin Coffin ; Civil Engineer, M. 
Murden ; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Councilmen, First Ward, 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 15T 

E. C. Scoven, H. A. Brouse ; Second Ward, M. Garrigus, J. M. Darnall ; 
Third Ward, H. C. Cole, G. D. Tate; Fourth Ward, G. W. Price, C. E. 
Hendry. 

1878— Mayor, N. P. Richmond; Clerk, G. W. Duke; Attorney, 
John E. Moore; Marshal, Joseph Kelly ; Treasurer, E. F. White; Street 
Commissioner, J. W. Slider; Assessor, Alvin Coffin; Civil Engineer, M. 
Murden ; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Councilmen, First Ward, 
E. C. Scoven, H. A, Brouse ; Second Ward, M. Garrigus, Joseph Dol- 
man ; Third Ward, H. C. Cole, George D. Tate; Fourth Ward, C. E. 
Hendry, G. I. Gordon. 

1879— Mayor, J. M. Darnall; Clerk, G. W. Duke; Attorney, F. 
M. Gideon ; Marshal, William Kennedy ; Treasurer, E. F. White ; Street 
Commissioner, J. W. Slider ; Civil Engineer, M. Murden ; Chief Fire 
Engineer, D. P. Davis; Councilmen, First Ward, E. C. Scoven, W. S. 
Armstrong; Second Ward, J. C. Dolman, E. S. Hunt; Third Ward, H. 
C. Cole, E. G. Jackson ; Fourth Ward, G. I. Gordon, M. M. Reeves. 

1880— Mayor, J. M. Darnall ; Clerk, G. W. Duke ; Attorney, F. 
M. Gideon ; Marshal, William Kennedy ; Treasurer, E. F. White ; Street 
Commissioner, J. W. Slider; Civil Engineer, M. Murden; Chief Fire 
Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Councilmen, First Ward, W. S. Armstrong, L. 
Kern ; Second Ward, E. S. Hunt, John B. Ellis ; Third Ward, H. C. 
Cole, E. G. Jackson ; Fourth Ward, B. F. Voiles, M. M. Reeves. 

1881 — Mayor, Henry C. Cole, W. S. Armstrong ; Clerk, Charles F. 
Springer ; Attorney, I. E. Kirk ; Marshal, William Kennedy ; Treasurer, 
Henry B. Lowe; Street Commissioner, John W. Slider; Civil Engineer, M. 
Murden; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis; Councilmen, First Ward, W. 
S. Armstrong, L. Kern, H. A. Brouse ; Second Ward, E. S. Hunt, John 
B. Ellis ; Third Ward, George D. Tate, Charles A. Jay ; Fourth Ward, 
John S. Butler, H. G. McGlone. 

1882 — Mayor, W. S. Armstrong ; Clerk, Charles F. Springer ; At- 
torney, I. E. Kirk ; Marshal, William Kennedy ; Treasurer, H. B. Lowe; 
Street Commissioner, John W. Slider ; Civil Engineer, M. Murden ; 
Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis; Councilmen, First Ward, Samuel 
Waggaman, H. A. Brouse; Second Ward, E. S. Hunt, John B. Ellis; 
Third Ward, Charles A. Jay, George D. Tate; Fourth Ward, H. G. 
McGlone, John S. Butler. 

1883 — Mayor, W. S. Armstrong ; Clerk, Charles F. Springer ; Treas- 
urer, Henry B. Lowe ; Attorney, John W. Kern ; Marshal, Albert 
Burns; Street' Commissioner, George R. Stewart; Civil Engineer, W. B. 
Ray ; Chief Fire Engineer, D. P. Davis ; Councilmen, First Ward, 
Samuel Waggaman, H. A. Brouse ; Second Ward, John B. Ellis, E. S. 



168 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Hunt ; Third Ward, George D. Tate, William Cooper ; Fourth Ward, 
H. G. McGlone, John S. Butler. 

1883-84— At the election held May 1, 1883, the following officers 
were elected to serve for two years : Mayor, W. S. Armstrong ; Marshal, 
Albert Burns; Clerk, Charley Springer; Treasurer, H. B. Lowe; City 
Attorney, John W. Kern. Councilmen (1883), First Ward, Samuel 
Waggaman ; Second Ward, John B. Ellis ; Third AVard, George B. 
Tate ; Fourth Ward, H. G. McGlone. (1884), H. A. Brouse, E. S. 
Hunt; Will Cooper, M. D., W. H. Butler. 

CHURCHES. 

The early settlers of Kokomo, fortunately for its future success, 
were men who believed in religion and education. It seems neces- 
sary to full success in the affairs of earth that religion and education 
should go hand in hand. Soon after the first settlement of the town, the 
religious and intellectual parts of man's nature were looked after. The 
first church organization was that of the Methodists. 

The Methodist Church.^ — The doctrines of the Methodist Church do 
not belong to any new system of philosophy, ethics or theology, but are 
as old as the Christian era. It was not John Wesley who founded Meth- 
odism, so much as it was Methodism which founded John Wesley. John 
Wesley first gave utterance to the doctrines of the religious organization, 
and is one whom all Methodists love to honor as their first preacher. 
About forty years after John Wesley began his evangelical work in Eng- 
land, the first society of Methodists was formed in New York, in a car- 
penter shop of one Philip Embury, an humble, pious man, whose only 
ambition was to do good in the world. This society was composed of only 
four or five persons, who formed the nucleus of one of the greatest organ- 
izations for doing good the world has ever seen. Only little more than a 
century has elapsed since Philip Embury's carpenter shop held all the 
Methodists in the United States, and to-day the Methodist Church claims 
over three million souls within its folds, with twice that number who re- 
ceive instruction from its pulpits. The tide which has borne the church 
in this wonderful career has been a most remarkable one. True to the 
natural impulses that guided the primitive leaders of this sect, it was left 
for them to establish the first religious society that was organized in this 
section of the country. This was done in 1841. What is known now as 
Howard County was then one vast wilderness, unorganized, and uninhab- 
ited except by Indians, with now and then a few white families, who had 
pushed their way into this new territory to make for themselves a home. 
This church was organized at what was known as Spice Run, in a little 
log hut, two and one-half miles west of the court house. The only sur- 

*Prepared by J. McLean Moulder. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 159 

viving members of this church are Hon. Thomas M. Kirkpatrick and 
wife. They afterward moved their membership to the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church of Kokomo, where they still affiliate. About three years 
afterward, in 1844, the old pioneer Methodist preacher of this section of 
Indiana, Rev. Jacob Colclazer, organized the first Methodist Church 
proper, and in fact the first religious organization ever effected in Koko- 
mo. The house of the late David Foster was used as a place of worship 
until a log church could be built. The members of this embryo church 
were Adam Clarke and wife, Elizabeth Foster, Hon. N. R. Linsday and 
wife, Thomas Lamburn and wife, Dennis McCormick and wife, and Mrs. 
Joseph Skeen. From the most reliable information that can be gathered, 
the trustees of the church were N. R. Linsday, Thomas Lamburn and 
Adam Clarke. Hon. N. R. Linsday is the only survivor of this humble 
band of worshipers, and it is but justice to Judge Linsday to say in this 
history of the Methodist Church of Kokomo that his services to the 
church have been valuable, and always highly appreciated, and there has 
been no man ever connected with the church who has responded more lib- 
erally to the demands of the church than has he ; and even now, though 
failing in that physical strength that was once his pride, he is one of the 
pillars of the church. During the year 1844, a log church was built just 
east of where the old jail now stands, and the following year a Sabbath 
school was organized with Adam Clarke as Superintendent. This Sab- 
bath school had an average attendance of about fifteen, and was continued 
for about six months of each year. The old church house was used as a 
place of worship and for Sabbath school services until the year 1851, 
when a frame church house was built upon the site of the present com- 
modious brick. Hay den Rayburn, Joseph Sharp and N, R. Linsday 
were leading spirits in this enterprise, and stood nobly to the work until 
it was completed in 1852. Rev. M. S. Robinson was pastor during the 
erection of this building. The old log church and grounds were sold for 
$75, and the money applied toward the erection of the new building. 
The church being prosperous, the frame building was soon too small to 
accommodate the growing congregation, and in the year 1864 it was 
deemed necessary to build the present large brick edifice. Rev. Charles 
Martindale was pastor at the time, and rendered the church valuable as- 
sistance during the erection of the building. N. R. Linsday, J. W. Cow- 
ley, C. Sharp, Worley Leas, Eli Weaver, H. Rayburn, John Jamison, 
David Hazzard and Dr. Buck were among the most liberal members, and 
paid largely toward the erection of this house. It was not long after the 
brick church was completed, before it was thought desirable by some of 
the more progressive members to introduce an organ into the church serv- 
ices. This, to some, seemed to be quite an innovation upon the time-hon- 



160 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

ored usages of the Methodist Church, yet it gradually grew in favor until a 
regular church choir was organized in the year 1868, with S. C. Moore as 
leader, and Miss Emma Mason as organist, and the Misses Hazzard, 
Moore and Linsday, and Messrs. Elliott, Lowe, Kistler and Moulder, 
singers. This was the first church choir organized in Kokomo, and for 
awhile was quite a novelty in the church services. In 1873, the building 
was remodeled at a cost of |4,500, while Thomas Stabler was acting as 
pastor. Bishop Bowman re-opened the church in June of the same year. 
The following is a complete list of the ministers and the years during 
which they served the Methodist Church of Kokomo : 

Jacob Colclazer, 1844 ; James Burnes, 1845 ; Allen Skillman,1846 ; 
J. F. Fennemore, 1847 and 1848 ; William Forbes, 1849 and 1850 ; 
Rev3. Rodgers and Turman, 1851 ; M. S. Morrison, 1852 ; J. C. Meds- 
ker, 1853 T H. H. Bailey, 1854 ; W. E. Edmundson, 1855 ; H. J. 
Lacey, William Anderson and William Vigus, 1856 and 1857 ; A. S. 
Kinman, 1858 ; S. T. Stout, 1859 ; W. S. Birch, 1860 ; A. Eddy, 
1861; Rev. Mr. Birch was pastor during the erection of the present 
parsonage. Rev. Mr. Eddy was promoted to a position as Presiding 
Elder, before the close of this year, and C. W. Miller filled the 
unexpired term ; S. Lane, 1862 ; Charles Armstrong, 1863 ; Charles 
Martindale, 1864 and 1865 ; W. R. Kestler, 1866 and 1867 ; V. M. 
Beamer, 1868 and 1869; William Wilson, 1870; S. N. Campbell, 
1871; Thomas Stabler, 1872, 1873 and 1874; H. J. Meek, 1875, 
1876 and 1877; E. Holdstock, 1878 and 1879; L. A. Retts, 1880, 
1881 and 1882 ; C. G. Hudson, 1883. The Methodist Church of Ko- 
komo has gradually grown from the small band of worshipers of 1844, 
until to-day its spiritual as well as financial interests are in a most pros- 
perous condition. The church owns property of the value of $20,000, 
with no indebtedness. The present Trustees of the church are James 
O'Brien, President ; J. McL. Moulder, Secretary ; C. C. Sollenberger, 
Treasurer; and N. R. Linsday, William Styer, J. F. Elliott, I. C. Johnson, 
A. N. Grant and Sheridan Cox. The Sabbath school, under the superin- 
tendency of George 0. Roach, is pre-eminently the largest school in How- 
ard County, having at present an attendance of about four hundred pupils. 
Edgar Meek, as chorister of the school, has secured an orchestra, com- 
posed of the following well-known musicians : Mrs. Lucy Moulder, organ- 
ist ; Miss June Reed, violin ; Thomas A. Ogden, cornet ; Prof. Manning, 
viola, and A. H, Lehman, trombone and flute. With these to lead three 
or four hundred voices, the music is an attractive feature. The present 
membership of the church is about four hundred. This is a fine showing 
for the zeal and energy of the ministers of this denomination during the 
past forty years. Fathers Rayburn, Linsday, Beeks., Saylors, Sharp, and 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 161 

their families have stood by the Kokomo Church from its infancy to the 
present time, and the fruits of their labor must be peculiarly gratifying to 
them. All the members of the church are devoted to its success and 
welfare and the future of the church is bright with hope. 

Baptist Church. — In the year 1847, a Baptist Church was organized 
in Kokomo, with seven members. The last recorded meeting was held 
August 26, 1858. At that time the church had about 100 members. Of 
these, Corydon Richmond, Matthew Murden, Rev. Denton Simpson and 
families survive. Many futile eifortswere made at revivino; this orcraniza- 
tion until 1874, when the effort was successful. A mission Sunday school 
had been previously formed with a view to facilitate the reorganization. 
The school met in the old Third Ward school building, with W. A. Stuart, 
Superintendent, andR. L. Upton, Secretary, and prospered greatly. Soon 
a weekly prayer meeting was organized. A teachers' meeting began also 
with the organization of the Sunday school, and has met weekly ever 
since. The Rev. Joseph Brown, Secretary of the. Baptist State Conven- 
tion, visited Kokomo in the middle of January, 1875, and with him pres- 
ent on the 7th of February, 1875, it was decided to organize " The First 
Baptist Church of Kokomo." At this meeting. Dr. Richmond, James W. 
Fisher and wife, John Bateman, James W. Griffith, W. A. Stuart and 
wife, Mrs. Naomi A. Upton, Mrs. Sarah C. Gray, Miss Winnie B. Fish- 
er and Dillie Rickard voted. Eig^ht of these organized as the First 
Baptist Church of Kokomo, on the 18th day of February, and on the 18th 
day of March following, they were recognized by a council of delegates 
from sister churches as regular in doctrine and government. This coun- 
cil convened in the worst snow-storm that ever occurred in this latitude in 
March. Part of the council was against the recognition, and but for 
Grandpa Thomas, of Galveston, the decision might have been against the 
organization. Of the eight who organized the church, six were confined 
at home by sickness. Daily preaching was continued for ten days by 
Revs. P. O'Dell and J. C. Burkholder, and eight were received into the 
church by baptism, including one entire household. Weekly services were 
held until November of that year, when Rev. S. S. Cornelius, D. D., 
accepted the pastorate and remained until October 31, 1877. The mem- 
bership under him increased from twenty-four to eighty-eight. April 26, 
1878, Rev. Norman Carr became pastor, and remained until September 
25, 1882, when he became Financial Agent of Franklin College. Never 
has any pastor done grander work than did Rev. Mr. Carr. In four years 
and five months, the society increased from 88 to 212 members. 
The church had meanwhile lost 100 members by death and removal. A 
debt on the church of $1,200 had been paid and a parsonage costing 
$1,000 had been purchased. On the 10th day of January, 1833, Rev. 



162 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

N. C. Smith became pastor of the church, with every prospect of useful- 
ness and success in his efforts to build up the spiritual structure. He has 
caused the full payment of the mortgage on the parsonage to be made, 
and has matured other plans for keeping the membership in daily work, 
as well as in daily bread. The first trustees of the church were R. L. 
Upton, James W. Griffith, and James W. Fisher, James W. Fisher Clerk ; 
Deacons, James W. Fisher and W. A. Stuart ; Treasurer, Annie B. Lew- 
ellen ; Sexton, W. G. Leeds ; Superintendent of Sunday School, W. A. 
Stuart. The church has continuously maintained Sabbath services, weekly 
prayer and teachers' meetings, Sabbath school, and monthly covenant meet- 
ings, notwithstanding it has been without a pastor, at intervals, for one and 
one-half years. This church is the outgrowth of faith ; it has had to work 
with a band of untrained workers ; its members have not been among the 
rich or among those highest in social circles ; its success can only be 
attributed to Him who uses the weak things of earth to manifest His power 
and glory. The Baptists hold many views in common with other evan- 
gelical denominations of Christians. They believe in a personal God; of 
infinite perfection ; the fall of man ; the atonement through Christ's 
death ; the resurrection from the dead ; the final judgment; the everlast- 
ing blessedness of the righteous and the everlasting punishment of the 
wicked. The central supremely characteristic doctrine of the Baptists is 
their belief in regenerated church membership. As baptism symbolizes 
regeneration, that is, spiritual death and resurrection through faith in the 
death and resurrection of Christ, so nothing but the immersion of the 
believer represents the truth symbolized by Scriptural baptism. They 
believe in the Lord's Supper, as it is a credible evidence of the continu- 
ation of spiritual life, as baptism is of regeneration. 

Friends Church. — While many of the early settlers of Howard County 
were members of the Friends' Church, there was no effort made to estab- 
lish a church in Kokomo until the spring of 1865. At that time there 
were only eleven members living in Kokomo, viz., Robert Coate, Richard 
Nixon and their families, W. S. Wooten and William Moore. The first 
meeting was held in a private house, James Owen, a minister of New Lon- 
don, being present. The numbers increasing, James' Hall was rented 
and the meetings held there for years. By the close of the year, 
the membership had doubled, by the addition of W. H. Butler, Jesse T. 
-Turner, and their families with a few others. The membership continued 
to increase until the year 1870, when an effort was made to build a church 
house, which resulted in the erection of the present church building, a 
good, substantial brick, 40x66 feet, with a stone foundation and costing 
about $6,000. From the time of the completion of this building in 1872, 
until the present time, the meetings have been held in it. Frequently, 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 163 

ministers from abroad have conducted services, but much of the time, until 
1874, the church was without a minister. In that year, Robert Coate 
and W. H. Butler were recorded ministers. Robert Coate soon went away, 
leaving W. H. Butler minister of the church ; he still remains. There 
have been some other ministers for short periods of time. R. W. Doug- 
las, now of Wilmington, Ohio, was with the church about nine months. 
C. W. Kirk was a minister here for about two years. He is still a member 
of the church, but has been working as a missionary among the Indians 
for the past five years. The church is in a healthful condition, both spirit- 
ually and financially, having about 200 members. Many of the most 
solid and substantial business men are members of ohe Friends' Church. 

Congregational Church. — The Congregational Church in the city of 
Kokomo was founded in the early part of the year 1863. Rev. Joseph 
E. Roy had been sent out by the American Home Missionary Society to 
organize societies of the Congregational Church. The Congregational 
Church is one branch of the Presbyterian, consequently he found many 
ready and anxious to aid him in establishing the society. Mr. Roy found 
here Mr. Moses R. Andrews and family, who had been Congregationalists 
before leaving New England, and after the church organization had been 
decided upon, the services of the Rev. J. L. Jenkins were secured, who 
formally organized the church, and meetings were held. There were four- 
teen charter members, of whom only Moses Andrews and wife are living. 
Rev. Mr. Jenkins remained with the church for two years, and under his 
ministrations it prospered. While he remained, the present beautiful 
church edifice was begun, but had not been completed when his services 
terminated in September, 1865. After the departure of the Rev. Mr. Jen- 
kins, there were no services held here for about six months. At the end of 
that time, the church had secured the Rev. C. H. Richards, a graduate of 
Andover Theological Seminary. His labors were successful, and during 
his stay the church building was completed. He remained here for two 
years, and was succeeded by Rev. George Hicks, who stayed but a year. 
The Rev, A. S. Walsh succeeded Mr. Hicks, and did much to revive the 
lagging energies of the church. At the close of his labors, the church 
was in better condition than it had ever been. Rev. D. J. Baldwin re- 
mained but a year, and was followed by Rev. A. S. Wood. He added 
new life to the church. The house was renovated, refitted, a fine new 
pipe organ added, and, best of all, the memb^ship of the church was in- 
creased. Eventually, the Rev. Wood, much to the regret of his parish- 
ioners, severed his connection with the church and removed to Michigan. 

The Christian Church. — The religious movement which resulted in 
the organization of what is known as the Church of Christ, Christian 
Church or Disciples of Christ, may be said to have its origin early in the 



164 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

present century with Thomas Campbell, who removed to America, in 
1807, and his son Alexander, who came over in 1809. It is not claimed, 
however, that their work resulted in the organization of a new church, 
but simply in a restoration of Christianity to its primitive simplicity as 
established by Christ and Apostles. The Campbells, after a careful study 
of the Scriptures, were convinced that the faith required by the Gospel of 
Christ is not mental assent to metaphysical subtleties, nor the reception 
of opinions elaborated by associations, conventions, conferences or synods 
into precise formula, but is the sincere reliance of the soul upon Jesus as 
the life, the truth, and the way. In short, that the object of the Chris- 
tian faith is a divine Person, not a system of dogmas and tenets ; that so 
long as a person is right about Jesus, believing he is the Son of God, the 
Savior of sinners, One having '"all authority in heaven and on earth," in 
the matter of human redemption, it is comparatively indifferent as to 
whether he should agree with all others in minute inferential particulars. 
Christianity, therefore, as taught by the Church of Christ, and first enun- 
ciated in this century by the Campbells, may be considered, in brief, as a 
system of facts, principles, precepts and promises, looking to the production, 
development and guidance ofa new life. This movement to restore primitive 
Christianity may be said to rest on the following principles : 1st. Chris- 
tianity as conceived by its Author and delivered to us, by those divinely 
qualified for the work, is a complete system of salvation, suited to the 
wants of the human family. 2d. Whatever evils aff'ect the religious 
world, have resulted from a departure from that perfect system of truth. 
3d. The true remedy, therefore, for all the ecclesiastical ills of Christen- 
dom, is a complete return to primitive Christianity. In view of the 
foregoing, they take the Bible as their only guide, believing, 1st, "That 
the only authoritative creed of the Church of Christ is, that Jesus is the 
Christ, the Son of the living God; " that the Bible is divine in origin 
and formulation, is fundamental to the church, before the church in time 
and unchangeable. 2d. Whoever will subscribe to this creed, heartily 
accepting the Holy Scriptures as the rule of faith and conduct, by a 
public profession of faith in Christ, and a true repentance is entitled 
to baptism, that by faith he may rest in the promise of the pardon of his 
past sins and gift of the Holy Spirit. 3d. All immersed believers are 
entitled to instant membership in the church, without subscribing to any 
formula of opinion or any human theory or philosophy of religion ; they 
assemble every Lord's Day for services, and to celebrate the death of 
Christ by partaking of the Lord's Supper. They are not " close com- 
municants," but all who believe themselves fit to partake. of the Lord's 
Supper are invited, each being his own judge as to his fitness. They or- 
ganize churches according to the New Testament, with Elders or Bishops 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 165 

and Deacons. Each church selects its own minister and retains him as 
suits each party. Any minister is free to engage in any field where he 
may be called. 

The Christian Church of Kokomo was organized February 21, 1851, 
by Elder Thomas Shepherd and Lewis Anderson with seven members, 
viz.: Lewis Anderson and wife, Thomas Shepherd and wife, John C. 
Linsday and wife and Edward Shepherd. All of these are now dead or 
have removed from here. Shortly after this, Hon. Thomas A. Armstrong 
and family, Martin M. Preble and family and Alfred H. Ploughe and 
family moved here and united with this congregation. From this time 
the church rapidly increased ; meetings were held in the houses of mem- 
bers. In 1854, the lot where the old Christian Church now stands was 
purchased for $30. In 1857, the old house was erected and in 
this the congregation worshiped for twenty-two years, from 1858 to 1880. 
In 1875, the lots on Main street were purchased for $3,000. On the 26th 
day of February, 1876, plans were submitted for the new church build- 
ing. The plans being approved, the foundations of the building were laid 
the same year. In 1877, the walls were erected and the roof put on. Noth- 
ing was done in 1878. In 1879, the plastering was done, temporary 
doors and windows put in, and the audience room seated, and on the first 
Sunday of February, 1880, the congregation held the first services in the 
new church. The cost of the building completed will be $30,000. It is 
120 feet in length, 69 feet in width, height of tower 85 feet, seating ca- 
pacity 900. The style of architecture is Gothic. Since the organization 
of the church here, more than 1,000 persons have held membership, 
many of whom have gone to claim their reward. The present member- 
ship of the church is 372. Since the organization in 1851, the eldership 
of the congregation has been as follows : Lewis Anderson, deceased ; 
Thomas Shepherd, removed; Thomas A. Armstrong, still serving; Mar- 
tin M. Preble, still serving ; Thomas Auter, deceased ; Henderson 
Johnson, removed ; J. M. Darnall, still serving ; Aaron Walker, still 
serving; John Nicholson, removed; Lewis W. Marts, removed. 

The following ministers have served the church as regular pastors : 
Thomas Shepherd, Lewis Anderson, Elder Garrett, George Campbell, 
William Grigsby, W. S. Winfield, 0. E. Brown, Thomas Bernard, Rich- 
ard Roberts, A. I. Hobbs, R. E. Pearre, B. M. Blount, Joseph Franklin, 
E. L. Frazier, Aaron Walker, J. M. McCullough, J. W. Conner, H. C. 
Lyle, Milton B. Hopkins, C. M. Robertson, J. L. Parsons and George 
Edward Walk, the present pastor. 

The present board of oflicers is as follows : Elders, Thomas A. Arm- 
strong, Aaron Walker, Martin M. Preble and J. M. Darnall ; Deacons, 
A. F. Armstrong, A. B. Walker, E. A. Moore, J. M. Scotton, T. J. 



166 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Hanna and J. B. Moore ; Trustees, A. B. Walker, A. F. Armstrong 
and J. M. Darnall ; Clerk, A. B. Walker ; Treasurer, D. W. Moore ; 
minister and ex oflScio member of the board, George Edward "Walk. 
Under the ministrations of Rev. George E. Walk, the church is 
prospering greatly. Fifty-one persons have united with the church since 
January 1, 1882. The pastorship of Mr. Walk fully answers the 
question, " Can a young man be successful in charge of a large city congre- 
gation ? " The Sunday school, under the superintendency of N. B. 
Smith, is also prosperous. The movement to restore primitive Christian- 
ity commenced by the Campbells seventy-one years ago, now known as 
the Christian Church, has a membership of 1,500,000, about 1,000,000 
of whom are in the United States. 

The Catholic Church. — The doctrine of the Catholic Church is, in 
brief: They believe in the Apostles' creed, in one God and three divine 
persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost ; in seven sacraments 
as instituted by Christ the Lord for the salvation of men ; in the ten 
commandments given by the Almighty Father ; and in the tradition 
and the Bible as the word of God, as explained by an infallible teacher, 
the Church of Christ on earth. 

The first Catholic settlers who came to this county or town were 
seven families, among whom were Cornelius McCarthy and wife (Thomas 
Mooren was the first one who came, and he still lives here, though a very 
old man; he never married) ; John Coughlin and wife, and Mike Quinn 
and wife. In 1859, the church came under the pastorate of Father 
Hamilton, a missionary from Logansport. He visited this place once each 
month. In 1859, a small frame building was erected on the northwest 
corner of Washington and Broadway as a place of worship. It was 20x40 
feet. There were at that time about fifty members here of the Catholic 
faith. In 1869, a twenty-foot addition was built to the old house, it becom- 
ing necessary to meet the growing demand of the church. The church 
in 1869 secured the services of Father Frauly, who remained in charge 
about eighteen months. He was the first regular pastor. Prior to 
Father Frauly, the church had been taught by missionaries, who came 
monthly. These were Fathers Force, B. Kroeger, L. Lamour, M. Haley, 
F. Wichman and T. Borg. After Father Frauly, Father O'Brien 
came for six months, and was succeeded by Father Grogan, who remained 
until 1873, when Father Lordemann assumed control of the church. It 
is believed that no man connected with a church in Kokomo ever accom- 
plished so much good in so short a time as Father Lordemann. In 1859, 
there were sixty members of the church ; in 1869, there were ninety 
members ; in 1883, there are 200 members. Father Lordemann found 
here an old, tumble-down house, with no parsonage. In 1874, the pres- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 167 

ent beautiful parsonage was built, costing $1,800. In 1875, he purchased 
a lot just south of his residence on Washington street and moved the old 
church upon it. In 1876, the present grand temple of worship was 
commenced. Bishop Dwenger, of Fort Wayne, Ind., kid the corner 
stone on the 29th day of October, 1876, the ceremony being witnessed 
by b,000 people. Bishop Dwenger was assisted by the clergy of several 
of the neighboring cities. The house was so nearly completed on the 25th 
day of December, 1877, that divine services were held therein on that 
day. On the 8th day of September, 1878, the church buildin-. was ded- 
icated by Bishop Dwenger and others. The edifice is 115°feet lon<. 
54 feet wide, and 40 feet to the ceiling; its cost was about $17,OOo! 
Ihere is no more beautiful church property in the city, and its congrega- 
tion IS out of debt. lu 1875, Father Lordemann opened the Catholic 
school with thirty-five pupils. He secured the services of Miss Lizzie 
bheridan in 1877, who for six years has labored earnestly and zealously 
for the success of her undertaking. Her labors have been crowned 
with the best results. She is recognized by all who know her as a 
teacher of jBuch tact and ability. In the same year that he organ- 
ized the school, 1875, Father Lordemann started the Father Matthew 
Temperance and Total Abstinence Society. This organization has done 
much good and is in a flourishing condition. Father Lordemann is but 
thirty-three years of age, and he has the right to feel that he has been suc- 
cessful m his pastorate. He is beloved by his church, and in its future 
one can see nothing but prosperity. 

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION. 

As has been said, religion and education were correlative forces in 
the upward movement of Kokorao. In 1844, the Methodists had built a 
little log building, on the east side of Washington street, just east of 
the old jail, for the purposes of worship. Soon it was appropriated jointly 
for school purposes. Here, in November, 1845, Adam Clark onened the 
first school ever taught in what is now the city of Kokomo. There were 
enrolled sixteen pupils, among whom were the present Mrs. Harrison 
Mrs. Leeds and Mrs. Markland, of this city. Mr. Clark taught, also, the 
winter terms of 1846 and 1847. He was an impressive teacher, and did 
not believe in that old maxim of barbarism, " Spare the rod and spoil the 
child," and consequently there was but little whipping done. He pos- 
sessed the love of all his pupils, and now, after thirty-seven years, his 
many virtues are still fresh in their minds. Adam Clark was succeeded 
in 1847 and 1848 by John 0. Heaton, now living in this city. The 
third teacher was the Rev. Denton Simpson, who resides near Tampico, 
this county, and is one of our most worthy citizens. He tauc^ht in the 



168 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

winters of 1848 and 1849. There were about thirty-eight enrolled pupils 
from the town, and these, with those from the surrounding country, made 
a total attendance of about fifty pupils. Mr. Simpson received $2 per 
pupil, making $100 for his winter's labor. Denton Simpson was followed 
in 1849-50 and 1851 by T. J. Harrison, who came here in the spring of 
1849, and afterward served his country in the war of the rebellion, rising 
to be a Brigadier General. The winter term of 1851 and 1852 was 
taught by Mrs. Julia Barrett. In the winter of 1852 and 1853, George 
A. Gordon taught the last term of school in the old log church house 
which was ever taught there. The house had been too small for some 
time, so in the summer of 1853 a school building was erected, on the 
west side of Washington street, midway between Sycamore and Walnut 
streets. This house has since been remodeled, and is now the residence 
of Newton Graves, Esq., and stands on the southwest corner of Washing- 
ton and Walnut streets. In this building. Judge Truman H. Palmer, 
now a leading citizen and lawyer of Frankfort, taught the winter terms 
of 1853-54 and 1854-55. 

In 1855, the town of Kokomo having been duly incorporated, the first 
enumeration of children was taken, and those of school age found to be 
163. James A. Wildman taught the winter of 1855-56, having an en- 
rollment of 149 pupils. James A. Wildman was elected Auditor of 
Howard County in the fall of 1856. 

Prof. Joseph Baldwin opened a school in the fall of 1859, in the pld 
Christian Church, on Mulberry street. Advanced methods of instruc- 
tion were employed by him, and his pupils were filled with his own en- 
thusiasm and fervor. He soon had a prosperous school, and many pupils 
flocked to him for instruction. He introduced normal methods of instruc- 
tion, and thus furnished Howard County with many good teachers. His 
school flourished until 1861, when the tocsin of war sounded in the far- 
away South. 

To Prof. Baldwin, more than to any one person, do we owe the erection 
of our present high school building. He urged that the project was 
feasible, and easily accomplished, if a united eff"ort were made. A joint- 
stock company was organized, called the Normal School Association, and 
N. R. Linsday made President, and Rawson Vaile, Secretary. The 
stock was divided into shares of |20 each, and these were bought by citi- 
zens of Howard and adjoining counties. Centre Township subscribed 
$3,000, on condition that the four lower rooms should be sacred to free 
schools. Prof. Baldwin, though largely instrumental in the building of 
the new schoolhouse, did not remain until it was finished, but removed to 
Logansport, where he resided a few years, when he took charge of the 
Kirksville (Mo.) Normal College, having been made its President by 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 169 

the State Board of Education, at a salary of |2,600. The first school 
taught in the new building was in the winter of 1863-64, by Prof H. 
K. Curtis. Prof. Curtis remained but one year, and was succeeded by 
Prof. E. N. Fay, who controlled the school until 1867. In 1865, Koko- 
mo was made a city, and the first Board of School Trustees was elected by 
the City Council. Richard Nixon, Gabriel McCool and John Bohan 
were elected, but McCool and Bohan declined to serve, and David Brown 
and Orseraus Richmond were chosen to fill the vacancies. There had 
never been any system of grading in the schools, and they had been under 
the control of a Board of Town Trustees and the Township Trustee. 
The trustees and teachers had done their whole duty, but had only met 
with partial success. From 1867 to 1869, B. M. Blount, George C. 
Hicks, Edward Taylor and J. Fred. Vaile had been the Principals of the 
Kokomo Schools. 

Howard College was organized in 1869, with Milton B. Hopkins, 
President. There were six teachers, and in 1870 there were sixty-nine 
students. The city having no high school, the advanced pupils were sent 
to the college, and their tuition paid out of the common school revenues. 
Elijah F. White, Alfred B. Ploughe and Samuel C. Moore were elected 
a Board of School Trustees in 1871. The board organized with E. F. 
White, President; Samuel C. Moore, Treasurer, and Alfred B. Ploughe, 
Secretary. These men went to work, and soon a new order of things was 
manifest. They organized the high school, built the Fourth Ward and 
Third Ward Schoolhouses, and elected a Superintendent of City Schools. 
The Fourth Ward is a fine brick building, two stories high, and seats 300 
pupils. 

Milton B. Hopkins was elected in the fall of 1872 State Superin- 
tendent of Schools. With him the propelling power ceased in Howard 
College and it soon closed its doors. Then the Board of Trustees erected 
a high school building at the corner of Taylor and Clay streets, and J. 
F. Vaile was selected as Principal of the High School. The Board of 
Trustees purchased the present high school building, in the spring of 1873, 
of the Trustees of the Indiana State Normal School. The building was 
refurnished throughout and was placed in readiness for the opening of the 
high school in the fall of 1873. Before this, Sheridan Cox, of Logans- 
port, had been elected Superintendent of our city schools. He was a man 
of good executive ability and much experience in city school work. At 
once the wheels of the high school machinery began to move without a 
jar or discord. Mr. Cox has remained with us until he is apparently a 
part of our city school machinery. 

There is a school building, a neat frame, in the northeastern part of 
the city for the accommodation of colored pupils. This school has been 



170 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



taught mostly by colored teachers and is in a prosperous condition. J. 
F. Vaile, A. J. Youngblood, Mrs. B. G. Cox, C. M. Harrison, W. H. 
McClain, Mr. Hitt, J. W. Barnes, A. C. Hopkins and H. G. Woody 
have been Principals of the High School. 

There are at present seventeen teachers in the different schools of the 
city, not including the Superintendent. The teachers now engaged are : 
Prof. H. G. Woody, Principal ; Mrs. B. G. Cox, Assistant Principal ; 
Miss Sara L. Ellis, A Grammar ; Mr. J. C. Leach, B Grammar ; Miss 
Sarah Kirkpatrick, C Grammar; Miss Irene Reeves, D Grammar. Primary 
Departeraent: Miss May S. Davis, A Primary; Mrs. Lizzie Trusdell, B 
Primary; Miss Jessie Day huff, 1st C Primary ; Miss Josie George, 2d 
C Primary ; Miss Sadie Clendening, D Primary. Fourth Ward School : 
Mr. Allen Shewmon, Principal ; Mrs. Mollie McKorkle, A ; Miss Sallie 
Jeter, B ; Miss Nellie Holton, C. Colored School, Charles Hick ; Miss 
Anna Cooper, Teacher of Music. 



TABULATED STATEMENT SHOWING 


GROWTH OF 


rHE KOKOMO SCHOOLS : 














•a 




2 




y „ 










» 






>. 


ja 




5?^ 


s- 


6 






1 


£ 


a 


§• 


Eh 






■a 

c 


1 

J3 






R 


.fl 


S 


fh 


'5 




V- g s 


o 


r>i 


TEAR. 




JS 


» 


a. 

s 


8 








A 


a 






OJ 




Ph 


.:a 


a 






an 


m 














3 
















o 






o 












2 


u 






o 






i^ 


ji 


>» 




a 

3 


a 


a 


a 


3 


3 






s, 


o 












s 














H 


IZi 


iz; 


»5 


> 


H 




H 


h) 


^ 


1845 




1 

I 

1 
1 

2 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
3 
8 
3 


1 

1 

3 

5 

10 

14 

15 

15 

15 

15 

15 

15 

15 

16 


16 

38 

149 

447 

625 

1,057 

1,049 

1,022 

1,039 

941 

963 

918 

997 


$ 50 00 

200 00 

200 00 

3,200 00 

3,200 00 

20,700 00 

20,700 00 

20,700 00 

20,700 00 

39,275 00 

20,200 00 

20,200 00 

20,500 00 

20.500 00 






50 

65 

65 

65 

120 

180 

180 

180 

180 

180 

180 

180 

180 

180 


8 


1855 


163 

298 

558 

823 

1,271 

1,191 

1,202 

1,261 

1,266 

1,822 

1,304 

1,359 

1,411 


i 359 
515 
859 
3,196 
6,654 
6,549 
5,948 
5,545 
5,537 
5,780 
5,860 
5,530 


27 
00 
44 
00 
25 
00 
05 
00 
50 
56 
00 
56 


1 155 25 
197 60 
1,143 70 
1,186 16 
3,858 90 
4,537 19 
4,357 95 
4,000 00 
3,412 30 
3,516 00 
3,628 00 
3,818 48 


8 


I860 


8 


1865 


8 


1870 


12 


1875 


12 


1876 




1877 


12 


1878 


12 


1879 


12 


1880 


12 


1881 


12 


1882 


12 


1888 


12 



THE BAR AND THE COURTS. 

The bar of Howard County has always been distinguished for its 
ability, honesty and courtesy. There is no bar in the State where there 
is less wrangling and jealousy. Space will not permit entering very ex- 
tensively into details in regard to it, however. The first term of court 
convened on the 7th day of November, 1844, at the house of Capt. John 
Harrison, in the western part of what is now Howard County. The farm 
now owned by T. A. Harrell. The county was then called Richard- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 171 

ville, and Kokomowas in an embryo state. Franklin S. Price, was Clerk ; 
John Harrison, Sheriff, and John Chitwood, Deputy Sheriff. The first 
grand jury were John P. Wright, Foreman, William P. Judkins, Robert 
Walker, David Iseley, Peter Gay, Jonas Deselon, Joseph Clarke, Thomas 
Kirkpatrick, Christopher Cramer, David Lamber, Thomas Kennedy, 
David Bailey, John Ryan, John W. Wright and John B. Miller. They 
returned into open court true bills as follows, to wit : State of Indiana 
vs. Charles J. Allison, retailing ; State of Indiana vs. John Harri- 
son, retailing; State of Indiana vs. John Harrison, retailing; 
State of Indiana vs. George Snodgrass, refusing to list prop- 
erty ; State of Indiana vs. Jesse Barnett, unlawfully acting Sheriff; 
State of Indiana vs. Daniel Heaton, assault and battery ; State of In- 
diana vs. Benjamin Newhouse, trespass ; State of Indiana vs. William 
Trader, failing to list property ; State of Indiana vs. Wright Maudlin, 
adultery ; State of Indiana vs. Martha Maudlin, adultery ; State of In- 
diana vs. Watson G. Fitzpatrick, affray ; State of Indiana vs. 

Parks, losing ; State of Indiana vs. William Smith, losing ; State of In- 
diana vs. William Smith, betting ; State of Indiana vs. Jesse Barnett, 
oflScial negligence ; State of Indiana vs. William Smith, betting ; State 
of Indiana vs. William Smith, betting ; State of Indiana vs. Horatio 
Cagwood, winning ; State of Indiana vs. Horatio Cagwood, winning ; 
State of Indiana vs. William Wolf, assault and battery ; State of Indiana 
vs. William Smith, losing. The jury having completed its work, was 
discharged, having been in session three days and returning twenty-one 
indictments. 

The first case that was tried was that of Indiana vs. Charles J. Allison, 
on an indictment for selling one quart of whisky to one Joseph Heaton, 
to be drunk about his house. At the same time was tried a similar case 
against John Harrison. These cases were both determined by the court, 
the petit jury having been discharged. T. A. Long and Robert Ervin, 
Associate Judges, held court in the absence of Judge Kilgore, of Delaware 
County ; John Davis was the Prosecutor, but he was absent, and Silas 
Colgrove was appointed for the term and allowed $30 for his services. 
On November 9, 1844, court adjourned to meet at the court house at Ko- 
komo, the county seat of Richardville County. 

The first term of the court held in Kokomo was the 6th day of May, 
1845 ; John W. Wright, T. A. Long and Robert Ervin were the Judges. 
The Prosecuting Attorney was W. Z. Stuart, afterward Judge of the Su- 
preme Court of Indiana. W. Z. Stuart, Samuel D. Maxwell, James F. 
Suit, Horace P. Biddle, James Forser and George W. Blakemore were 
admitted as attorneys. At this term the indictments against Benjamin 
Newhouse, trespass ; John Harrison, unlawful sales of whisky ; George 



172 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

W. Snodgrass, refusing to list his taxable property ; Jesse Barnett, offi- 
cial negligence ; David Heaton, assault and battery, were all dismissed 
or the indictments quashed. In all the other cases where indictments had 
been found, except in the case of Wright Maudlin and Martha Rowlet, 
charged with adultery, the cases were nolled. The Maudlin and Rowlet 
cases were sent on a change of venue to Grant County. 

There have been many cases upon our criminal docket of much im- 
portance and where public feeling was aroused. The case of the State of 
Indiana vs. Jonathan Binns, for the murder of his wife, was one of the 
most exciting. Binns was three times granted a new trial, and on the 
fourth and last, as well as upon each of the preceding ones, he was sen- 
tenced to the penitentiary for life, Avhere he now is. The Nestor of the 
Kokomo bar. Judge N. R. Linsday, has about retired from the practice. 
He is weak in body, but as strong mentally as he has ever been. In many 
a well-fought contest he has proved a victor, and th^ lawyer who vanquished 
the Judge in the professional arena did so because the law and evidence 
were with him. His special excellence consisted of his defense of men 
accused of crime. The members of the Kokomo bar ai'e N. R. Linds- 
day, Rawson Vaile, H. A. Brouse, Milton Garrigus, Milton Bell, James 
O'Brien, James F. Elliott, Jacob H. Kroh, John W. Kern, Charles E. 
Hendry, John E. Moore, L. J. Kirkpatrick, J. C. Blacklidge, John In- 
gels, Freeman Cooper, W. E. Blacklidge, B. F. Harness, A. N. Grant, 
Will C. Purdum, N. B. Smitb, A. C. Bennett, C. C. Shirley, A. B. 
Kirkpatrick, James F. Morrison and D. A. Woods. N. R. Overman, of 
Tipton, Ind., is Judge, Luther McReynolds, Sheriff, and John W. Cooper, 
Clerk, C. C. Shirley, Prosecuting Attorney. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 

The physicians of Kokomo are a jolly set of practitioners. No city of 
its size can boast of a more intelligent class of physicians than can 
Kokomo. All are sober, educated gentlemen. For some years Kokomo 
had to depend upon doctors outside of Howard County. The oldest 
physician here is Dr. Corydon Richmond, who located here in 1845. 
In the fall of 1845, Dr. Orsemus Richmond came here, following his 
brother Corydon, who had come in the spring of 1845. Orsemus Rich- 
mond continued to live here in the active practice of his profession until 
his death in 1868. In the fall of 1845, Dr. Barrett also located here. 
In 1846, W. C. Jones arrived, and in 1848 J. A. James came. In 1849, 
Dr. Busbee came, and remained about four years, when he left. Others 
had left, and thus there remained only C. and 0. Richmond and J. A. 
James. Dr. A. F. Dayhuff came in 1853, and he is still among us, en- 
joying a large practice. Dr. E. A. Armstrong, now one of the leading 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 173 

physicians of Kokomo, settled first in Russiaville, but subsequently re- 
moved to Kokomo. 

The first medical society was organized here in July, 1854, with J. M. 
Erlougher, Corydon Richmond, William J. Morgan, Amos Pettyjohn, 
J. A. James and James Cochran as members. The next year L. D. 
Waterman, Orsemus Richmond, J. D. Linsday, I. C. Johnson, A B. 
Taylor, Nathan Mendenhall, L. D. McCann and J. W. Clark became 
members. The society soon ceased to hold meetings, and nothing was 
done for nearly ten years. The society was then re-organized, and H. C. 
Cole and 0. H. Martin, of Kokomo, were elected members. The or- 
ganization of the Howard County Medical Society has ever since been 
maintained. The Howard County Medical Society holds its meetings 
quarterly, and they are largely attended. 

The Kokomo City Medical Society was organized in 1865. The 
physicians who organized this society were L. McAllister, Corydon Rich- 
mond, Orsemus Richmond, I. C. Johnson, 0. H. Martin, W. K. Mavity, 
A. F. Armstrong, E. A. Armstrong, H. C. Cole, R. H. Buck, J. M. Dar- 
nall, John Anderson and William Scott. There were regular meetings 
held for some time, and in June, 1866, the name of the society was 
changed to the Kokomo Academy of Medicine. The society meets 
weekly, commencing its meetings the first Saturday night in October, and 
closing the last Saturday night in March. Each physician is assigned to 
some chair, as Dr. R. Q. Wilson, Theory and Practice ; Dr. E. A. Arm- 
strong, Surgery, etc. Each physician is expected to deliver two lectures 
upon his subject during the winter term. These meetings have proved 
of great benefit to the profession. The physicians of the "regular" or 
" old school " of practice all belong to the Academy of Medicine. They 
arc Corydon Richmond, A. F. Dayhuff, E. A. Armstrong, W. K. Ma- 
vity, I. C. Johnson, R. Q. Wilson, John B. Moore, Lewis Kern, J. M. 
Moulder, Theodore Kern, William Scott, J. H. Berst and Dr. Lovett. 
Dr. William Cooper, a graduate of the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College, 
is a physician of learning and experience, and commands a large practice. 
Dr. E. W. Sawyer, homoeopathist, has also a large and growing 
practice. 

MASONRY. 

Kokomo Lodge, No. 93, F. & A. M., was organized on the 20th day 
of October, 1849, and was given its charter by the Grand Lodge May 
29, 1850. The first ofiicers were as follows: Corydon Richmond, 
W. M.; G. W. Bissell, S. W.; Orsemus Richmond, J. W.; S. Wagner, 
Treasurer ; C. D. Murray, Secretary ; Arthur Williams, S. D.; H. B. 
Havens, J. D.; H. C. Stewart, Tiler. In March, 1867, the building in 
which the lodge had met was destroyed by fire, and many valuables 



174 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

consumed. At the organization of Howard Lodge, No. 370, in 1867, 
twenty-six members of Kokomo Lodge withdrew to become members of 
the new lodge. The officers were N. P. Richmond, W. M.; John 
Bohan, S. W.; George W. Pattison, J. W.; James A. Wildman, Treas- 
urer; D. C. Metsker, Secretary; Simon Stern, S. D.; T. L. Coblentz, 
J. D.; James F. Davis and R. H. Buck, Stewards. This weakened 
the old lodge. In June, 1879, the Kokomo and Howard lodges were 
consolidated under the name of Howard Lodge, No. 93. There 
are now forty-nine members of Howard Lodge, many having been 
suspended for non-payment of dues. The Treasurer has in his hands 
^175 belonging to the lodge. The following are the present offi- 
cers of the lodge : A. S. Ellis, W. M.; Robert Orchett, S. W. ; 
A. E. Hoon, J. W.; Tence Lindley, Treasurer ; C. C. Sollenberger, 
Secretary ; Henry Grantham, S. D.; William H. Hendrickson, J. D.; 
D. L. Robins, Tyler ; Josiah Beeson and J. H. Benke, Stewards. 

ODD FELLOWS. 

Kokomo Lodge, No. 133, I. 0. 0. F., was chartered on the 20th day 
of July, 1853. This is the oldest and wealthiest lodge in the city. Its 
membership is now sixty-five. It owns the hall where it meets, at the cor- 
ner of Main and Walnut streets, and has funds in the Treasurer's hands to 
the amount of $3,000 or $4,000. The organization has expended in 
round numbers $2,000 for relief of its members, widows and orphans, 
who have claims upon it for charity. One of its members, Col. N. P. 
Richmond, has enjoyed the distinction of being Grand Master of the 
Grand Lodge of the State of Indiana ; also of being Representative to the 
Sovereign Grand Lodge of the United States. The present ofiicers are 
William H. Murphy, N. G.; J. C. Leach, V. G.; M. A. Chestnut, 
Recording Secretary ; B. F. Redmond, Permanent Secretary ; Alf 
Mote, Treasurer. 

The second organization of I. 0. 0. F.'s in the city was Kokomo 
Encampment, No. 61, the same being composed of Royal Purple degree 
members, or patriachs of the highest branch of the order. The Encamp- 
ment numbers about forty in its ranks, and has $1,500 in its treas- 
ury. The present officers are : Alf Mote, Chief Patriarch ; M. A. 
Chestnut, Senior Warden; L. Foreland, Junior Warden; L. H. Hillis, 
High Priest ; B. F. Redmond, Scribe ; Walter Hooper, Treasurer. 

On November 20, 1867, a new lodge, known as Wildman Lodge, No. 
295, I. 0. 0. F., was chartered, and has always been known as the 
" Young Men's Lodge." Its membership is now about sixty-five. It has 
paid as benefits to sick members, widows and orphans and other charities, 
more than $2,000, and has on hand now from $1,000 to $1,200. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 175 

The present officers are as follows : W. B. Ray, N. G.; J. E. 
Vaile, V. G.; L. L. Fellows, Per. Sec; A. N. Grant, Rec. Sec.;' Walter 
Hooper, Treas. Each of the Lodges and Encampments pays $50 funeral 
benefits on the death of a brother, and $25 on the death of a brother's 
wife; also each of these Lodges pays $4 per week sick benefits and the 
Encampment pays $3 per week. 

The fourth and last I. 0. 0. F. organization in the city of Kokomo 
is a company of Uniformed Patriarchs, recently organized by the selec- 
tion of the following officers : A. M. Grant, Chief Captain ; John W. 
Cooper, Subordinate Captain ; L. H. Hillis, Junior Captain; Barnabas 
Busby, Standard Bearer ; Webb B. Ray, Secretary ; D. T. Reiff, Treas- 
urer. This company is drilling from one to two evenings each week, and 
is making commendable progress. The company will soon be a credit to 
the city and to the order to which it belontrs. 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

The first organization of the Knights of Pythias took place on the 31st 
day of May, 1873, when Washington Lodge, No. 29, was organized. 
There were twenty charter members. 

H. H. Winslow, A. F. Philips, A. J. Wimmer, John Nicholson, E, 
S. Ludlow, W. Legg, J. H. Anderson, F. L. Porter, A. Cline, E. F. 
Murden, Jim Henry, A. F. Brown, George Frazee, Joseph D. Johnson, 
Nick Vanhorn, L. Deffenbaugh, J. J. Pearson, J. Chambers, Sam 
Richey and W. D. Kisller. 

The lodge soon after had completed for its accomodation a handsome 
hall in Armstrong, Pickett & Co.'s new building, but the lodge never 
prospered as it should have done, and its charter was surrendered. 

On the 15th of August, 1879, the present lodge was organized, and 
took for its name. Good Intent Lodge, No. 29. There were twenty-seven 
charter members— C. A. Jay, 0. N. Davis, D. F. Bell, George W. Duke, 
C. B. Hauser, N. L. Hollowell, W. R. Ploughe, W. H. Gearhard, James 
Henry, C. H. Philips, A. M. Moore, H. J. West, D. W. Ulrick, R. M. 
Cain, A. Y. Comstock, D. C. Spraker, Byron Haskett, Will Kennedy, 
Will Ganse, Ed R. Wilson and W. A. Irvin. The officers were John m! 
Ray, C. C. ; Will Ganse, V. C. ; A. N. Grant, Prelate ; C. A. Jay, P.' 
C; D. F. Bell, K. of R. & S. ; H. J. West, M. of F.; D. C. 
Spraker, M. of E. 

There are now eighty-five active working members, and the lodge is 
in a very prosperous and healthful condition. They are comfortably 
quartered and the treasury is well supplied with funds. There has been 
but one death in the order, C. H. Philips. The present officers are as 
follows : 

G. F. Andrews, P. C. ; Will P. Vaile, C. C ; Charles A. Scott, V. 



176 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

C. ; Rev. Robert McCune, Prelate; Ed Russell, K. of S. & K. ; 0. E. 
Shepherd, M. of F. ; Luther MoReynolds, M. of E. On the 20th of 
August, 1881, there was organized the Uniform Rank, Knights of 
Pythias. This rank has become one of the most noted in the country. 
They received the second medal at Detroit, in August, 1882, when com- 
peting against old companies, and but a few weeks since were recognized 
as third-best at Cincinnati. Our citizens are justly proud of this cele- 
brated company. 

When the Uniform Rank was organized, J. E. Kirk was chosen Sir 
Kt. Com.; C. A. Jay, Sir Kt. Lieut. Com.; E. W. Klunn, Sir Kt. 
Herald ; J. M. Ray, Sir Kt. Rec. ; H. C. Davis, Sir Kt. Treas. ; Ed 
R. Wilson, Sir Kt. Guard ; N. L. Hollowell, Sir Kt. Sentinel. The 
boys are hard at work under the efficient training of their Commander, 
C. A. Jay, and intend to bear oflf first prize at the great World's Tourna- 
ment at New Orleans in 188-4. 

GENERAL PROSPERITY, 

The city of Kokomo has a population of 6,000 at this time. May 15, 
1883, and no city in the State can boast of more advantages. We are 
surrounded by a good class of farm lands, and intelligent, thrifty farmers. 
Our trade is drawn from miles around. No city in Indiana is blessed 
with a more liberal, wide-awake, enterprising class of merchants, hence 
trade comes from Carroll, Cass, Miami, Grant, Madison, Tipton and Clin- 
ton Counties. The place has never been cursed by a few men of wealth, 
owning and controlling the commercial interests of the town. Kokomo 
has always been fortunate in her business men. Three railroads, the 
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis and 
the Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroads, give Kokomo the neces- 
sary facilities for cheap and speedy markets. Three newspapers, the 
Dispatch, the Tribune and the Qazette furnish the people with the local 
events and general news. No city in Indiana can boast of three better 
newspapers. They show the dash and energy of " the Kokomo man." 
In fact, if there is one thing the city possesses, it is the spirit of push ; 
wherever one goes, Kokomo has a reputation already established, and her 
citizens are always known to be able to take care of themselves. The 
professional men of Kokomo are acknowledged to be intelligent and honor- 
able. Kokomo has five large dry goods stores with plate glass fronts," 
and all carry large and well selected stocks of goods. The firms are 
Ruddell Bros. & Co., 0. V. Darby, S. Davis & Sons, Parry, Haines & 
Co. and Block & Thalman. There are seventeen groceries, seven drug 
stores, three hardware stores and four millinery stores. There are several 
machine shops where many hands are employed ; also three stores where 
sewing machines are sold. There are many good business blocks in the 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 177 

city, among which may be mentioned Armstrong, Pickett & Co.'s hard- 
ware store, and the Comstock Block. 

There is a bright prospect in the future for the city of Kokorao. It 
is hoped that in the year 1900, she will have 25,000 inhabitants. Many 
of the citizens of Kokomo have given the writer information and practi- 
cal aid in the writing of this short sketch of the city. Only those who 
have had experience in such work can have any idea of the amount of 
labor necessary to even approximately reach one's ideal in such a task. 
The early history of the town is now mostly tradition, and it is almost 
impossible to arrive at the truth. 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 

BY W. R. PHILIPS. 

This township is now, as it has always been, the most important in 
the county, containing in its center one of the most flourishing towns of 
its size in the State of Indiana. This is the county seat of Howard 
County. The township was originally included in the limits of Kokomo 
Township, but at the December term of the Board of County Commis- 
sioners in 1846, was made into the township which it now is. It took its 
name. Centre Township, from the fact that it is almost exactly in the 
center of the county, and also very near the central point of the State. 
When first organized as a township, it was in Richardville County, the 
county name being changed to Howard County later on in honor of Til- 
man A. Howard, one of the oldest pioneers of the county. The town- 
ship as it now is lies on either side of Wild Cat Creek. The soil is very 
fertile and the ground slightly undulating, containing everything to make 
the farms situated thereon most profitable. Centre Township is bounded 
by Clay, Howard, Harrison and Taylor Townships— Clay and Howard 
on the north, east and Avest sides, and Harrison and Taylor on the south, 
east and west sides. After its organization as a township, and when in 
Richardville County, farms were admitted by petition, as in the case of 
the farm of Thomas M. Kirkpatrick, which was admitted from what was 
then known as Clay Township. 

EARLY SETTLERS. 

Among the early settlers a hard time was had to provide the necessa- 
ries of life for their families. Rude log cabins served as the primitive 
dwelling houses on the same land where now stand massive structures. 
Joseph Skeen was about the first to take up his abode in this township, 
he moving here in 1840. Ethan Burch came a short time afterward 
and settled on a tract of land just south of what is now -Judi^e N. R. 



178 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Linsday's farm, and just north of the present fair ground site. The 
south part of the township soon became sparsely settled, and among the 
early settlers there were John Ford, John Morrow and his father, Will- 
iam Rodman and Willis Blanche. The latter became one of the most in- 
fluential and able men of the county, and also one of Indiana's most 
brave soldiers, serving as a Colonel in the late unpleasantness, and at the 
present time taking a most active part in all leading questions of the day. 
In the northern portion of the township, Eli, John and Michael Lock 
early battled with the fates for subsistence, and came up inch by inch 
until they stood with the foremost of our citizens. Kember McLann, 
also settled in the northern part of the township, and though beset by 
difficulties, soon made his way to the top. In the west, William Graves, 
Elwood Modlin, William Grant and Gabriel McCool took a formidable 
lead among the early settlers, while Thomas Faulkner and William Dor- 
man took up their abode in the eastern part of the township. It is also 
necessary to speak of David Foster who is properly the father of Centre 
Township and of the city of Kokomo, he moving here in 1842. Mr. 
Foster's land embraced what is now known as the original plat of the 
city of Kokomo, although it was for many years before he had any of 
the luxuries of life. Many stories of the hardships and the Indian trad- 
ing of former times in this locality have amused our people when Mr. 
Foster told them in his quaint and droll way. John Bohan moved here 
in 1844, and is now one of the leading men of the city. Among others 
of the early settlers now living are, Judge N. R. Linsday, Peter B. Ken- 
nedy, Dr. Corydon Richmond, H. C. Stewart and Peter B. Hersleb, 
while C. D. Murray, David Foster, Harles Ashley and others have long 
since passed away. 

WILD ANIMALS AND REMINISCENCES. 

Polecats, a class of animals to be sincerely avoided, are said to have 
been very thick during the early history of the township. George II. 
Holding, an early settler, went out one night to see what was the cause of 
the disturbance among his chickens ; he found out, but had to bury his 
clothes. Polecats are now very scarce, but the early settlers tell 
many a humorous anecdote like the above about them. Deer were 
seen in the early days, but not frequently ; they are entirely exter- 
minated at present. Rattlesnakes were also plentiful, but now one is sel- 
dom seen. Mr. Lerner, an early settler, reports that he saw a panther 
one night, and his story is confirmed by many neighbors. 

SOIL, TIMBER, ETC. 

Along the course of the Wild Cat, the land is slightly hilly, while 
away the ground is almost perfectly level, especially so on the divides or 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 179 

table-lands. At first the "reserve" was all swamps, sloughs and mud, with 
which the early settlers had much trouble, as they were a terrible impedi- 
ment to cultivation, travel and clearing; but these have been overcome by 
being drained and graded, until Centre Township is now one of the best 
in the county, with an abundance of fine farm lands, ditches and gravel 
roads; in fact, there is now no portion too wet to be cultivated. The soil 
is very fertile, and peculiarly adapted to raising corn, oats, rye, hay, 
fruit, vegetables, wheat — in fact, all the cereals and other productions of 
Northern Indiana. Gravel beds of considerable extent are found along 
Wild Cat and other streams, in many localities, sufficient for building 
gravel roads, and for all other practical purposes. Good limestone 
quarries of substantial rock exist near Kokomo, containing a plentiful 
supply of building stone, and all very near the surface. Petroleum is 
found in the limestone formation and at one time was worked up, but it 
existed in such minute quantities that it proved of no economic value. 

The township, when settled, was covered with a dense growth of de- 
ciduous timber, among which was a very large proportion of walnut, 
poplar, oak, hickory, ash, maple and many other valuable varieties ; the 
settlers, not then knowing its value, destroyed much of it. Some families 
even used black walnut timber for fuel in the early days, little dreaming 
that it was the most valuable of any of the timber growing here. Some 
years since, 6,000,000 feet of black walnut were exported annually out 
of the county, and a goodly portion came from this township. At pres- 
ent, there is not much black walnut timber left ; a considerable extent of 
ground has lately been set out in walnut trees, however, so that some 
forty years hence they may be more dense than ever. Vast sugar or- 
chards, or groves of sugar trees, once grew in all parts of the township, 
and at the present time many sugar camps are profitably worked. Indeed, 
the soil and timber of Centre Township cannot be excelled. 

CEMETERIES, CHURCHES, MILLS, NEWSPAPERS, ETC. 

The first burial place was on the north bank of Wild Cat Creek, about 
one half mile from the present site of Kokomo, immediately west of the 
present location of the Pan Handle Railroad. It contained one acre, and 
was donated for this purpose by Thomas Faulkner, heretofore mentioned 
as one of the early settlers. This graveyard is now an old-time landmark, 
and is but seldom used. Heavy rainfalls have washed away the ground 
bordering on the creek, the fence having been moved back twice, and it is 
only a question of time when all traces of this cemetery will have disap- 
peared. Many quaint epitaphs can be seen on the moldy tombstones, 
some fallen and others now rotted away, while nearly all the graves are 
sunken many feet. 



180 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

The first death in the township is not definitely known, John Crow- 
saur's child and one of Avery Chase's children dying about the same time, 
both being the first two interred in this graveyard. The first marriage 
was that of James Comer, of this township, to a Miss Wright, of New 
London. James M. Foster, son of David Foster, was the first white child 
ever born in Centre Township, his birth occurring in November, 1842. 

The first schoolhouse was built in 1845, the site being opposite what 
is now known as the old jail in the city of Kokomo. It cannot be ascer- 
tained who was the first teacher, although some years afterward James H. 
Wildman, formerly Auditor of State, now Postmaster at Indianapolis, 
wielded the birch rod there, as well as Gen. Thomas J. Harrison, now de- 
ceased. Some of the old settlers say that Adam Clark, who later on was 
Clerk and Auditor of the county, was the first school teacher, but of this 
they are not certain. When the school was first opened, there were but 
three pupils. This number gradually increased, and when Wildman was 
teacher there were fourteen scholars, which comprised all the children who 
lived near enough to possibly attend. 

The first practicing physician was Dr. C. Richmond, who lived in 
Kokomo, but who practiced in the township. 

The first post office was located in Kokomo, and this has been the only 
post office in the township since. Austin North was the first Postmaster. 

The first grist mill was built by William Grant, the site being near the 
present fair grounds site, south of the city. He later on built a saw-mill 
adjacent, and for the first time the settlers used boards for the floors and 
doors in their log cabins, which was quite a good substitute for the old-time 
puncheons. 

The first religious society formed in this settlement was organized by 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, two miles and a half west of where the 
city of Kokomo now stands. This was about the year 1841, and prior to 
the settlement of Kokomo. Rev. Frank Taylor was preacher in charge of 
the circuit in the year 1843. T. M. Kirkpatrick and wife were members 
of that society, and after the war they removed their membership to the 
M. E. Church, of Kokomo. David Foster's house was the first place in 
the township where the preaching of the Gospel was ever heard. The 
members of this society were Adam Clark and wife, Elizabeth Foster, N. 
R. Linsday and wife, Mrs. Joseph Skeen, and Dennis McCormick and 
wife. N. R. Linsday is the only surviving member of this the first 
church society ever organized in the township. A log church was built 
in 1844, on a lot just east of where the old jail now stands. 

The first newspaper issued in the township was published on the 30th 
day of October, 1850, with James Beard and Charles D. Murray as editors. 
It was published for one year, and was then discontinued. 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 181 

POPULATION, PROPERTY, AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 

The first census of the township, as well as the county, was taken in 
June, 1850, and gave the township a population of 954 whites, no colored 
people being here then. 

The Assessors made an appraisement in 1853, which showed the value 
of real estate to be $121,751; personal property, $109,140; poll, 
191. 

At the election held in 1860, Centre Township cast 541 votes, includ- 
ing the city of Kokomo. 

The first deed ever recorded for land sold was given by David Foster 
to Peter Gay, agent for the County Commissioners. It was for forty 
acres, and took in the land between Washington and Union streets, east 
and west, and between High and Taylor streets, north and south, in the 
now city of Kokomo, the consideration being $140. Howard County has 
one lot out of this forty acres left, and it is worth to-day, $1,200. 

The first mortgage against a piece of property was filed October 4, 
1845 ; drawn by Samuel Scott and John Vaughn, in favor of Peter Gay, 
agent. 

The County Poor-Farm, or Infirmary, is situated in Centre Township, 
about two miles west of the city. It is a massive structure, and was built 
in 1881. The old poor-farm, adjacent to the new one, was purchased by 
the county in 1857. 

The Orphans' Home is situated one mile south of the city, and is a 
fine brick building. All the homeless waifs are taken there, and at the 
present writing, fourteen orphans are instructed and fed in the insti- 
tution. 

In the matter of schoolhouses. Centre Township compares favorably 
with any other in the county. Outside the city are eight schoolhouses, 
all brick, and at the June, 1882, enumeration, there were in attendance 
153 male whites ; 135 female whites ; 8 colored males ; 4 colored females ; 
making a total of 300 pupils. 

There is but one church in the township outside of the city, its de- 
nomination being the New Light. It is a frame structure, and is located 
about two miles south of the city. 

FREE AND TOLL GRAVEL ROADS. 

It will be seen that this township is a formidable competitor with any 
other township in the State in the matter of free and toll gravel roads or 
pikes, and the good business of the city that it supports, is mainly due to 
the pikes running in all directions through the township. Ten gravel 
roads run from end to end, six free pikes, and four toll, as follows : Deer- 
creek, Touby, Harlan, Wild Cat, Albright and Rieketts, free pikes ; Ko- 



182 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

komo & Greentown ; Kokorao, Greentown & Jerome ; Pete's Run, 
and the Kokonao & New London, toll pikes. These pikes are all in 
first-class condition, the Harlan and Touby being completed last year. 

MANUFACTORIES. 

Centre Township does not contain many manufactories outside of the 
city, for the township is not very large, and the business facilities of Ko- 
komo are such that nearly all are located there. There are three brick- 
kilns, and two tile-drain manufactories, however, employing an average of 
sixty-three hands during the year, and paying out to the employes $11,000 
wages. The brick-kilns furnish all the brick for the building material of 
Kokorao, while the tile drains send a great deal of their product outside 
of the county. 

THE PAST AND PRESENT. 

To look back on this spot forty, or even thirty years ago, one would 
have seen a vast forest, growing out of a swampy soil, with a sluggish 
stream dividing it into halves, and here and there a rude hut, erected and 
occupied by some settler who had wandered here in search of 
fortune, with nothing to carve out a name for himself but his trusty 
ax. Every other day he and his family would shiver with that dread 
scourge, Indiana ague, and he had no one to administer to his wants but 
the few Indians remaining here of what was once a large tribe. Soon 
more settlers came, and day by day the forests were cleared away and 
some new improvement made. Notwithstanding every obstacle with 
which they had to battle, they steadily climbed the road to prosperity, 
until to-day the township is the picture of public health. Fine farms 
perfectly drained, handsome residences and flattering prospects now stand 
on the debris of less than half a century ago. One of the most thriving 
towns in the State graces its center. Looking into the past, we can only 
see a swampy desolation ; but scanning the present, the scene has changed 
to a most thriving township. 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

BY DR. J. C. WRIGHT. 

The section now known as Honey Creek Township, Howard County, 
was, when first settled and organized, a part of Clinton County. Its or- 
ganization dates back to the year 1842, during which year the first election 
ever held in the township occurred. The election was held for the pur- 
pose of choosing one Representative, one County Commissioner, one School 
Commissioner and one County Coroner. The following is a list of the 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 185 

voters and officers conducting the election. Samuel Scott was the In- 
spector, and Josiah Lamb, William Morrison, Edom Garner and J. F. 
Simms, were the Judges; only twenty-three names were on the poll- 
book (which consisted of one sheet of foolscap paper). John Rivers, who 
still resides in this township, headed the list of voters, which was as fol- 
lows : J. Waggaman, Alexander Thatcher, J. S. Morrison, Jonas Rivers, 
David Frazier, J. Morrison, George W. Swither, Levi Haworth, James 
McCowen, William Beard, Charles Hatch, Watson Fitzpatrick, Aaron 
Casto, Julian Frazier, Josiah Lamb, Edom Garner, John F. Simms, 
William Morrison, Samuel Scott, James Purdum, Jonathan Merideth 
and William Hughes. The returns of this election were made out on 
common foolscap paper and carried to the county seat, on horseback. 
Another election was held some time near this date at the residence of 
Julian Frazier, at which the following officers were elected : Martin 
Burton, Justice of the Peace, and Nelson Purdum, Constable. 

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 

It is said that Joseph C. Taylor and family were the first white inhab- 
itants of Honey Creek Township. They came here during the year 1839. 
Mr. Taylor had left his home near Peru in the fall of 1838, and came 
here to build his little log cabin, into which he moved in March, 1839. 
It is also claimed for Mr. Taylor that he, in company with George Taylor, 
Isaac Price and Robert Walker, were the first white men who inhabited 
Howard County. The first year of Mr. Taylor's stay in this township, was 
very lonesome, as his was the only family in the present limits of the 
township. The first to come to share in the hardships of the dreary 
pioneer life was a man by the name of McCrery, who settled on a tract 
of land just w'est of the present site of Russiaville, which tract is at 
present owned by Jonathan Hodson. 

About the first part of the year 1843, the settlement began to increase 
in numbers, and among the pioneers of that early date, very few of whom 
are living here yet, were the families of John and Julian Frazier, John 
Rivers, John Blanche, William Hughes, Vincent Garner, Edom Garner, 
Daniel R. Jones, Alexander Suit, Henry Stuart, John P. Wright, Dr. 
L. H. Oilar, D. D. Lightner, Martin Burton, Benoni Fortner, John Wag- 
gaman and Jesse Ratcliff ; also the Woodys, Runks, Moulders, James 
Vaughan, John Wilson, Dr. D. J. Shirley, George Thompson, Ira Bishop, 
Jacob Vogus, Stephen lies, John Lybrook, Smith Chambers and Allen 
Middleton, and a great many others of more recent settlement, who have 
done a great deal toward making the township what it is, and whose 
names must be remembered as well as the older pioneers. Among them 
may be mentioned Luke Fry, T. E. Trueblood, David Middleton, 



186 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

William Aaron, Benjamin P. Cosand, Madison and Miles Hart, the 
Hodsons, Ratcliifs, Johnsons and Talberts. 

LANDS ENTERED. 

On October 4, 1842, a great deal of the public land was sold ac the 
great land sales held at Peru and Crawfordsville. In looking over the 
old records of these land entries, which records were taken from the 
original books at the different land offices, it is known that the follow- 
ing-named persons purchased or entered lands in this township, as 
follows : October 4, 1842 — Nicholas Trobaugh, 160 acres, in Section 21 ; 
Edward Hemphill, 160 acres, in Section 21; John P. Wright, 240 
acres, in Sections 22 and 23 ; Edom Garner, 160 acres, in Sections 23 
and 26 ; Julian Frazier, 160 acres, in Sections 22 and 23 ; Joseph C. 
Taylor, 160 acres, in Section 26. Also, on April 22, 1843— Martin 
Burton, 80 acres, in Section 26. October 28, 1843 — James Vaughan, 80 
acres, in Section 27. December 15, 1843 — Allen Middleton. 160 acres, 
in Section 25. November 29, 1843 — John Moulder, 160 acres, in Sec- 
tion 36. October 25, 1842 — D. D. Lightner, 80 acres, in Section 24. 
October 5, 1842 — John Rivers, 80 acres, in Section 28. December 12, 
1844 — Sarah Carson, 80 acres, in Section 27. Among the above-named 
persons who entered the lands described, only a very few are the owners 
of the same land at the present time. John Moulder and Sarah Carson 
still hold the same tracts entered by them in 1843 and 1844. 

FIRST TAXES. 

The whole of Honey Creek Township, as it was in 1845, then more 
than double its present size, was only assessed so as to pay $141.81 taxes 
on the real estate and personal property then in the township. Below 
are given the taxes paid by a number of the old settlers in 1845, the first 
taxes that are on record as having been paid in the township : Dr. L. H. 
Oilar, on 80 acres and $100 personal property, paid |1.50 ; Nicholas 
Trobaugh, on 80 acres and $102 personal property, paid $2.12 ; John P. 
Wright, on 240 acres, paid $2.92 ; Edom Garner, on 80 acres and $140 
personal property, paid $2.21 ; Julian Frazier, on 160 acres and $138 
personal property, paid $3.01 ; Joseph C. Taylor, on 160 acres and $252 
personal property, paid $3.29 ; Martin Burton, on 80 acres and $85 
personal property, paid $1.90 ; James Vaughan. on 80 acres, paid $1.84; 
John Rivers, on 80 acres and $57 personal property, paid $1.09 ; D. D. 
Lightner, on 80 acres, paid 55 cents ; John Moulder, on 160 acres 
and $220 personal property, paid $3.03; Solomon B. Fortner, on 80 
acres and $161 personal property, paid $3.25. The Fraziers and several 
others paid taxes the same year, ranging in amounts from 80 cents to 



HONEY CRKEK TOWNSHIP. 187 

$3.01. It is a notable fact that we now have men in the township who 
pay more taxes in one year, at the present time, than all the men who 
paid taxes in 1845, and the township was then much larger. But the 
taxes then were perhaps even harder to pay than they are to-day, owing to 
the extreme scarcity of money of those days, and the lack of ways to get 
hold of it. The early pioneers had very little to sell, and what they had 
could not be sold for money. Wild game and wild honey seem to have 
been the principal articles offered in exchange for the necessary com- 
modities of life. Up to the year 1842, there was no trading point nearer 
this section than Burlington, Carroll County, which was ten miles distant, 
and to this point all the primitive Honey Creekers had to wend their 
way through almost an unbroken expanse of thickly-wooded country, tak- 
ing the paths made by the Indians, sometimes on horseback, but more 
frequently on foot. This very inconvenient state of affairs only lasted 
about three years, when Burlington, as the principal trading point, was 
abandoned for one nearer home. Old Uncle Henry Stuart, as he is now- 
known, and who at the present time is a resident of Kokomo, some time 
during the year 1842, purchased a stock of goods and opened a store near 
the present site of Russiaville. His stock was, of course, of a very limited 
character, but almost endless in variety, for it consisted of all kinds of 
goods needed by the early settlers — dry goods, groceries, hardware, 
crockery, glassware — in fact it was what is now denominated a general 
store, a headquarters for all kinds of goods. His usual places of laying 
in a supply of goods were La Fayette, Cincinnati and Chicago ; the goods 
had to be transported from these points in wagons, and new supplies were 
consequently not very frequent in their appearance. Mr. Stuart, in 
order to accommodate his customers, made arrangements for the exchange 
of venison, wild honey, roots and herbs, and the skins of the fur-bearing 
animals, for the commodities he kept for sale. This gave employment 
for the women and children in digging ginseng, yellow root, and several 
other indigenous roots and herbs, thereby furnishing them with a great 
many articles of apparel that they could not have otherwise obtained. 
The hams of deer seem to have been the principal circulating medium 
between the men and the store-keepers. Mr. H. G. Woody, in his history 
of this township, as written for the County Atlas, states that "at one 
time Mr. Stuart had 100 ' saddles ' (pairs of deer hams) piled 
up in his cabin store." Mr. Woody also states that the first wagon 
ever at Kokomo was loaded with goods belonging to Henry Stuart. The 
young Indians never having before seen a wagon, thought it some stranore 
animal, and would take to their heels immediately when the horses hap- 
pened to move it. It took two days to make the trip, only halting a 
short time at an Indian town. A further history of the commercial and 



188 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

mercantile interests of the township will be given, as fully as space will 
permit, in that part of this sketch which relates to the town of Russia- 
ville. 

FIRST MARRIAGES. 

Could we, who are on the stage of action at the present, accustomed 
to seeing marriages in high life, accustomed to the brilliant weddings of 
to-day, look back and be a witness of the marriage ceremonies as con- 
ducted by the pioneers of Honey Creek Township over forty years ago, we 
would think it a terrible hardship to have to undergo that happiest ordeal 
in man's existence under such circumstances ; but in contrasting the sur- 
roundings of the pioneer wedding — the bride, in a cheap calico or home- 
spun dress, and groom in buckskin breeches, flax-linen shirt and jeans 
coat — with the modern brilliant wedding, the high contracting parties 
decked out in the height of prevailing fashion, and surrounded by costly 
wedding presents from loving friends, we must not forget that a marriage 
under the former circumstances was generally the happy consummation 
of a genuine affection, and, as a rule, fewer ill-assorted matches occurred 
in those days. 

Some time in the early part of the spring of 1842, Joseph Skeen, who 
now resides in this township, paid his attentions to Miss Nancy Rivers, a 
daughter of John Rivers, with the intention of making her his wife. 
Joseph happened along one day when Samuel Scott, the acting Justice of 
the Peace at that time, was at work at the sugar camp. Mr. Scott know- 
ing of the expected marriage, jokingly spoke to Mr. Skeen, telling him 
that he (Mr. Scott), was practicing the ceremony in the woods every day, 
that whenever he came across two nice, thrifty trees standing close together, 
he united them in marriage. He also told " Uncle Joe " that he wanted 
some rails made and would take his fee in that way. So in a few days, 
Samuel Maxwell, Clerk of the Court, was sought, a license obtained, and 
on the 13th day of March, 1842, Joseph Skeen and Nancy Rivers were 
before Esquire Samuel Scott, to have the hymeneal knot tied ; " Uncle 
Joe " made the remark to the Squire that he was ready to split the rails. 
and this was the first marriage ceremony performed in Honey Creek 
Township. (Some claim, however, that one or two marriages occurred 
before this, but there is no record of them.) 

In looking over the record, we found the names of several persons who 
are still living who started in wedded life from this place. Joe Tay- 
lor and Eliza Rawson obtained license on the 14th day of March, 1845; 
the ceremony was performed by Martin Burton, Justice of the Peace. 
The next were William Wright and Arminda Taylor, on the 31st day of 
July, 1^45; John Frazier and Hannah Ratcliff, on the 4th day of 
August, 1845 ; Coleman Moss and Sarah Wright, February 15, 1847 ; 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 189 

Edom Ratcliff and Nancy Bishop, May 15, 1847 ; Thomas Chandler and 
Phoebe Enable, May 23, 1848 ; Zimri Nixon and Elizabeth Moulder, 
September 15, 1848 ; Daniel R. Jones and Catharine Taylor, October 2, 
1848. Several other marriages occuiTed during these early years, but 
space will not permit further mention. 

IMPROVEMENT OF LANDS. 

No further back than forty-five years ago, the lands now known as 
Honey Creek Township, were densely covered with forest, and not a few 
buttonwood ponds. The Indians and the wild beasts were the monarchs 
of all they surveyed. The country in its physical features was not un- 
like many other tracts of flat wooded lands, the flatness being almost uni- 
versal throughout the township, with the slight exception of the few and 
small hills along the course of the two branches of Honey Creek, known 
as the East and West Forks of Honey Creek, which streams run diagonally 
through the east and west center of the township. The township derived 
its name from this creek. The first road, or, rather, path, that was 
traveled was what is now known as the Honey Creek road, running di- 
rectly east and west through the township. The road had been surveyed 
some time before, but had not been cut out. 

The first important dwelling house was erected on the north bank of 
Squirrel Creek, a little stream that crosses the present site of the town 
of Russiaville, as has been before mentioned. Joseph C. Taylor arrived 
here in the year 1838. His cabin home was the first white habitation in 
the township, but it was not long until several log cabins dotted the banks 
of Honey Creek. The structures were of a very primitive character, 
having only one room, the floors consisting of hewed puncheons, the 
door of a very rude pattern, with wooden hinge and latch. If a 
window graced one side of the building, it was usually very small. The 
roofs were of clapboards held on by long poles. The first improvement 
in the lands commenced around the cabins. The sturdy pioneers began 
to clear the soil of the timber in order to prepare it for cultivation, a few 
acres at a time, until they cleared enough to raise their vegetables, wheat 
and corn. Shortly there began to appear small patches of cleared land, 
and these gradually increased in size and shape until large and beautiful 
fields, covered with their wealth of grain, greeted the toil-worn farmer as 
a recompense for his early labors. That the soil of Honey Creek Town- 
ship is rich and fertile is clearly evinced by the great increase in the 
agricultural interests, and what was once a howling wilderness is now 
one of the best and most beautiful farming communities in the State. 
Farms that once raised a few bushels of corn and wheat, now produce 
equal to the best farms. Farms that were once worthless on account of 



190 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

the superabundance of water, held in nature's reservoirs without an out- 
let, now have beautiful buildings on them, and where the ponds existed, 
fertile fields yield their abundant harvests. Not much attention was paid 
to improvement in the way of drainage until the rapidly increasing value 
of the land induced the owners of wet lands to fit them for cultivation. 

TRANSFER OF HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

For several years the people of Honey Creek Township felt it their 
right, and sought the privilege of being changed into Howard County. 
All of the township, except about two sections, belonged tp Clinton County 
until the year 1859. The citizens readily recognizing the fact that, being 
80 much nearer the county seat of Howard, they would possess much 
greater advantages if they were attached, manifested their desires to Col. 
C. D. Murray, who was then representing the county of Howard. He 
secured the passage of a bill which provided for the detaching of border 
townships. One of the requirements of this law was, that a petition must 
be signed by a majority of the voters living in the territory to be detached, 
with a proviso in the law that said detachment should not reduce the area 
of the county to less than four hundred square miles. Several of these 
petitions were prepared. One, the first, divided the school districts too 
unevenly, and the people objected to it ; the second conformed to the de- 
sires of the citizens in this particular, but called for too much territory, 
and consequently failed. But the third fulfilled all the requirements of 
the law, secured a majority of the voters as petitioners, and at the March 
term of the Commissioners' Court of Clinton County, in 1859, the grant 
for the change was made. John Moulder, Daniel R. Jones and Hon. 
Samuel Woody, deserve great praise and the hearty thanks of the 
people for their untiring eff'orts in bringing about this change. It is claimed 
by some that the political aspirations of two men, one to the judgeship in 
Howard County, and the other to the same office in Clinton County, had 
somewhat to do with the makino; of this change. It was in this wise : 
Honey Creek Township was largely Republican in its politics, and by 
taking it off" of Clinton County it made that county solidly Democratic, 
and by adding it to Howard it fixed Howard up for the Republicans. 
These two aspirants conferred together, compared notes, and concluded to 
aid the matter, thereby insuring their own election. 

MANUFACTURING AND MILLING. 

The first saw mill was erected on West Honey Creek by John P. Wright, 
and was afterward owned and managed by Mose Spray. The lumber 
in those days was not much of an item in the way of price. Men look 
back now, and almost invariably exclaim, '• Why didn't we know the value 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 191 

of our timber ?" — men who have since sold enough timber from their 
lands to more than pay for it, and who burned up enough, if they had it 
now, to make them rich. They finally learned its value, and almost every 
section in the township has on it the marks of a saw mill, where millions 
of feet of lumber have been manufactured. The only saw mill now, out- 
side of the town of Russiaville, is in the extreme east end of the township, 
and is owned and managed by Isaac Hollingsworth. He has in connection 
with it a first-class planing mill, and does a pretty extensive business in 
both branches of his establishment. 

The manufacturing of draining tile was not commenced in this town- 
ship until the year 1873, when James Thompson & Sons (Robert and 
John) opened up that branch of industry about two miles southwest of 
Russiaville, by building a pretty extensive kiln, and putting in the neces- 
sary machinery. Their first building was burned, but they rebuilt a more 
extensive establishment, which is now owned and managed by William R. 
Hodson, a son-in-law of Mr. Thompson. One other tile factory was 
opened on Clark Gilford's farm, three miles south of Russiaville, by John 
and Arthur Gifibrd, in 1879, and is still in operation. The other manu- 
facturing interests of the township will be given in the history of Rus- 
siaville. 

SCHOOLS. 

The first schools were taught in log houses. The first schoolhouse 
was a cabin which stood near the present residence of Nathan Ratclifi", 
one quarter of a mile southwest of Russiaville. The first school was 
taught by D. D. Lightner, in the year 1842 ; this was one of the first, 
if not the first school taught in Howard County. At the west end of 
Main street, in Russiaville, stood an old two-story building which was af- 
terward known as the " Old Bowl Machine." It was in the second story 
of this building that Mr. Lightner taught his second school. The first 
house erected for school purposes in the township was a log structure, in 
the extreme southwest corner. The location has been changed several 
times since to different farms, which fact gave it the name of the." Run- 
away Schoolhouse ; " the second building was one mile southeast of Rus- 
siaville. After the change in the law governing school districts, the 
township was re-districted and then consisted of six districts (afterward 
five). New houses were then erected in all the districts ; the one at Rus- 
siaville was a two-stoi'y brick of four rooms, which, at the time it was 
built was considered a big thing, and the best in the county outside of 
Kokomo. It has since been condemned by architects as unsafe for school 
purposes. The following in regard to schools is from H. G. Woody 's his- 
toi'v of the township written in 1876 : " The result of the teaching done 
in the six original school districts of this township has been immense and 



192 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

is the pride of the people. It is thought that no other township in the 
State has, in proportion to its size and population, produced so many 
teachers ; such is theboMSt of the township ; I can only append the facts : 
District No. 1 has produced eighteen teachers; No. 2 (Russiaville) six, 
No. 3, five; No. 4, one ; No. 5, six, and No. 6, twenty-eight; total, six- 
ty-four. Of these, twenty-eight are ladies (this was written seven years 
ago, and the number of teachers from the above districts has been largely 
increased, especially the Russiaville School, which has furnished at least 
forty teachers since that time). The above speaks volumes for the public 
schools. Not a few of these teachers, however, have added to the educa- 
tional foundation received at home, and the instruction of the better col- 
leges and normal schools of the State and United States. The above 
given results are not mere 'happen so's,' nor can they be attributed to 
a predominance of brain-power in Honey Creek over her sister townships. 
Certainly much is due to the training received from the early teachers, 
the principal of whom were D. D. Lightner, T. E. Trueblood and Dr. T. 
M. Moulder ; the name of D. D. Lightner is mentioned because he taught 
the first school and many schools in the township, and because he was a 
man of more than ordinary ability. The name of T. E. Trueblood is se- 
lected because he has taught more schools in Honey Creek Township 
than any other person, and because he is one of the ablest teachers she 
ever had. He did most of his work in Districts No. 1, 5 and 6, which, 
it will be noticed, placed the most teachers in the field. D. D. Lightner 
is now up near Lake Michigan in the fancy gardening business. T. E. 
Trueblood is a wholesale and retail grocer of Kokomo and Dr. T. M. 
Moulder is a reputable and successful practitioner of medicine in the town 
of Russiaville." 

CHURCHES. 

For several years, the pioneers, who were religiously inclined, held 
divine services in the log schoplhouses situated in different parts of the 
township. The first church building erected in the township was by the 
Society .of Friends, and was built in the year 1853, two miles east of Rus- 
siaville, and was called Lynn Meeting House. A new frame building 
now occupies the old site, and still retains the original name. A school- 
house bearing the same name stands close to it. This church organiza- 
tion and the building of the church edifice was the result of the energy 
and enterprise of the Cosands, the Butlers and the Pickerings. Some of 
the prominent members now belonging to that monthly meeting are the 
Cosands (Benjamin, William and John), also, John T. Lindley, Jesse 
RatcliiF, Hannah Moulder, Benjamin King, David Middleton, Lemuel 
Middleton and their families. They hold regular monthly meetings, also 
regular services on Sabbath, and one day during the week. The Lynn 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 19':J 

neighborhood is noted for the wealth and education of its people, and as 
being one of the civilest, quietest neighborhoods in the county. 

A large congregation of the " Separate Baptists " have a church or- 
ganization in the southwest corner of the^ township, where they meet in a 
house formerly used as a schoolhouse, but now owned and used by them. 
The organization was established in 1874, by Jackson Graham, who was 
pastor of the church for two years. He succeeded in arousing a great and 
lasting interest in his church, and secured the co-operation of quite a 
number of influential citizens, death closing his labors at the end of his 
two years work in the church. Robert Sharp was then secured as pastor, 
holding the position two years, after which the present pastor, George W. 
Turner, took charge of the church. The present membership is about 
seventy, and the church is in a flourishing condition. 

Regular Baptists. — This church has had an organization in this town- 
ship over a quarter of a century. In the year 1855, John A. Thompson, 
a son of Wilson Thompson, who was recognized as one of the greatest and 
brightest lights known in that church, in the State, or perhaps, in the 
United States, organized a church, known as the Honey Creek Baptist 
Church, with the following membership : James L. Thompson and wife, 
John A. Thompson and wife. Smith Chambers and wife, Mrs. Luke 
Fry, and a few others. They held their first meeting in the Fortner 
Schoolhouse, one and a quarter miles west of Russiaville, which place 
they occupied for a number of years, and in the year 1878 they 
bought the house they now occupy, which is a schoolhouse, two miles 
south of Russiaville. The pastors of the church have been (in the 
order named) John N. Thompson, David Kirkpatrick, John M. Thomp- 
son, and John Daily, the last one named being the present pastor. 
The principal members at this date are Luke Fry and wife, 
Thomas Giff"ord and wjfe. Miss Hester Giffbrd and Mrs. Alex Bishop. 
In 1870, it was understood by several of the members of this church that 
the organization was to be disbanded, and they united with the Providence 
Church, in Tipton County, but the other members of Honey Creek Church 
continued the organization, which caused a hardness of feeling, and a con- 
sequent split in the church. The result of this misunderstanding was the 
forming of an arm, or branch, of the Providence Church, and in the fall of 
1871, a nice frame church was erected, two and three-quarter miles south- 
east of Russiaville, at a cost of over $1,000. The house was built by the 
contributions of only six individuals, namely : E. J. Chambers, R. W. 
Thompson, P. H. McCann, Ira Bishop, Clark Giftbrd and Margaret 
Chambers. The present pastors are Elder Jackson and Robert W.. 
Thompson. The membership is not large, consisting principally of R. 
W. Thompson and wife, E. J. Chambers and wife, Ira Bishop and wife» ^ 



194 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY^ 

Olark Gifford and wife, J. Hendrix and wife, Benton Frier and P. H. 
McCann. The Regular Baptists have held their conference meetings in 
this township, with a very large attendance. 

POLITICS. 

The political history of Honey Creek Township is pretty nearly a one- 
sided matter. Of late years, she has been particularly noted for her 
rousing and steadily increasing Republican majorities, the present vote 
st.inding about 220 Republican and only 55 Democratic. Ever since 
the organization of the party, she has been enthusiastically Repub- 
lican. Before the advent of Republicanism, she was noted far and near as 
being a stronghold of abolitionism. During the dark days before the war, 
Russiaville was known as one of the stations of the famous "underground 
railroad," and the Friend Quakers were the most zealous workers in the 
carrying on of the enterprise, but it is well known that they had strong 
advocates and hard workers outside of that denomination. D. D. 
Lightner was loud in his denunciation of slavery and helped to conduct 
the ''railroad." Daniel R. Jones, who is still a citizen of Russiaville, 
vfks considered as one of the craftiest and ablest conductors on the road, 
and it is a fact that a great many of the Southern slaves and their fami- 
lies were the happy recipients of assistance in the way of provisions and 
transportation on their flight from their accursed bondage from these 
advocates of the abolition of slavery in Honey Creek Township. 

Honey Creek Township has been successful in two elections, in hav- 
ing the honor of representing the county in the State Legislature. In 
1860, Daniel D. Lightner, who has figured pretty extensively in this history, 
was elected, and served one term to the honor of himself and the credit of 
his constituents. In 1874, Samuel Woody, one of the most thorough and 
zealous workers in the Republican ranks, was elected as Joint Representa- 
tive and filled the office in a very creditable and satisfactory manner. 
The following-named gentlemen hatre served the township as Trustees 
since the change in the law requiring only one Trustee instead of three. 
Thomas E. Trueblood, Thomas Shilling, Dr. Hornaday, Dr. T. M. Moul- 
der, John T. Lindley, Benjamin King and William H. Bishop. The 
present officers in the township are John T. Ratcliff and B. B. Richards, 
Justices of the Peace; Benjamin King, Trustee; Philip Lybrook, As- 
sessor ; John Denton, Roadmaster, and S. P. Hodson and A. D. Nolan, 
Constables. 

RAILROADS. 

One railroad crosses the township from east to west — the Toledo, 
Cincinnati & St. Louis Narrow Gauge, which has been a great benefit 
to the farmers in the way of furnishing a convenient and good market for 
^their produce, of which more will be said in the history of Russiaville. 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 195 

RUSSIAVILLE. 

Prior to 1844, the most thickly settled portion of Honey Creek Town- 
ship was on the west side of the West Branch of Honey Creek. Durini? 
this year, it was decided to start a town and a survey was made, on the 
east bank of West Honey Creek, and thus the town of Russiaville had its 
birth. The town's first houses were rude log cabins of the most primitive 
fashion, a very few of which remain in situ to the present day. The 
growth of the village was slow and its importance very limited until the 
advent of the railroad (F. & K.), which was built in 1873-74. But the 
town took a start for the better about 1856, when there was a railroad 
surveyed and a part of the grade made through this place ; and when 
the road was abandoned the growth of the place was again stopped, New 
London, two miles north, being the principal town in this section. Up to 
the year 1874, the population did not exceed two hundred, since which 
time the town has rapidly increased in dimensions and population until 
it has become one of the most thriving business points in the State for its 
size. New streets are being opened every year and new buildings by the 
score have been and are being erected. Three new additions have been 
laid out this spring (1883), viz.; Hodson's on the northwest, Bowles' on 
the southwest and Chandler's on the southwest. 

The town recieved almost a death-blow on the morninf^ of the 20th 
day of January, 1881, when four of the best business houses of the place 
were totally destroyed by the relentless fire fiend. About 3 or 4 
o'clock on that awful and eventful morning, the fire was discovered at the 
rear of Bishop & Orr's Block. James W. Cooper, Jr., gave the alarm 
of fire, soon arousing the whole town to action. By almost superhuman 
efforts, a great many of the goods were saved, and the fire confined to the 
four two-story business houses, thus saving the adjacent buildifigs. The 
principal losers in this conflagration were Bishop & McCann, John 
Orr, John Gennebeck, B. B. Richards, H. Fritz, H. C. Fellows, Charles 
Baldwin and Grifiith & Evans. John Gennebeck and B. B. Richards 
lost everything they had, having no insurance. As was stated, this 
was almost a death-blow to the business and growth of the place, and bid 
fair to be a permanent disaster, for right at the same time a chant^e was 
contemplated in the railroad matters and men were on a stand, and 
would not rebuild until it was settled. The railroad change becoming 
finally adjusted, the burned district was cleared of the debris and two 
large two-story brick blocks were erected on the old site. The west 
block was finished below for store rooms, with full plate glass fronts and 
the best inside finish in the county. The Odd Fellows and Jared Marshall 
were the proprietors. Bishop k McCann, John Orr and John Genne- 
beck erected the east block, the lower story consisting of three business 



196 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

rooms, and the upper of offices and an opera house, furnished with a 
good stage and appropriate scenery, having a seating capacity of 
400. Since the fire, no less than fifty buildings have been erected, 
and at present the population will probably reach 700, The census 
of 1880 gives a population of 450, since which time the town has 
rapidly increased in population, and the prospect for future growth is 
very flattering. 

LEADING MERCHANTS. 

It has been mentioned that Henry Stuart was the first man to offer 
merchandise for sale in this township, but his store was not a part of the 
village of Russiaville. Martin Burton, who is now a resident of Indi- 
anapolis, started the first store in the town. He erected his store room 
on the corner of Liberty and Main streets. This was also the first build- 
ing ever erected on the original plat of Russiaville. (Mr. Burton and 
Edom Garner owned the land composing the plat, and are considered as 
the originators of the town.) This store building was very small, and of 
course the amount of goods for sale could not have been large. A man 
by the name of Bishop was the second man who sold goods in the place, 
but from this very meager beginning the business of Russiaville has 
grown to be something worth more than a passing mention. The prin- 
cipal merchants who followed these were George W. Thompson, Hiat & 
Johnson, W. M. Waters, Thomas Shilling, Richard Shilling, Robert 
Shilling, Thomas E. Ratcliff, Thomas Wadman & Son, T. T. Whitiker, 
R. T. Chandler, William H. Bishop, and several others. At present the 
following is a list of the merchants and their business. There are three 
firms selling dry goods, clothing, notions etc., namely, 0. G. Coffin, 
G. E. Allison and P. H. McCann (sucessor to Bishop & McCann), all 
doing an extensive business. Several firms are engaged in the grocery 
trade, as follows : L. W. Coffin and Tyner & Chamber.^, are the largest 
dealers in this line, and Frank Fortner and F. E. Fanchier, sell groce- 
ries in connection with their restaurants. There is one furniture store, 
kept by A. Cline. Three houses are in the drug trade — R. T. Chand- 
ler, G. W. Topping & Co. and John Gifford. Mr. Chandler has been in 
this trade in this place for nearly twenty-five years. There are also 
two millinery establishments owned by Mrs. K. E. Chamberlain and Miss 
Lida Vandenbark ; also two shoe shops ; the finest and best suite of 
dental parlors in this part of the State ; one barber shop, one meat- 
market, a livery stable, one of the best hotels in the county, a jewelry 
store, a tailor shop, and a large harness establishment. But the most 
extensive business carried on in the place, is the hardware and agricult- 
ural implement house of Griffith & Evans. This is one of the largest 
houses of the kind in the county, and occupies a block of three buildings, 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 197 

one of which is 132 feet in length ; the firm also deals very extensively 
in live stock, Mr. Evans managing that part of the business. 

POST OFFICE. 
Among the many privations of the early settlers of this place was 
the lack of convenient mail advantages. During the first few years of 
the history of Russiaville, the pioneers had to go from six to eight miles 
to get the little mail they received from their friends. In the year 1847, 
the citizens of this place succeeded, through a private mail route enter- 
prise, in getting their mail sent to New London, which reduced the distance 
to only two miles, but in a few years Russiaville secured a post office. 
Martin Burton was instrumental in establishing the first mail route to this 
place. In 1848 or 1849, the first Postmaster, D. D. Lightner, was ap- 
pointed, and Russiaville was blessed with a post office. In those days the 
citizens thought themselves quite fortunate to get their mail one day in each 
week, and now they are not entirely satisfied with the twenty-one 
mails that come to Russiaville Post Office each week. The business 
of the post office has increased from a mere pittance as a compen- 
sation, to a comfortable salary, and takes all of one man's time to 
run it. Mr. John Gennebeck is the present Postmaster, from 
whom it is learned that during the last quarter, ending March 31, 
1883, there were over 6,000 letters mailed at his office, besides nearly 
2,500 postal cards and about 2,000 circulars. The further history of the 
post office, in regard to mail matter distributed, speaks volumes for the 
intellect of the community, as there are over 1,000 newspapers and peri- 
odicals coming regularly through this office every week to citizens of this 
town and vicinity. Among the Postmasters who have served since the office 
was established are George W. Thompson (second Postmaster, 1849), R. 
L. Shilling, Thomas Shilling and William H. Bishop (who served eleven 
years). 

MILLS. 

The first grist mill was built out of logs, by Edom Ratcliff, on Squir- 
rel Creek, near the present site of the cemetery, and was a mere corn- 
cracker ; but it seemed to answer the purpose then, as there was nothing 
but corn to grind. In 1852, Martin Burton built the first flouring mill 
in Russiaville. It was run by water-power and only run a few years 
until a spring freshet so injured the water privileges that the mill was 
changed to a steam mill. In 1870, the mill was totally destroyed by fire, 
and was then the property of G. W. and M. G. Haun. These men were 
not able to rebuild, and the citizens assisted them in building the flouring 
mill which now stands on Union street. The mill has passed through 
several hands, but is at present owned and managed by the original own- 



198 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

ers, George W. and M. G. Haun. We also have a large planing mill, 
saw mill and furniture factory combined, owned by Augustus Cline, and 
an extensive saw mill and felloe factory, run by George Durrer. For 
several years, James W. Cooper & Sons were engaged in the manufacture 
of wooden bowls, in a two-story building, now torn down, and which is 
remembered and spoken of as the " Old Bowl Machine." This was the 
only factory of the kind ever in the State, and the ware was sold over 
several States. 

SCHOOLS. 
The first school taught in Russiaville was taught in 1842. in a cabin 
on the place now owned by Nathan Ratcliff, which was one of the first 
schools organized in the county. This school and several subsequent 
terms were taught by Daniel D. Lightner. In 1843, the school was 
moved into the upper story of the " Bowl Machine," which building was 
used for school, and as a public hall for several years. In 1872, Dr. W. 
H. Hornaday, the Trustee at that time, built a two-story brick house 
with four rooms for a graded school building. The house was very poorly 
constructed and has recently been condemned as unsafe to hold school in. 
Before the new house was erected, it had been talked of for some time 
and strongly opposed by one element in the township and advocated as 
strongly by another, which resulted in the springing-up of an independ- 
ent candidate for Trustee, known as an Anti-Schoolbouse Candidate. 
The election settled the difficulty by the choosing of Dr. Hornaday, who 
built the house. Charles C. Duncan was selected as the Principal of the 
first school taught in the new house, and under his management the 
educational interest in Russiaville took a decided start in the right direc- 
tion. In 1874, the school was given into the hands of Freeman Cooper, 
and during the next summer it was extensively advertised as a Normal 
School and bid fair to become the best school in the county, having quite 
a number of non-resident pupils. Mr. Cooper then went into the study 
of law, and the school passed to the hands of H. C. Fellow, and subse- 
quently to J. C. Comstock, the present Principal. It is thought by many 
that Mr. Comstock has been more successful as an instructor than any 
teacher for several years past. The future of the school cannot be pre- 
dicted on account of the terrible condition of the school building. An 
effort was made to issue bonds and build a new house, but the County 
Commissioners failed to grant the privilege, on account of the indebted- 
ness of the township. 

THE ODD FELLOWS. 

Russiaville Lodge, No. 105, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted on the 26th 
day of March, 1852. The following were the charter members : Daniel 
Smith, Henry Weaver, George W. Thompson, Jacob Gray and Barney 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 199 

Busby. The first oflScers were : Daniel Smith, N. G.; Henry Weaver, 
V. G.; George W. Thompson, See.; Jacob Gray, Treas. On the 26th 
day of November, 1852, just eight months from the date of the charter, 
the hall, the charter and all the lodge furniture and fixtures were de- 
stroyed by fire. A new charter was granted January 19, 1853. In 
1860, the order in connection with the Methodist Episcopal Church built 
a large hall, the Methodists using the lower story and the Odd Fellows 
the upper. In 1882, the following men were appointed to erect a new 
hall : Martin Allison, John T. Ratcliff, Dr. I. N. Cook, John R. Grif- 
fith and W. W. Fry. The committee purchased ground on the corner of 
Main and Union streets, and in connection with -Tared Marshall erected 
the largest and finest brick block in the town. It is two stories high and 
is forty feet wide in front, and eighty feet long. The order owns the 
west half of the building; their business room is finished with French 
plate glass front, and is elegantly furnished inside. The hall is finished 
and furnished to compare with the rest of the building. The cost of the 
new building was $4,000. There have been admitted to membership since 
the organization of the lodge over 300 persons, and at present the active 
membership numbers about sixty. The present oflicers are : Adam 
Ridnour, N. G.; George A. Borders, V. G.; F. M. C. Hart, Treas.; J. 
C. Comstock, Recording Sec; Dr. I. N. Cook, Permanent Sec; G. W. 
Thompson, Lodge Deputy. 

Hope Encampment, No. 112, meets in the same hall and consists of 
about twenty members. There is also a Rebecca Lodge in connection 
with the order. 

THE MASONIC ORDER. 

Russiaville Lodge, No. 82, A. F. A. M., was established in 1853, 
the charter being granted May 26 of that year. The Russiaville Masons 
formerly belonged to New London Lodge, but the hall at that place 
was burned in 1852 and Russiaville Lodge, No. 82, was then organized. 
Martin Burton, William Morrison, D. D. Lightner, George Hart, Alexander 
Black and William Frost were the charter members, the following named 
filling the three principal oflSces : William Morrison, W. M. ; Martin 
Burton, S. W. ; Daniel D. Lightner, J. W, Russiaville Lodge has been 
the mother of 'several neighboring lodges. The last set of members that 
withdrew established Prairieville Lodge, about six miles southeast of 
Russiaville. The order held their meetings for some time in the upper 
story of the old "Bowl Machine, " but finally purchased the present hall 
on Union street. The lodge is now owner of a hall, the lot on which it 
stands, nice furniture and a good set of solid silver emblems, or jewels. 
The present membership numbers about fifty. The present oflScers are : 
George Francis, W. M. ; Dr. J. C. Wright, S. W. ; John M. Denton, J. 
W. ; R. T. Chandler, Secretary, and John R Griffith, Treasurer. 



200 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

A post of the Grand Army of the Republic has been established re- 
cently in this place with a membership of about forty. The name of the 

post is Henry C. Coulter Post, No. , named in honor of a deceased 

soldier by that name. They hold their meetings in old Odd Fellows 
Hall over the Methodist Church. 

CHURCHES. 

Methodist Church. — The Methodist Episcopal Church was established 
in the very early settlement of the township, at the Fortner Schoolhouse, 
three-fourths of a mile from Russiaville. The first class meeting was 
held there, and also the first quarterly meeting. Solomon and Benoni 
Fortner and their mother and some of the Rivers family formed the first 
class. Rev. Colclazier and Elder R. D. Robinson were the first Meth- 
odist preachers that visited the neighborhood. The first quarterly meet- 
ing was presided over by Elder Richard Hargrave, a prominent pioneer 
Methodist preacher. The church building was erected in 1860 by the 
following-named building committee : John Frazier, William RatclifF, 
Jonathan Lamb, Robert Wilson and William Graham. It was finished 
and dedicated in 1861, Rev. J. J. Cooper preaching the dedicatory ser- 
mon. Recently the church has been refitted and refurnished in modern 
style, the inside work being donated principally by the ladies of the church. 
The church is at present in a flourishing condition. 

Christian Church. — The following, from the first record of this church, 
speaks for itself : " State of Indiana, Lord's Day, Jane 25, 1848. This day, 
the following-named persons who have formerly belonged to the Church 
of Christ in different parts of the country, came together and gave each 
other the right hand of fellowship, pledging themselves to the Lord and 
to each other, to keep the Commandments of God and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, to take the New Testament as their only rule of faith and practice, 
and to renounce all the traditions of men. To be known as the Church of 
Christ, at Russiaville, Howard County, Indiana. (Signed) Elder Benjamin 
Jones, Elder Adam Conrad, William Draper (Deacon), Jonathan Spealman, 
Eli Avery, Enoch Avery Jonathan Styles, James McKown, Andrew 
Pennington, Nicholas Trobaugh, Mary Jones, Catharine Conard, Nancy 
Draper, Margaret Spealman, Dorcas Avery, Louisa Fox, Cela Draper, A. 
E. Beard. " These persons constituted the first organization of the Church 
of Christ in Russiaville. The church house was erected in 1858, by 
Thomas E. Ratcliff. Nicholas Trobaugh and Adam Conard, building 
committee. The church is the largest in the place, having a seating 
capacity of about five hundred. Preaching services are held once a month, 
and social meetings every Lord's Day morning. A prosperous Sunday- 
school meets every Sunday afternoon. The school has a fine organ. 




-A.p|.^ 



M 




HONEY CREKK TOWNSHIP. 203 

Society of Friends was organized here in 1878. In 1877, a nice church 
building was erected by Jared Marshall, Zimri Newlin and Eli Carter, 
the building having been put up one year before the organization. The or- 
ganization is known as the Russiaville Preparative Meeting. The present 
oflScers are 0. G. Coffin, Clerk, and Cyrus Lee, Treasurer; this church 
has rapidly increased in membership until there are about seventy-five 
members at present ; this meeting belongs to the New London Quarterly 
Meeting and the Western Yearly Meeting. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 

The first resident doctor that ever gave a dose of calomel or bled a 
patient in the township was Dr. L. H. Oilar, who is still living two miles 
west of Russiaville, having retired from the practice to enjoy a comfortable 
old age in peace and plenty ; the first Russiaville pill vender was a man 
by the name of Armstrong, who was only here a few months. Dr. D. J. 
Shirley was the first established physician in the town ; after him came 
Dr. E. A. Armstrong, Dr. Hornaday, Dr. T. M. Moulder, Dr. lies, Dr. 
J. C. Wright, Dr. G. W. Kemp, Dr. L. A. Beeks, Dr. M. C. Menden- 
hall and Dr. James Cook. Four of the above form the present corps of 
physicians — Moulder, Mendenhall, lies and Kemp. 

THE BAR. 
Russiaville has not been overstocked with lawyers since her organiza- 
tion. W. M. Waters, admitted to the bar in 1858, was the first and only 
lawyer here for several years ; he had a large and lucrative practice in 
Howard and surrounding courts, and at one time in 1878 came within 
a few votes of being elected Prosecuting Attorney for Howard and Tip- 
ton Counties, the Republican candidate being elected by only eight ma- 
jority. Mr. Waters stood high in his profession, and dealt honorably 
with all his clients. He died March 12, 1879. Freeman Cooper took 
Mr. Waters' practice after his death, and remained here two years. W. 
R. Payne came here in 1882, and is in practice here at present. 

DENTISTRY. 

Dr. I. N. Cook has been engaged in the practice of dentistry for 
about twenty years. In 1879, Dr. J. C. Wright entered into a partner- 
ship with Dr. Cook. The firm dissolved at the end of one year, each 
member starting an office. In May, 1882, Dr. Wright bought Dr. Cook 
out, and now has the finest suite of dental rooms in the county. 

THE NEWSPAPERS. 

Freeman Cooper started the first newspaper in Russiaville. It was 
published chiefly in the interest of his normal school, then in full blast. 



204 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

He called it the Examiner. H. J. Cooper, James Pinkerton, Alva 
Smith, H. C. Fellow and William Herrington, followed as editors and 
publishers of Russiaville papers of different names. The Standard 
office was destroyed by the big fire in January, 1881, being then the prop- 
erty of H. C. Fellow, and consisting of a good Washington press, a fine 
job press, and a good office outfit generally. This left the town without 
a paper until the Observer made its appearance, edited and published by 
A. T. and Mary Cosand. Mr. Cosand purchased a full office outfit at 
a large expense, and has furnished us the best paper ever published in the 
town. He also has a job office connected with the Observer. 

THE BINNS MURDER, 

The history of Russiaville would be very incomplete without a men- 
tion of that terrible tragedy commonly known as the " Binns Murder." 
On the night of the last day of January, 1870, about half past 9 
o'clock, a sharp report of a gun broke the stillness of the night. The 
shrill, piercing screams of a woman in distress were next heard. In a 
few moments the cause of the trouble was painfully apparent to the 
citizens who turned out in the cold night to ascertain the locality of the 
terrible sounds. On the corner lot where now stands the Bishop & Orr 
brick block stood a very small building, occupied by a poor woman and 
three little children. The children were in bed, and the woman, Mrs. 
Binns, was fixing the fire in the stove before retiring for the night. She 
was stooping over with her face to the window, dressed in her night 
clothes, and while in that stooping posture a dastardly, sneaking coward 
approached the window, aimed at the stooping form of Mrs. Binns, and 
fired the shot which ended her life on the last day of March, or just two 
months from the time of the shooting. Jonathan Binns, the husband of 
the woman, with whom she had not lived for some time, had threatened 
her life on account of an estate that was coming to Mrs. Binns. He had 
tried to get it into his hands, and she, refusing to let him have it, incurred 
his displeasure. The neighbors learned from Mrs. Binns that she sus- 
pected her husband of committing the deed. Immediate search was made 
for him, and he was captured. A preliminary trial was held, and the 
circumstances were so strong against him that he was bound over to court. 
Mrs. Binns and her children were taken to the hotel then kept by W. A. 
Ratcliff, where she received the best of care until her death. The people 
were so indignant over the matter that, if it had been possible, Jonathan 
Binns would have suffered death at the hands of a mob ; but he was 
closely guarded. The following are a few of the principal points in 
the circumstantial evidence which convicted him of murder, and sent him 
to the penitentiary for life. He was seen by Jonathan Dixon on the 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 205 

Honey Creek road, within a mile of Russiaville, and walking in that 
direction, on the same evening of the murder. He rode with William 
Seward in a wagon on the Honey Creek road toward Russiaville, and 
was identified at the trial by these men as the same person. There was 
snow on the ground the night of the shooting, and the next morning 
he was tracked in a southeast direction to where he climbed over a rail 
fence into Thomas Wadman's orchard. In jumping down off the fence, 
he jumped into a wagon wheel, his leg running through or between the 
spokes. At the trial, his leg was examined, and a " tell-tale " bruise and 
sore was found where his leg struck the wheel. He was further identi- 
fied by the track a crooked foot made in the snow. These points, in con- 
nection with the threats he had made, and several other convincing 
features, convicted him of murder. On account of technicalities, he was 
granted two new trials, but was remanded to prison for life each time. 
The cost to the county of these three trials was thousands of dollars. 
The last trial was held in Clinton County on a change of venue. W. M. 
Waters, Russiaville's attorney, was one of the State's attorneys in the 
case, and made one of the best efforts in his life in his speech before the 
jury. 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 

BY D. A. WOODS. 

Monroe Township is the smallest township in the county, as Ervin 
is the largest. It contains only about eighteen sections of land. It lies 
in the western part of the county, about midway north and south. The 
township was named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth President of the 
United States, and one of the Revolutionary heroes. The township is bounded 
on the north by Wild Cat River and Ervin Township, on the east by 
Harrison Township, on the south by Honey Creek Township and Clinton 
County, and on the west by Carroll County. 

The township possesses a variety of soil, much of which is well adapted 
to purposes of stock-raising. There are hills, level lands, and a few small 
prairies within the limits. There are several streams of water running 
through the township, the most important of which is the Wild Cat. 
These streams afford sufficient water-power for all purposes, and there 
are several mills upon them. Stonebraker's Mill, as it has long been 
called, in the western part of the township, is one of the most widely 
known in this county. This township is part of what has always been 
known as "The Seven-Mile Strip "—land ceded by the United States to 
the State of Indiana, to be used for canals. This was in the day of 
great excitement concerning internal improvements. 



206 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

The first settlers of the townsliip came in about 1837, the first being 
Mr. Landrum, who settled on the old Manasseh Woods farm, just west of 
Stonebraker's Mill. This farm is now owned by Jonas Brubaker and 
the widow of Manasseh Woods. The work done by Mr. Landrum was 
insignificant, but yet it was a beginning, and as such is now regarded as 
the beginning of the settlement of Howard County. Mr. Landrum 
erected a log cabin, of the most primitive character, and moved his family 
into it as soon as finished. For some time previous, he had resided in 
Burlington, Carroll County. While living in Burlington, he had as a 
neighbor David Foster, who afterward had much to do with the settle- 
ment of Howard County. 

In February, 1839, Robert Walker, .Joseph Taylor, George Taylor, 
his son, and Isaac Price settled in Monroe Township, on the north side of 
Wild Cat. When these old pioneers located here and commenced the 
work of clearing away the timber whereon to erect for themselves a 
home, they found miles of unbroken forest in every direction. It was 
simply a dot upon the surface. It is not necessary to give a further descrip- 
tion of the work of these early settlers upon the north side of the river, 
as the same has been described under the head of Ervin Township, to 
which all this land, lying north of the Wild Cat, now belongs. 

In the fall of 1839, John B. Miller came from East Tennessee and 
settled a little south of the Stonebraker Mill. Here he lived for many 
years. His son, Matthew W. Miller, died there in 1878. Matthew W. 
was largely engaged in the raising of stock, having a farm well adapted 
to this business. About the time that the elder Miller settled here, John 
Morrison Errlox, Gideon Vernon and William Coate settled in various 
parts of the township. In 1840, came John P. Wright, Joel Hollings- 
worth, Jacob Wright, Job Garner, Thomas Stubbs, Jesse George, 
Reuben Edgerton, and John and Jonathan Lamb. It is said that John 
P. Wright came from his home in Illinois on horseback, guided only by 
the blazed trees on the way. Those were the dark days in the history of 
the early settlement of this county ; but it was a history incident to the 
early settlement of all counties. Job Garner was one of the first petit 
jurors of the County Court, then held at Capt. John Harrison's place. 
We are told that there was a warm time among the early settlers of the 
county upon the framing of a new county. The western part of Howard 
belonged originally to Carroll County, Monroe and Ervin Townships thus 
belonging to Carroll, and Honey Creek to Clinton. Many favored 
remaining with Carroll County, as it was so far in advance of Howard, 
that taxes would be lighter for improvements of all kinds. Those who 
favored joining Howard, finally gained the day, and it was accomplished. 

Barny Busby came to the township in the spring of 1842, and purchased 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 207 

the farm, on a part of which stand Shanghai and the Quaker Church. 
He is now a resident of Kokomo, and among its best citizens. He also 
once owned the land where the Dunkard Church building now stands. 
Capt. Busby has served his country faithfully, having been in the Mexi- 
can war, and also in the rebellion, in the latter part of which he was 
promoted to the rank of Captain. 

From 1841 to 1846, many of the old settlers moved into the township, 
some of whom are still left, but the majority have passed away. Among 
them are mentioned the names of Henry Oiler, Manasseh Woods, Austin 
North — who was the first Recorder of the county — Snead Thomas, H. 
Loomis, Joe McCoy, James Fortner, Absalom Hollingsworth, William 
Giiford and Christian Fritz. Mr. Fritz died a short time since one of the 
most prosperous farmers in the county. 

THE FIRST ELECTION. 

The first township election in Monroe (now Ervin) was in 1840, for a 
Justice of the Peace. There were two candidates — Theophilus Bryan and 
Isaac Price. There were twenty-eight votes cast, of which each candi- 
date had fourteen. We are told that several more of the " sovereign 
lords" were present, but as they had imbibed too freely of " Harrison's 
best," they did not take sufficient interest in the election to deposit their 
ballots. The next spring Bryan was elected over Price by a vote of 
fifteen to fourteen. 

For many years after the early settlement of all western Howard, the 
chief commercial point was Burlington, just across the Carroll County 
line. Here our early settlers went to do all their trading, and they were 
compelled for some time to go to Adams' mill, about seven miles below 
Burlington, for their milling. This mill was situated on Wild Cat, and 
was run by water-power. When the water gave out, the pioneer fathers 
would then go to Delphi or Logansport. The first mill built in what is 
now Howard County was built in the year 1840. This was east of New 
London, on Honey Creek. In the year 1848, what is now known as 
the Stonebraker Mill was erected. By subsequent changes, additions and 
improvements, it has long been a valuable property. The mill is now 
owned by Carey & Harrell. In these primitive days there was not such 
a scrambling as now to get work to do, but the trouble was to find 
persons to do the work. 

NEW LONDON. 

New London is the only town within the township. The town is well 
located on a high piece of ground, and would be a splendid location for 
a town of any size. John Lamb and Reuben Edgerton were the founders 
of the town, which was laid out in the year 1845. At this time there 



208 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

were three houses or cabins in the town. Among the inhabitants Jona- 
than Haworth had engaged in the sale of dry goods and groceries. He 
was succeeded by Isaac Ramsey. Soon after the organization of the 
town, Richard Nixon (now of Kokorao) came to the town and engaged 
in the mercantile business. He remained there many years. Nathan 
Hunt carried the first mail to New London, he having the first contract. 
The post office was established in 1846, with a weekly mail. The first 
paper published in the county commenced its existence here in 1848. It 
must have been a curious looking sheet. The three parties of that day 
were all represented, each side of the paper conducted by its own editor — 
the Free-Soil, Wickersham and Albertson, editors ; Democrat, Dr. Barrett ; 
Whig, C. D. iMurray. 

This paper, the Pioneer, soon died of financial exhaustion, and 
the press and types were sold and moved to Kokomo, where they aided 
in the establishment of the present Tribune. New London prospered for 
some years, but it has long since attained its growth. 

SCHOOLS. 

The majority of the church members of Monroe are Quakers, and 
wherever they have congregated in large numbers, good schools will 
nearly always be found. They have many members in and around New 
London. New London has long been noted for its excellent schools. In 
1844, the Friends had erected a house for worship and for school purposes, 
etc. This house was burned in 1851, and in 1852 the old schoolhouse was 
erected, which was used from that time until 1876. During that year the 
Trustee erected the present school building. This building is an honor to 
any town of its size. The citizens are interested in securing nothing but 
good teachers, and for many years they have been successful. H. G. 
Woody, the present Principal of the Kokomo High School, had charge of 
the school as Principal for many years, and to him is largely due the 
present efficient condition of this school. His years of work here show 
what can be done by one man remaining for a period of years at one 
place. It is a sufficient answer to the question, " Should we have a fre- 
quent change of teachers?" 

The schools in the township outside of town have always been good. 
There are schools in the township outside of t\\e New London school 
where there are four teachers. 

The first school in the township was taught by Thomas Stubbs, a 
New Yorker, who taught in a little house just north of the Friends' 
Church, on the land now owned by Benjamin Thompson. He taught but 
one term here, but afterward taught another elsewhere. Some time in 
1842, there was a schoolhouse built near the northern part of the town- 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 209 

ship. Here William Miller taught the first school. There were but two 
log schoolhouses in the township in 1853. 

The first School Board was composed as follows : James Fortner, Isaac 
Bates and Thomas Easterling. 

THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 

The first minister of the Gospel was Job Garner, a New Light 
preacher. He was one of the early pioneers of the church. He com- 
menced his ministry in 1840. Next in order of time was William Wil- 
son, a Methodist minister. The house of Jacob Price was selected as the 
one at which to hold his first meeting in the township. He had a large 
audience for so meager a settlement. As has already been remarked, 
the Friends far exceed all other denominations in numbers. There are 
now five hundred members of this church in this township. The first 
meeting held in this township by them was in a grove west of New Lon- 
don ; but six members of the church were present. The first minister 
was James Owen. The Friends have a large, commodious house for wor- 
ship in the town of New London. They are generally free from debt as 
a body of people. 

THE DUNKARDS. 

The Dunkards or German Baptists also have a very large church 
house, situated on a hill just about one mile west of the old Stonebraker 
Mill. Many of the communicants live across Wild Cat in Ervin Town- 
ship, but a large number of them live in Monroe. This church was once 
very strong here, having an organization of 400 people who worshiped at 
this church ; but a few years since there was a schism in the church 
generally, which affected this organization. They teach that all must 
have clothes of the same pattern and not made like those of the " world." 
They do not believe in Sabbath schools, organs in churches, an educated 
ministry or any new-fangled ideas, as they term them. One branch of 
the order came to the conclusion that too many of these innovations upon 
the ancient order of the church were being pushed into the order, hence 
their withdrawal. Those seceding have taken upon themselves the name 
"The Old Order of the German Baptist Church," the others call them- 
selves "Conservatives." 

OTHER CHURCHES. 

The "New Lights" have a large and flourishing congregation, who 
worship in the house at " Sugar Grove." 

The Quakers also have a house of worship about two miles northwest 
of New London, at a place called "Pleasant Hill." 

The Methodists also have a church building erected in the town of 
New London, as have the Adventists. These congregations are all in a 



210 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

flourishing and healthy condition. In fact, there has always existed a 
high standard of morality in the township. 

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 

The first disciples of Esculapius were Drs. Stoneman, Barrett and 
Wickersham, who located in the town of New London in the year 1864. 
They remained a few years and then all left to seek other spheres of 
action. Dr. John F. Henderson came to New London at an early day, 
and commenced practicing his profession. He soon commanded a very 
large and lucrative practice, and remained in New London actively en- 
gaged in his profession until his removal to Kokomo in the year 1861. 

The physicians who are now engaged in practice in the township are 
Drs. Shirley, and Newlin & Newlin. They all reside in New London. 
Dr. Beeks, a physician of much more than average ability and pros- 
pects in his profession, has lately abandoned the profession and has be- 
come a regularly ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

THE MASONIC ORDER. 

The first lodge of Freemasons organized in this country was estab- 
lished in the town of New London in the year 1846. This organization 
was so unfortunate as to lose all its papers and lodge room by fire a few 
year afterward. This was not remedied until 1862, when the lodge was 
re-established, since which time, it has been prosperous. 

On December 28, 1870, an I. 0. 0. F. Lodge was organized in the 
town. 

PRESENT TEACHERS AND BUSINESS HOUSES. 

The teachers for the past winter were the following : 
The Trustee of the township is Clarke Haworth, an excellent man 
for the place. John Stiffler and Ellis Grubbs are the Justices of the 
township. 

Hiram Fritz is the only dealer in dry goods in the town. His business 
is extensive. Newlin & Tucker are conducting a drug store and grocery. 
The flouring business is conducted by Manly Thompson, at the old Thomp- 
son Mill west of New London. 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 

BY H. 0. FELLOW. 

With what fond recollections do we look back to the past history of 
our lives and read the great tale of the by-gones in the wilderness. But 
few of the aged veterans remain to weave the historical fabric of facts 
with the thread of personal incidents. The silent dust of the sleeping 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 211 

pioneer whispers on the winds his hardships and his trials, and we list 
and we hear the echo come back from the forests of the long ago. Those 
who are spared paint on the canvas of a treacherous memory, as best 
they can, the picture of their lives. The aged hand trembles like the 
aspen of the wood as it tries to depict the hills and valleys, the ups and 
downs of pioneer life. With what pride can he point to the broad acres 
of cleared land that extend far and wide, and say, " I was the first to 
make it thus." How we love to hear the pioneers' stories of how they 
raised their cabins, rolled their logs, husked their corn, killed the deer 
and trapped the otter and the wild cat. It falls like the tale of another 
world upon the ears of Young America. The days when they rocked 
their babes in a sugar trough and reared them on hog and hominy are past. 
How the old veterans love to look back through the gray mists of years 
and read the picture we pen in the following lines : 

THE CABIN IN THE CLEARING. 

' Tis the cabin in the clearing 

By the little patch of corn, 

With its silken tassels waving 

In the breezes of the morn. 

How I love that ancient cabin, ■ 

With its rafters bending low 
With the seed-corn and the pumpkin, 
From the little field below. 

See, above the smoky mantel. 

Hangs the winter's store of meat 
Of the venison and turkey — 

Fitting food for kings to eat. 

See the crane, Within the chimney, 

Swinging in the roaring blaze, 
Bearing to and fro the kettle 

Filled with simmering snowy maize. 

In the forks, above the doorway. 

Lies the flintlock, loaded well 
For the prowling wolf and wild cat, 

Of the deep sequestered dell. 

Here I hear the merry music 

Of the spindle and the wheel. 
With the clatter of the shuttle 

And the creaking loom and reel. 

But that cabin's gone forever, 

Ajel its tale has long been told. 
And its dust adown the river, 

Mingles with the island mold. 



212 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

DESCRIPTIVE. 

Harrison Township is situated in the southwestern part of Howard 
•County, and contains nearly twenty -one and a half sections of land. The 
surface is somewhat undulating, especially through the central and north- 
ern part. Of the Little Wild Cat Creek, the West Fork begins near 
the Tipton County line in Section 26, flows through Sections 23 and 15 
in a northwesterly direction to a point near Greeson's saw mill, south of 
Alto, where it meets with the East Fork that flows north of west through 
Sections 24, 13 and 14 to the conjunction. Thence the creek flows north 
of west through Sections 15, 16, 17, 8 and 7. Along on each side are 
frequent affluents of small spring branches. The Big Wild Cat forms a 
part of the northern boundary, flowing in a westward direction in a very 
irregular manner through Sections 4, 5 and 6. This portion of the 
" Reserve" was once covered with a very fine growth of maple, white 
oak, poplar and black walnut, but the woodman's ax has made great in- 
roads in the rich forests. Along the streams there are large deposits of 
gravel and sand ; and in the southern part of the township a clay forms 
a subsoil for a rich black loam, thus making it one of the best tracts in 
Howard County for agricultural purposes. The history of this section 
extends back over a period of forty-four years, while the organization 6f 
the township will date back to 1846. It is probable that no histories of 
this section extend farther back and are any more interesting than those 
of Judge T. A. Long and James Brooks. 

ORIGIN OF NAME AND FIRST SETTLERS. 

From Mr. Long it is learned that when the township was laid out it 
was named in honor of John Harrison, at whose house the first election 
in the county was held. Although James Brooks, one of the pioneer 
hunters and trappers, came to the reserve in 1838, the first man that we 
have any knowledge of who settled in this township is Martin Crist, who, 
in company with Judge Long in the fall of 1840, came to search for 
homes in the wilderness. As it was long before the land was for sale, 
Crist took a claim on the north half of Section 7, of which the present 
farm of Walker Thorn forms a part. This claim he marked by notching 
four logs and making a pen out of them. Mr. Long went across the 
•creek into Clay Township and bought a claim of a man by the name of 
Heart. Mr. Heart had cleared out some four acj-es and built a brush 
fence around the same and erected a small cabin on the quarter for an 
Indian, but as the Indian would not pay Heart the $100 required for 
making such improvements, Long took the claim and paid the money. 
Later in the season of 1840, Joseph W. Heaton, Thaddeus Baxter and 
Thomas McClure came from Kirklin, Clinton County, and took up 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 213 

claims. The next spring, they erected cabins on their claims and moved 
■with their families to them. Now began the great rush for homes in the 
rich region along the Wild Cat. During the season of 1841, David 
Bates, James Hamilton and Charles Harmon arrived, and following them 
in rapid succession came Bernhart Lerner, Ephraim Bates, William Coats, 
Philip Ramseyer, James Scott, Nathan Comer, Clinton Gray and Bland 
Jones. But a few more years had passed till the Thorns, the Hollings- 
worths, Pitzers, Greesons, Middletons, Stringers, Wilsons, Waggamans 
and many others had commenced to hew out their fortunes in the wilds. 
In 1845, Mr. Long sold his claim and purchased the tract where his sons, 
Bobert and James, live, and some years afterward moved to Harrison 
Township and bought where he now lives. 

EARLY REMINISCENCES. 

Of the histories of the old pioneers who plied their vocation as trappers 
along the Wild Cat, that of "' Uncle Jim " Brooks is the most important. 
James, at the age of twenty-seven, and his father left Hamilton County 
in the fall of 1838 and followed an Indian trail through to the reserve and 
camped with a party of land-hunters soutii of the present site of New Lon- 
don. In a few days, they built some bark wigwams on Little Honey 
Creek and trapped during the winter. The products of their toils were 
the skins of seventy otter. During the summer of 1839, they caught 140 
coons on Shaw's Prairie. In the fall of 1840, they built some bark huts 
on the land afterward owned by Foster, near Kokomo, and trapped above 
the town extensively. They caught a great many coons and wild cats. 
It being very cold, they frequently found coons frozen in the snow. One 
evening the father, returning from up the creek, found a frozen turkey, but 
before he got home dropped it near a buttonbush pond where the court 
house now stands. James, going out to look for it, found it in the clutches 
of a wild cat, so he set two otter traps and the next morning went out 
and found that he had caught the wild cat. The next spring they found 
five bee-trees in an Indian sugar-camp ; these they cut down and by the 
use of moss strained out seventeen gallons of fine honey, and this with a 
lot of sugar- ^vater they boiled down to a sugar. Undoubtedly this is the 
sweetest part of " Uncle Jim's " recollections. In that day, wolf hides 
sold for 75 cents and scalps for $1.50. Wild cat hides sold for $8, otter 
hides from $6 to |9, and deer hides from 50 cents to $1 apiece. 

From the history of Judge T. A. Long, we take a few of his early 
reminiscences, and place under this head. Mr. Long, in that day, was 
called " Old Specks " by the Indians, on account of his wearing glasses. 
Sometimes a " big Injun, me, whoop ! " would get mad at him and " cuss " 
him in this way: "Old Specks, he heap good man, maybe d — n rascal." 



214 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Mr. Long erected a little shop near his cabin, and for several years re- 
paired guns for the Indians. Across the creek from his shop stood Fos- 
ter's trading house, where the Indians would take their skins, and buy 
blankets, and " lots heap good whisky," and then would go and get Long 
to fix their guns. Foster would frequently interpret and vouch for them, 
and Long would charge the bill to Foster, and Foster would charge three 
or four times as much up to the Indians. Long had a nice little horse, 
worth some $50, which Foster wanted; but, being afraid of making 
the price too high, asked him what he would give. Foster replying he 
would give $65, agreeably surprised Long at his generosity, and conse- 
quently got the horse. Foster kept the same for ten days, and sold it for 
$250 to an Indian. Uncle Tommy being rather surprised, a second time 
concluded he could sell a horse, which his father-in-law owned, for a good 
price. As the horse would lay down and let its rider mount, the feat 
greatly pleased the Indians, and Foster sold it to one for $400. The 
next autumn the Indian brought the horse back to be put in order, and 
for doing so was charged the sum of $200 by the trader, Foster. Mr. 
Long having several cattle, and needing some brass to make bells for them, 
was informed that he could get it of the old chief, Kokomo. He went to 
chief's wigwam, and was introduced by a Mr. Barnett to his dusky high- 
ness, as a Kentuckian. The chief began to act strangely, went out and 
painted himself, returned and told Barnett that he had scalped several 
Kentuckians, and would scalp the new-comer; but Long told Barnet that 
Kokomo had better not try that game, or he would shoot him on the spot. 
The Indian being told of Long's intent, permitted them to go to the squaw 
camp, get their brass, and depart unmolested. An Indian, Shapendocia, 
once tried to get away with Mr. Long, for some work done, but as he 
was informed Long would sell the gun he had repaired, the Indian get- 
ting afraid, sent his mother, the old squaw, Manson Zequa, with the money, 
who paid the bill and took the gun. 

The first birth in the township was that of Benjamin F. Lerner, born 
of Mr. and Mrs. Bernhart Lerner, May 29, 1842. How many times had 
Thadeus Baxter and Samuel Waggaman, dressed in their homespun, 
trudged along an Indian trail, through the deep, unbroken forest, to the 
cabin where the Heaton girls lived, and there, before the great fire, 
essayed to woo and win, with lays of love, the pioneer maids of the forest. 
Not long did the boys thus court under difficulties, for Baxter was mar- 
ried to Miss Lavina Heaton in February, 1843, and Mr. Waggaman and 
Malinda Heaton were joined in the bonds of wedlock March 5, 1843. 
They procured a magistrate from Kirklin, twenty miles away, who, after 
he had ridden on horseback through the swamps and performed the cere- 
mony, was compensated with $1 for services rendered. The hardy yeo- 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 215 

men needed shoes and leather aprons, so they took the hides of various 
animals to a man by the name of Judkins, who ran a small tannery near 
where the Mount Zion Church stands, and when tanned, to Bernhart 
Lerner, the first shoe-maker, to be made into the articles desired. 

SAW AND GRIST MILLS. 

The first saw mill in this township was built in 1846 by John Test 
on the banks of the Little Wild Cat, on the place formerly owned by 
A. C. RatcliflF. The mill was afterward owned by the Rels Bros. & 
Bates, and in 1848 was purchased by Jonathan and Samuel Stratton and 
Richard Bates, and was traded in 1852 to Isaac Hollingsworth. The 
Strattons then purchased a small mill down the creek, which had- been 
recently erected, and this they ran some four years. In 1856, Mr. 
Samuel Stratton purchased the former site and erected a grist mill in 
connection with the saw mill. In 1848, Stephen Brooks built a small 
corn-cracker and wheat mill south of Alto. A part of the frame is yet to 
be seen ; the bolting box is now being used by Mr. George Greeson as a 
grain bin. In 1853, the Fred Bros, built a mill on the creek, near where 
George Greeson's house stands. 

THE CHURCH AND SCHOOL HISTORY. 

Most all the families who settled in the Reserve were those who tena- 
ciously held to the religious dogmas of some sect, and they early felt the 
need of a place of worship. The pioneers living in the vicinity of Twin 
Springs started to work at building a large log church house, each member 
agreeing to furnish so many logs on the ground. When the walls were up 
ready for the roof, the project was abandoned and a large log church 
house was erected in Alto, and here the people met for some time 
and sang their psalms in common meter, unmolested by the savage war- 
whoop of the dusky denizen of the forest. But a short time after the 
church at Alto was built, one was erected by the Baptists and Methodists 
in the west end of the township on Martin Crist's place. 

In this building was taught the first school in the township. The 
first structure, however, especially for school purposes, was erected in the 
year 1844 or 1845, not far from the present site of the Mount Zion 
Church. The school in those days, when they sat on the flat site of a 
backless pole bench, and conned their Bible and worked their sums by the 
light of the sun shining leaden-like through the windows of greased 
paper, was one taught only by subscription, and lasted but a month or so 
in the winter. The first improved school furniture was some rough desks 
made by ex-Judge Palmer, of Clinton County, who was teaching school 
at Alto in 1856. The money to buy the lumber was made up by sub- 



216 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. • 

scription, Shadrach Stringer doing the soliciting, and Palmer making 
the desks at night and teaching in the day-time. Palmer then lived in a 
little hut across the road from Stringer's tile mill. Among the early 
preachers we find the names of Frank Taylor and John D. Hopkins, 
while Charles Price and Thomas Stubbs were about the earliest teachers 
in the township. 

MEDICINE, LAW AND POLITICS. 

The list of professionals, though not lengthy, was yet all sufficient. 
L. McGrary served in the capacity of the first Justice of the Peace, and 
Vaughan and Stoneman as the first dispensers of physic. Charles Allison, 
as early as the spring of 1844, built the first trading house in the town- 
ship, on the tract afterward owned by L. Bates. And near this building 
in 1844 the first county convention met. The first election held in the 
township was in 1848, the polls for voting being in an old hut on the 
place now owned by Widow Thorn, east of G. P. Pitzer's. At this 
occurred a disgraceful fight and one of the two murders ever perpetrated 
in the township. In the township election held August, 1849, two men 
by the name of Brahard and Lane, having an old grudge, agreed to go to 
the election and fight it out. They formed a ring, appointed seconds, 
and commenced in dead earnest. After a few rounds, Brahard struck 
Lane in the side, thus bursting a blood-vessel and causing almost instant 
death. A trial was held, and Brahard acquitted on the ground of self- 
defense, as Lane had urged the fight upon him. 

THE TOWN OF ALTO. 

The first plat of any town in the township was that of Beuna Vista, 
laid off at the rapids of the Little Wild Cat, one-half a mile west of the 
present site of Alto. The survey was made on the last day of April, by 
a Mr. Snodgrass, but the next day Stephen Brooks quietly had Alto sur- 
veyed and, as soon as possible, before Snodgrass had completed the plat 
of Beuna Vista, Brooks hurried to Indianapolis, the shortest way pos- 
sible, and had the plat of Alto recorded in the Land Office Records. 
Snodgrass, somewhat chagrined, then abandoned his scheme. The first 
addition to the town was laid out in that year. The young village being 
in the midst of a rich agricultural region soon sprang into considerable 
commercial importance. Before the year had closed, there were three 
stores, three cabinet shops, a blacksmith shop and a boot and shoe shop. 
During the first two years of its existence, as much trade was done there 
as in Kokomo during the same time. The first physician was Dr. J. H. 
Kern ; the first merchant and Postmaster was R. Cobb ; the first cabinet- 
maker was W. B. Judkins, while Miles Judkins stood at his post keeping 
soles in a state of redemption. The town has never been cursed by a 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 217 

saloon, the attempt to start one having been frustrated by the means of a 
long shank auger in boring into and emptying the whisky barrels. The 
short terms of subscription school were held in the log church until 1856, 
when a hewed-log school was erected. Concerning the later improve- 
ments of the place, we will speak of them further along. We now produce 
a few facts gleaned from the old township records which will be of interest 
to readers. 

The nice little village of Alto contains, at present, sixty-five inhabit- 
ants. They have one of the finest country stores in this part of the State, 
owned by Allen Quick. Mr. Quick is also the very accommodating Post- 
master at this place. There is also one blacksmith shop, one shoe shop, 
one carpenter shop, one saw mill, and one of the finest tile factories in 
Howard County, belonging to John T. Stringer, Esq. He has some 
$2,500 invested in machinery and apparatus, and turns out 12,000 rods 
of excellent tile per year. The village has excellent school and church 
edifices, both built of brick. The church is of the Methodist Episcopal 
denomination, and is presided over by Rev. Mr. Powell. They have also 
excellent physicians in the persons of Drs. Kern and Miller. 

EARLY TOWN LEGISLATION. 

The first meeting that the records make mention of is of the three 
Township Trustees held at Alto April 11, 1853. The Trustees were 
John Knight, David Greeson and R. D. Bates. At a meeting of the 
Board of Trustees of Harrison Township, held at Alto, April 30, 1853, 
it was ordered : That 4 cents on each $100 worth of taxable property, 
real and personal, should be levied to defray township expenses ; also, 
that there be a tax of 8 cents on each $100 worth of real and per- 
sonal estate subject to tax for road purposes ; also, that the Clerk ad- 
vertise a meeting of the voters of the township to meet at Alto, on the 
first Saturday in June, to take a vote for or against the Trustees levying 
a tax for the support of the common schools. 

At a meeting held July 23, 1853, it was ordered, that on the 20th 
day of August, 1853, there be a special meeting of the voters of Harri- 
son Township, Howard County, Ind., for the purpose of voting for or 
against a school tax of 20 cents on each $100 worth of taxable prop- 
erty in said township. 

The vote for the school tax, as ordered, was as follows : For tax, 33 ; 
against tax, 29. Thus was ushered into existence under difficulties 
the system of free schools in Harrison Township. 

September 10, 1853, Silas Scott, James L. McCrary and 0. H. P. 
Hanna reported a change in the Michigantown & Kokomo State road, 
as follows : " We, the undersigned, have viewed the within proposed 



218 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

change and find the same to be a practicable route for said proposed 
change, and that it will not be any material disadvantage to the traveling 
community." As reported to a meeting of the trustees at Alto, Feb- 
ruary 4, 1854, we find an opinion on the same subject expressed in the 
following pointed language. Going west, however, in a " gradual curve 
round " is a "sum"' thai beats the modern "problem." The report 
says : " We, the Viewers met, and after being sworn, went upon the pro- 
posed route and place of beginning. After viewing the route and taking 
into consideration the convenience and inconvenience of the road, we be- 
lieve it to be of public utility. We viewed west in Reese's and Kyger's 
lane of a gradual curve round, giving room sufficient for a road until we 
struck line and the south end of the lane." 

The allowances for the year ending April 8, 1854, were as follows: 
James Creson was allowed $12 for services as Township Clerk ; John 
Knight, $7, Trustee; Joseph Burk, $4, Trustee ; David Greeson, $5.50, 
Trustee. On September 8, 1854, Zimri Simpson was allowed $12.50 
to be expended on a bridge immediately west of Clinton Gray's old shop. 

On June 2, 1855, it was ordered " That Samson Lett be paid $2 for 
money drawn by him and depreciated on his hands." At this meeting 
the Trustees made the following order of a division of the school funds : 
*' Ordered, that the different sites in the township receive the following 
sums annexed to the different numbers: No. 1, $3.78; No. 2, $93.45 ; 
No.3, — ; No. 4, $80.95 ; No. 5, $82.45 ; No. 6, $98.15 ; No. 7, $22.45 ; 
No. 8, $42.53." At the same meeting Samson Lett was elected Deputy 
Superintendent of School No. 4. 

At a meeting held March 8, 1856, it was was ordered: " That the 
Treasurer of the township receive an order from this board authorizing 
him to present the same to the County Treasurer and draw $37.50, if he 
can do it, for the purpose of paying tuition." 

At the term held at Alto, June 12, 1857, the following teachers were 
allowed wages: David Hodson, District 6, $73; D. J. Bowman, District 
1, $40 ; Flemming Johnson, District 2, $60."77 ; Frederick Ramseyer, 
District 8, $61.64; Alfred Riley, District 3, $66.11; William Creason, 
District 5, $43.96. There not being enough money in the treasury, D. 
J. Bowman was allowed his balance of $7.89, at the July special term. 
On May 29, 1858, it was ordered " That Charles Thorn be paid $2.50 
for his service as Supervisor to fill the vacancy of John Lortts." The 
first choice of a regular Trustee, was at the April election of 1859, when 
Davis Riley was elected Trustee of Harrison Township. 

A GAS WELL. 

The mineral deposits of the township consist alone of bog iron, which 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 219 

is found in considerable quantity along the creek. The greatest natural 
curiosity is that of a gas well, situated on the farm of George Greeson. 
In 1871, while some hands were digging and boring a well, at the depth 
of fifty-five feet they struck a gas vein, when a report like the whistling of 
an engine, came from the well. Quite a commotion was cau^d amonor 
the diggers, doubtless some thinking they had struck the regions of Pluto. 
Mr. Greeson repaired to the scene, and told the men there was no danger, 
and they went to walling up the well. Mr. Greeson, going down into 
the well, thought he would try the gas by lighting a match and putting it 
at the top of the bottom stock. . There was a tremendous flash, making 
Greeson feel that he was blowing his well out by the roots. He sank an 
iron tube, and on the top placed a gas burner, and this was used, to some 
degree, for lighting purposes, for some five years. If a receiver for the 
gas could be put in, it could probably be used to better advantage. 

WEST MIDDLETON. 

The enterprising little town of West Middleton is situated on the T., 
C. & St. L. R. R., six miles southwest of Kokomo. It was laid out by 
Mr. William Middleton, in the year that the F. & K. Railroad was com- 
pleted, and since then has grown to considerable commercial importance. 
Mr. Middleton's foresight and business tact has brought about, to a great 
extent, the present flourishing condition of the place. It has an excellent 
brick high school building, one store, one grain dealer, one doctor, and 
one Justice of the Peace. The town is in the midst of a rich agricultural 
region, and furnishes a good market for grain. The principal business 
enterprise of the place is a large merchant flouring mill, a description of 
which is given below. There is an active lodge of the I. 0. 0. F., both 
here and at Alto. The order of the Grange at one time had a prosperous 
lodge in West Middleton. 

MIDDLETON FLOURING MILLS. 

Right at the door of every family in Harrison Township stands one of 
the finest merchant steam flouring mills in the State. About the 1st of 
June, 1882, Messrs. Samuel and Joseph Stratton and Amos C. and 
John Ratcliff" formed a company and commenced the erection of a mill at 
West Middleton. The body ot the building is 36x48 feet and is four 
stories high, including the basement, making it fifty feet, from the lowest 
floor to the top of the texas. The basement walls are of stone and are 
twenty inches in thickness, while above the walls are of brick and 
eighteen inches thick. The pillars for the support of the floors stand 
directly above one another, thereby greatly relieving the strain on the 
walls. The floors are made of the best oiled hardwood lumber laid 



220 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

diagonally across the building, thus strengthening the structure. The 
engine-house, which is of brick and is 14x28 feet in dimensions, joins the 
south wall of the mill and contains the boiler and pumps, while within 
the basement room is situated the engine proper, of forty-horse-power 
capacity, and the main line of shaft for running the machinery. 

A large bin, holding 120 bushels, receives the wheat for the elevators, 
and there is also a smut mill for cleaning the wheat. On the next floor 
are found four sets of large double rollers for making the new-process 
flour, and these work in connection with four of the very best buhrs from 
the Richmond Machine Works. Two of the buhrs grind wheat, one 
middlings and one corn. Here also is a flour chest, with a capacity for 
holding four thousand pounds ; also a grain sink mounted on a fine pair of 
Fairbanks scales. The sink has a capacity of sixty-two bushels, and the 
scales register the weight in pounds and bushels at the same time. Both 
the sink and flour chest are made of hackberry wood and nicely varnished. 
On the next floor are two large flour purifiers of Nos. and 00. From 
the rollers the flour is transferred to these, where the dust is separated 
and thrown into the dust room above. Also here are two large bins for 
holding wheat and bran. Ample storage room is furnished on this and 
the floor above for 13,000 bushels of grain. On the next floor there is a 
large bolting machine, consisting of six large reel bolts fourteen feet long, 
arranged in pairs one above the other, and all are run by a pulley at the 
top connected with a pulley below with a long chain belt. The cost of 
the silk covering the reels alone was $300. The apparatus was all built 
at home. On the top is the texas, into which extend the tops of five 
elevators. The elevator tubes and the spouting are all put together with 
screws. There is more than a half mile of tubing in the mill. The 
entire mill cost some $10,000, and has a capacity of 75 barrels of flour 
per day. It was planned by Mr. Samuel Stratton. The proprietors are 
all men of tact and means and carry on the business successfully. 

TAXES, POPULATION, ETC. 

The tax duplicates of 1882 show the value of the lands in Harrison 
Township to be $226,995, while the value of the improvements amounts 
to $44,545, making a total of $271,540, The records show the value of 
personal property to be $95,730. Tax in toto for the year 1882 was 
$6,426.13. In the township there are 247 voters. There are five church 
edifices and eight school buildings in the township. There are 347 schol- 
ars reported. The special school tax for 1882 amounted to $931.48; while 
that of 1868 was $858.93. The special tuition for 1882 was $1,803.09, 
while that of 1869 was $996.85. The township funds for 1882 amounted 
to $369.41. Mr. Walker Thorn is Trustee of the township at the present 
time. 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 221 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 

Taylor Township is No. 23 north, Range 4 east, of the Congres- 
sional Survey, and dates its formation from the year 1844, when Howard 
was known as RichardvMlle County. Its original outline is described 
upon the records as follows: "Beginning at the northwest quarter of 
Section 18, Town 23 north, Range 4 east ; hence, south to the county 
line ; thence east with the said line to range line, dividing Ranges 4 and 5 
east; thence north with said range line to the township line dividing 
Towns 23 and 24 north; thence west to the northwest quarter of Sec- 
tion 4, Town 23 north. Range 4 east; thence south to the northwest 
corner of Section 16, same town and range; thence west to place of be- 
ginning." Various changes have been made in the outline during the 
last thirty years, and at the present time the township comprises twenty- 
four and a half sections with the following boundaries : Centre and 
Howard Townships on the north, Liberty and Union on the east, Harri- 
son on the west and Tipton County on the south. 

The country is well watered and drained by a number of streams which 
traverse it in various directions, the principal of which is Kokomo Creek. 
This water-course flows through the central part of the township in an 
easterly direction, crossing the eastern boundary in Section 13, and leav- 
ing from Section 18, about one mile from the western border. It is, next 
to Wild Cat, the largest stream in the county, and receives in its course 
several small affluents, all of Avhich play an important part in the drain- 
age of the country. Little Wild Cat flows through the southwest corner 
of the township and is a stream of some importance to that locality. 
Pete's Branch has its source in Section 10, flows a northwesterly course 
through Section 9, and leaves the township from Section 4 of Town 24. 
There are several other creeks in the township in addition to those men- 
tioned, the majority of which are small and designated by no particular 
name. 

THE SOIL, DRAINAGE, ETC. 

The face of the country is comparatively even, except along Kokomo 
Creek, where the surface in some places is somewhat irregular, though 
there are no undulations sufiiciently large to be termed hills. The soil is 
of excellent quality, a dark, rich loam and well adapted to all the crops 
indigenous to this latitude. The township is almost exclusively agricult- 
ural, and on all sides can be seen farms which will compare with the 
best in any section of the county — the beautiful residences and commo- 
dious buildings with which they are furnished bearing testimony to the 



222 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

general prosperity of the owners. The whole surface of the township 
was originally covered with an almost unbroken forest of the varieties of 
timber indigenous to Northern Indiana, and a dense undergrowth in many 
localities that completely obscured the soil from the sun's rays, making all 
other vegetation impossible. As a consequence, the ground remained 
"wet and slushy during the greater part of the year, and proved a fruitful 
source of much of the ague and other malarial diseases with which the 
early settlers were afflicted. On account of its wet nature, much of the 
land was looked upon by the pioneer as comparatively worthless, and it 
was not until recent ye:irs that large tracts of this low ground were re- 
claimed by a successful system of drainage. 

The early history of Taylor is similar to that of many other town- 
ships in the county, and its experience the experience of all early settle- 
ments. With all the exciting scenes and deprivation of frontier life, 
and the gradual unfolding and development of a community, complete 
in its organization, distinctive in its character, and rich in the higher ele- 
ments of civilized life, the pioneer moves into the forests, with his few 
household goods around him, and rises a king and conqueror. Here he 
erects his altar, builds his cabin, levels the forests, calls down the sunlight 
to thrill with life the sleeping soil, and adorns its surface with the bloom 
of vegetable life, while nature, in her supreme loveliness, matures and 
yields to him the ripening fruit, the richest treasures of her bosom. Here 
is laid the keystone in the arch of a new social structure above which are to 
cluster and unfold all the arts and elements of the highest civilization. 
Hence we see the importance of collecting, in successful order, all the 
scenes and events of a community's growth, from the earliest settlement, 
its first germ, to its full organization and most recent form, together with 
the influences, local characteristics, and other combinations that may have 
modified or directed its development. 

THE EARLY SETTLERS. 

The first settlement within the present limits of Taylor was made in the 
winter of 1842, by William Rodman, who located in Section 20, about 
one mile northeast of Fairfield Village. Rodman was a native of New 
York, but immigrated to this State in an early day, settling in Marion 
County, near Indianapolis, when that city was but a mere niche in the 
surrounding forest. In the fall of 1840, he made a tour of observation 
through the newly formed county of Richardville, for the purpose of se- 
lecting a home, and being pleased with this part of the country he obtained 
permission of the Indians to make a settlement. A claim was accordingly 
marked out and a rude pole shanty constructed, to which the family of 
our pioneer was moved a few months later. The journey of the family to 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 223 

their new home was made in the face of many serious difficulties, chief of 
which was the intense coldness of the weather, and the entire absence of 
anything like a well-defined roadway. Much of the way led through an 
unbroken forest where roads had to be cut out, and great difficulty was 
experienced in finding the little cabin on account of the deep snow, which 
rendered traveling well-nigh impossible. The little mansion was finally 
reached and the family safely domiciled, when an inventory of their stock 
of provisions revealed the unwelcome fact that there was barely sufficient 
to last a week. This made a return trip necessary, and Rodman started 
back for a fresh supply and was absent about eight days. During that 
time the family remained alone in their forest home, with no neighbors nearer 
than ten miles, except the Indians, who treated the new-comers with the 
most profound respect. By the most frugal economy, the good wife managed 
to make her scanty store hold out until the husband's return, after which 
there was plenty in the little household. Rodman remained on his original 
claim about five years, when he sold his improvements and moved a short 
distance north, in the present township of Centre, where he entered a tract 
of land where Col. Blanche lives. He afterward disposed of this place 
and moved to Missouri, where he remained a few years, when he again 
itecame a resident of this county, settling the second time in Harrison 
Township, on the Chase farm. He sold this farm and moved to Kansas 
a number of years ago. 

In the year 1842, Alexander Thatcher settled in Taylor, on what is' 
now the Elson farm, where he took a claim and made a few temporary 
improvements. He remained at this place but a short time, afterward 
moving a little further west on the Albright farm, where he erected a com- 
fortable log house and cleared a small farm. He afterward sold his claim 
to Reuben Thomas and moved to Porter County. 

Allen Sharpe came to the county in the latter part of 1842 and took 
a claim in Section 17, on land at present owned by Capt. Pierce. lie 
occupied this place until the year 1851, at which time he sold to 
Edom Garner and moved to Porter County, and later to Iowa, where his 
death occurred several years since. 

Among other early settlers in the same locality were Laomi Ashley, 
and his son, Harles Ashley, both of whom located on the Dyar farm. 
The former was one of the pioneer preacliers of the county, and assisted 
in the organization of the first religious society in the township. He ap- 
pears to have been a man of considerable prominence, and was untiring 
in his efforts to spread the cause of his Master in the sparsely settled 
neighborhoods of Howard County. Harles Ashley became a prominent 
citizen of the county, and was called to fill several official positions, the 
duties of which he discharged with marked ability. He was killed in 
Missouri during the war of the rebellion. 



224 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

David Thatcher, a brother of Alexander Thatcher, was an earlv set- 
tler, and made his appearance in the spring of 1843, settling on the Hutte 
farm, near the northern boundary of the township. Job and Henry Gar- 
ner came about the same time, the former locating on Section 18, where 
Benjamin Field lives, and the latter settling a short distance east of 
Tampico, on land at present owned by Rev. Denton Simpson. They both 
earned the reputation of being good men and were residents of the toAvn- 
ship for a period of about twenty years. Other settlers, whose dates of 
arrivals cannot be ascertained, were Elias Wilson, who settled where 
James Mugg lives, Thomas Miller, Isaac Miller, Matthew and William 
Poff, N. C. Beals and Samuel PoflF. 

Thomas Miller settled on the Garr farm, where he took a claim and 
made a few improvements. Being a man of roving tendencies, he remained 
but a short time in one place, taking claims in various parts of the county, 
which he sold to settlers, as the population increased. He sold his first 
claim shortly after his arrival, and made a second settlement on J. E. 
Duncan's farm, which he disposed of a few months later. He afterward 
pre-empted land a short distance east of Fairfield, on the Henry Thomas 
farm, which he left about the time the land came into market. Isaac Miller 
located on Section 21, on the Henry Neal farm, where he lived for a 
short time. He was a man of no particular note, and proved no advan- 
tage to the community in which he resided. 

The Poffs settled in the eastern part of the township, and were men of 
character and influence in the community. Bailes settled near Fairfield, 
and took claim where Enos Neal lives. He came from Hamilton County, 
and appears to have been a man of some prominence, being one of the 
first Associate Judges of the county. He built the first mill in the town- 
ship, of which a more extended notice will be given in a following page. 
Prominent among those who came prior to 1845 was William Apperson, 
father of Albert Apperson. He was a native of Virginia, served in the 
war of 1812, and participated in many of the battles of that struggle. In 
an early day, he moved to Clinton County, Ohio, where he resided until 
his immigration to Indiana in the summer of 1844. He purchased the 
claim of Isaac Miller, on which he erected a comfortable hewed-log house, 
and raised one crop before the arrival of his family. He entered this land 
in 1847, and retained it in his possession until 1874, at which time his 
death occurred. A son lives on the old place, and is one of the leading 
citizens of Taylor. 

Another settler deserving of special mention was Lemuel Shoemaker, 
whose arrival dates from the year 1845. He was a native of Ohio, but 
had lived for a number of years in Illinois prior to his immigration to 
this State. He was a preacher of the "New-Light " Church, and had a 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 225 

number of appointments in Howard and adjoining counties during the early 
years of the country. He took a claim near the Dyar farm, which he 
traded two years later to Alexander Thatcher for an improvement about 
one mile and a half east of Fairfield, on the Enos Scott place. In the 
year 1855, he sold this place to Vanham, and moved to Clinton County. 
One daughter, Mrs. Hatton, is living at the present time in Tampico. 

Mordecai Overman came in 1844, and settled near the western part 
of the township, where he lived until 1856, when he sold his farm to 
John Layman, and moved to Missouri. He erected the first brick house 
in the township, in the year 1854, which is still standing. Peter Kirk- 
man came in 1844, also, and was joined the latter part of the same year 
by Robert Bracken. Kirkman settled in the western part of the town- 
ship, where his widow still lives. He was a prominent citizen, and died 
in the year 1879. Bracken settled on Section 30, on the farm where 
Cann Spurlin lives. He remained about eight years, when he sold to 
Thomas Miller, and left the county. 

Robert Morrison came to the township in 1844, and took claim in 
Section 19, where he lived until 1847, when his improvements were pur- 
chased by Jacob Applegate, who entered the land one year later. Mor- 
rison afterward pre-empted a piece of land in Section 30, which was his 
home for a period of twenty-four years. The farm is owned at the pres- 
ent time by Asbury Kelly. Another early settler in the western part of 
the township was Reason Lackey, who located near the Union Baptist 
Church, in the year 1845. He remained at this place but a short time, 
when he sold to Francis Jones, and moved to Hamilton County. A 
daughter died while the family lived in this locality, which was one of the 
earliest deaths in the township. 

Washington Baumgardner moved to the county in 1845, and selected 
a claim in Section 30, where he purchased a claim of James Lane. He 
has been identified with the township ever since, and is justly considered 
one of its best citizens. Among other early citizens who came in an early 
day can be named Peter Daniels, who settled on the Morrison place ; 
Jacob Baumgardner, a brother of Washington Baumgardner ; James 
Smith, who located the Kelly place ; John Albright and his father, Ed- 
mund Albright, both of whom selected homes near Kokomo Creek, in 
the northern part of the township ; John Dillman, who settled in the 
eastern part of the township, where he still resides ; Joseph Skeen, who 
located near the Rodman place. 

During the year 1847, entries were made in different parts of the town- 
ship by William Mugg, Edward C. Albright, John Moulder, Thomas Beard, 
Ezekiel Parker, Asa Parker, Myron Beard, William Hughes, Jesse 
Thatcher and Ephraim Trabue. The following year's entries were made 



2'26 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

by Thomas Kimball, Arch Gilson, David Foster, William Coons, John 
Goyer, J. G. Templin, William Helms, John G. King, Henry Ryan, 
Silas Andrews, David Sawyer, John Ingles, William Morton, John Street, 
John Lindley, Theophilus Manuel, Simeon Mugg, John Spencer, W. G. 
Elliott, R. C. Cobb, Jacob Applegate, Gideon Stevens, Ezra Pierce, 
Luther Hall, John Hastie, John Wetty, James Surry, Robert Kingsley, 
John Seawright, Jos. Seidner, Jeremiah Bassett, William Currens, George 
Duinette, George Plankenstaver, Thomas Plankenstaver and others. 

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS. 

We, of the present day, who are surrounded by the latest modern 
improvements, can have but a faint idea of the slow and tedious process of 
settlement in this country forty years ago, nor appreciate the difficulties 
and discouragements by which it was attended. Especially is this the 
case with the early settlement of Taylor — an interminable wilderness, 
without roads, and with but indifferent facilities for communication, to- 
gether with the scarcity of the necessaries of life, and the general poverty 
of the inhabitants, a condition which they accepted for the purpose of 
securing homes for themselves and their posterity. They did their work 
cheerfully and well, and the present condition of the country is a monu- 
ment to their devotion and industry. 

One lady who is still living relates that when her family moved to the 
country, they were obliged to cut roads through a dense forest to their 
claim, on which not the slightest improvement had been made. The 
wagon, containing the few household goods, was driven beneath the 
boughs of a large tree, which served the purpose of shelter, until a cabin 
could be erected. The husband immediately went to work, felling the 
trees for logs, which the good wife dragged to the place of building with a 
yoke of oxen. The few scattering neighbors were apprised of the fact 
that a house would be erected, and two days later the work was completed, 
but none too soon, as a heavy rain began falling before the roof was 
finished. Into this unfinished structure, without floor, fire-place, or win- 
dows, the family were moved, and felt as proud of their new home as 
a prince in his palace. 

Mr. Baumgardner states that he spent an entire day in searching for 
his cabin, which had been built in the depths of a thick forest a couple of 
months prior to his moving to the country. It was in midwinter, when 
the search was made, and the snow lay thick and heavy on the trees and 
ground, rendering going about almost impossible. The little cabin was 
at last found, but so cheerless did it appear, with its warped puncheon 
floor, unfinished roof, and cracks through which a " cat could be thrown," 
that Baumgardner was three days deciding whether to move into it or not. 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 227 

As time was precious and no other house available, the decision was re- 
luctantly made in favor of moving, and the few household articles were 
transferred to the little domicile. This was in the winter of 1845, a 
time of great scarcity in the new settlements, as the provisions had al- 
most given out, and it was very difficult to obtain new supplies. It is said 
that a man drove through the settlements with a seed load of corn which 
he disposed of to the citizens for the modest little sum of $10 per bushel; 
when asked where he obtained the corn, the shrewd trader refused to 
answer, and with a knowing wink that there was plenty more where his 
load came from, moved on to drive a sharp bargain at the next cabin. 
One of the settlers, bent on discovering the source of supplies, followed 
the sled tracks back about twenty miles to an old settlement in Hamilton 
County, where corn was afterward obtained at more reasonable figures. 

For a number of years, many serious obstacles were experienced by 
the pioneers, and it required hard work and close economy to keep the 
hungry wolf from the door. The soil, though rich and fertile, was very 
difficult to till, owing to its wet nature, and the stumps stood so thick 
on the ground that a person could almost cross the little fields by 
stepping from one to the other. Long distances had to be traveled to 
obtain breadstuffs, groceries and dry goods, all of which were paid for by 
produce at exceeding low prices. As time passed, these and many other 
difficulties were gradually overcome. Larger farms were cleared, ditches 
were run and better houses took the places of the rude log structures 
which everywhere dotted the country. Roads were laid out, improved 
farming implements introduced, schools and churches established, and a 
general spirit of thrift took possession of the settlers ; as a consequence, 
the general development of the country has been almost phenomenal. As 
early as the year 1847, brick was burned on the Neal farm, and about 
one year later a second kiln was made by Hiram Beard on the place 
where Mr. Jackman lives, two miles east of Fairfield. 

GRIST AND SAW MILLS. 
The first mill in the township was a small affair operated by hand. It 
was constructed by N. C. Beals, and stood on the Neal place, a short dis- 
tance northeast of Fairfield. The buhrs were made of " nigger-heads " 
found near by, and the hoop in which they worked was manufactured out 
of hickory bark fastened at the ends by leather and rawhide thongs. 
The building was a rough shed, about 15x20 feet in size, resting upon 
forks driven in the ground. The mill ground corn only, and was erected 
merely for family purposes, although it Avas used by the general neigh- 
borhood for a number of years. In 1850, a saw mill was erected at the 
village of Fairfield by Lee & Macy and by them operated four or five 



228 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

years. It did a very good business and was afterward purchased by other 
parties and moved from the place. 

Jacob Cable and William Osborne began the erection of a saw mill at 
Terre Hall in the year 1855; but, being unable to complete it, took in a 
third partner by name of Thomas McCune. Thomas Beard afterward 
purchased Cable's interest, and the people donated liberally to the new 
enterprise; corn-buhrs were attached, and the mill supplied a long-felt 
want in the neighborhood. It passed through the hands of several par- 
tics and was finally purchased by the Hercules Brothers, who moved it to 
Michigantown, where it is still in operation. 

The Fairfield Steam Flouring Mill was built in the year 1858, by Jo- 
seph Haskett. The enterprise proved very remunerative to the proprie- 
tor and early achieved a reputation of being the best mill in the county, 
a reputation which it still sustains. An addition was built to the original 
structure a few years after its erection, and new improved machinery has 
been added from time to time. The building is frame, two stories and a 
half high, and, with new machinery lately added, is valued at about 
$15,000. There are three runs of buhrs, two sets of rolls, by means of 
which about 100 barrels of flour are made every twenty-four hours. It is 
operated at the present time by Harry Allen. 

The first tile factory in the township was started by Braden & Byers, 
a short distance southeast of Fairfield, in the year 1866. It was operat- 
ed by Frederick Youngman, the pioneer tile-maker of Indiana. 
Youngraan purchased the factory some time later, and has operated it 
very successfully ever since. He has built up a large, lucrative busi- 
ness, and acquired considerable wealth from the sale of tile, of which 
he manufactures more than any other factory in Northern Indiana. 

A saw mill was built in the southern part of the township, 
about the year 1855, by John Griswold, who operated it until the 
time of his death one year later. William Hazel afterward became the 
owner, and moved it across the line into Tipton County. A shingle 
machine was started at the same place in 1861, by James Hoss, 
who moved here from Marion County. He operated it for about two 
years, when it was moved to Fairfield by John Camerer, who disposed 
of the machinery two years later to Peter Hoss. It was afterward pur- 
chased by Gloss Rubush and by him moved to Morgan County. One 
of the largest saw mills in the township was brought to the village of 
Tampico in the year 1876, by the Hercules brothers, who did a large 
lumber business until 1882, when it was moved to Frankfort. At the 
present time, Adam Ide is operating a saw mill in that village. 

TURNPIKES AND RAILROADS. 

The first legally established highway in Taylor was the Peru State 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 229 

road, which ran south from Kokomo to Shieldville. It was surveyed by 
N. C. Beals in the year 1845, and passed through the western part of 
the township in an irregular course to the county line. The orig- 
inal route was long since abandoned for a more eligible roadway a 
little further east. The State road runninjj; east and west through the 
southern part of the township was established in an early day, and is 
still one of the principal highways in the southern part of the county. 
The Albright gravel road was constructed in a northerly course 
through Sections 17 and 20, and was made as a free pike by taxation. 
(See County History). The Rickett's gravel road forms the western 
boundary of the township. It was constructed as a free pike also. 

In the year 1883, a free gravel road was made from the Albright 
pike east through Tampico, near the central part of the township. It was 
constructed by voluntary contribution of the real estate owners through 
whose lands it passes, and is known as the Tampico free pike. These 
pikes are all kept in good condition and have proved of great advantage 
in the general development of the country. 

Passing through the western part of the township from northwest to 
southeast is the Indianapolis Division of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific 
Railway, or the old I., P. & C. road. The first survey for this road was 
made some time prior to 1849, but it was not completed until a few years 
later. Of its general efi"ect upon the country, we refer the reader to the 
railroad chapter in the county history. The P., C. & St. Louis railroad 
passes through the central part of the township in a southwesterly direc- 
tion, and has been the means of developing the country in a very marked 
degree. It passes through a rich agricultural district and furnishes two 
market places in the township, i. e., Tampico and Terre Hall. 

EARLY ELECTIONS AND OFFICERS. 

The first township election tooK place August 26, 1848, when the 
following Board of Trustees was elected: Alexander Thatcher, Adam 
Kellison and Ezra Pierce. Of these x\dam Kellison was chosen Treas- 
urer, and Ezra Pierce Clerk. At this election about seventy votes were cast. 
Other early township officers were E. G. Apperson, William Helms. 
Eli Spencer, T. M. Ham, Nathan Beals, E. Comer and James H. Hatton. 
Since the year 1859, the following persons have served as Trustees : W. 
W. Garr, N. C. Beals, W. H. Thompson, R. C. Foor, William C. Kemp, 
Stephen Kirkpatrick, J. H. Braden, Lemuel C. Boyd, James T. Dyar, 
J. A. Petro, J. E. Duncan, S. B. Purvis and Samuel Crumley, the last 
named being the Trustee at the present time. 

THE VILLAGE OF FAIRFIELD. 

This modern Jerusalem, the wonder of the nineteenth century, was 



230 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

laid out by one John J. Stephens in the year of our Lord one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-nine. The circumstances which led to its growth 
were the I., P. & C. Railroad, which had been surveyed through the 
county some time previous, and the desire on the part of the energetic 
proprietor of making a fortune out of the sale of lots. The promising 
location, together with the rich agricultural region surrounding, gave 
every indication of future greatness, and the metropolis was soon on the 
high road to prosperity. As soon as the railroad was completed, the 
place became a prominent shipping point and sustained its reputation as 
one of the best market places on the road between Peru and Indianapo- 
lis for a number of years. It became the market for a large scope of 
country east and west, but on the completion of the P., C. k St. 
Louis Railroad on the east, and the building of pikes leading to Kokomo 
on the west, the fortunes of the town began to wane, and it has never been 
able to regain its original prosperity. Among the first persons to locate 
in the village were Reuben Thomas, William Osborne, Lee and — Macy. 
The first store was kept by Bundy & Robinson in a little house which 
stood a short distance west of the railroad, on lot at present owned by 
William Weaver. They did a fair business on a stock of general merchan- 
dise valued at about $500, and were in the village two years, when they 
sold to other parties. The next store was started by Overman & Stout, 
in the east end of the Thomas building, the house at present owned and 
occupied by Joseph Haskett. They afterward erected a small storeroom 
north of the railroad, where Shelton & Parsons' store now stands, to 
which their goods were moved soon afterward. They Avere in business 
about two years, when they closed out their stock and moved from the 
place. 

The third store building was erected by Foor & Hatton, in the year 
1854, and is still standing, south of the Martin building on Main street. 
They did business about two years, when the partnership was dissolved and 
the goods taken from the village. William Kirkman erected the large two- 
story frame building just south of the railroad, in the year 185-4, and 
used a part of it for a store, while the other part was used for a hotel. 
Isaac Price purchased Kirkman's business and operated a store and 
boarding house for a couple of years, doing a good business in the 
meantime. It was afterward occupied by Thomas Brookbank who con- 
ducted a fair business until the time of his death in 1860. He was 
succeeded by a Mr. Davis, who was afterward killed by his son in a 
drunken dispute. 

Other early merchants were Nate Prime, who kept in a little 
building which stood where Mrs. Needham's house now stands ; Thomp- 
son & Evans, who ran a large store soutl) of the railroad opposite the 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 231 

Martin building. This firm kept the largest stock of goods that was 
ever brought to the place, and for a nuoaber of years did as large a 
business as any other store in the county. Williams & Boyd did busi- 
ness in the village several years, but becoming financially embarrassed, 
they closed out their stock and retired from the place. 

The large brick building occupied by J. H. Martin & Son was erected 
in the year 1870, by Frank Hancock, one of the most enterprising mer- 
chants of the town. It was afterward purchased by L. L. Bennett, who 
formed a copartnership with Steele Catherwood. They carried on a suc- 
cessful business for some time, when the entire stock was purchased by 
Bennett. J. H. Martin bought an interest in the store in the year 1879, 
and succeeded to the entire business at Bennett's death some time later. 

An early drug store was kept by Joseph Shelton in the Martin build- 
ing. He did a good business for several years, when he left the village 
and went to Russiaville. The same building was occupied by McCoy & 
Berry with a miscellaneous assortment of merchandise from the year 
1880 to 1882, when, on account of a business failure. Berry stepped 
down and out. McCoy remained some time longer and left the village in 
the spring of 1883. 

The first warehouse was built by Bundy & Robinson, and stood west 
of the railroad, in the southern part of the town. A second grain house 
was built by Jacob Cable some time afterward, and stood near the same 
place. The present warehouse was erected by Evans & Fortner. It was 
afterward operated by Evans & Thompson, who ran it in connection with 
their large mercantile business. It is owned at the present time by Joseph 
Haskett. 

Reuben Thomas kept the first hotel in what is now the Haskett build- 
ing. An early hotel and boarding-house was kept by William Hughes in 
a large building which stood on the opposite side of the street from the one 
mentioned. The business of the town at the present time is represented 
by one large general store kept by J. H. Martin & Son ; one drug and 
grocery store, by Shelton & Parson ; one flouring mill, by Joseph Has- 
kett. There is one church, schoolhouse, cooper shop, wagon shop, barber 
shop, meat shop, blacksmith shop. Frank Yager keeps the village hotel, 
and to his credit be it said that a better stopping place it is difficult to 
find. 

Of the character of the town and its inhabitants, we can speak only 
in a general way. There are no saloons. The people are all moral, up- 
right and religious. The Sabbath is well remembered, street loafing 
being entirely unknown,while the church is overcrowded each Lord's Day 
by earnest and sincere Christians. In such an atmosphere, profanity, vul- 
garity and gossip can find no possible encouragement, consequently every- 



232 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

thing is conducted on a high moral plane. The population of the town 
at the present time is about one hundred and fifty. 

Napthalia Lodge, No. 389, A., F. & A. M., was organized in Fairfield 
May 25, 1869. The first officers: Peter E. Hoss, Master; Samuel B. 
Boyd, S. W.; J. H. Braden, J. W. The elective officers at the 
present time are George Applegate, W. M.; B. W. Applegate, S. W., and 
J. H. Martin, J. W. Meetings are held in hall belonging to J. H. Martin. 

Garfield Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., No. 597, was instituted January 24, 1883, 
with the following charter members, to wit : E. C. Rice, F. A. Kelly, T. J. 
Kemp, Robert J. Chase, Henry R. Weaver, John Chasteen, J. S. Carpenter 
and George Scherer. The officers are E. C. Rice, N. G.; J. S. Carpenter, 
V. G.; T. J. Kemp, Secretary ; F. A. Kelly, Treasurer ; John Chasteen, 
Warden ; George Applegate, Conductor ; R. J. Chase, Guard ; Thomas 
Carr, R. S. N. G. George Scherer, L. S. N. G.; Clark Shelton, Host, 
Henry Weaver, P. G. The hall in which the lodge meets belongs to 
to Clark Shelton, and was furnished at a cost of $300. The organization 
is young, numbering but eleven members, but its future is very promising. 

VILLAGE OF TAMPICO. 

This little town is situated on the P., C. & St. L. R. R., in Sections 
15 and 22, and was laid out in the year 1852 by Ephraim Trabue. The first 
store was kept by Spencer Lattly, who commenced business soon after the 
village was surveyed. He was succeeded by Thomas Ingalls, who remained 
two or three years, and was in turn followed by Robert Dungan. Other 
merchants came in, from time to time, among whom can be named Phil- 
potts, John Howell, Joseph Dunfee, John Lamaster, Thompson, Thom- 
as Manuel, S. M. McCoy, J. B. Skinner and Taylor Jackman. The pres- 
ent merchants are S. B. Purvis, who keeps a large general store, and Mad- 
ison Warwick, who makes groceries a specialty. There are, in addition to 
the stores, two warehouses, operated by Mr. Purvis, a blacksmith and 
wagon shop, by Mr. Jackman, and a saw mill run by Adam Ide. There is 
a fine brick schoolhouse and a church, the history of which will be given 
on another page. 

The following medical gentlemen have practiced their profession from 
Tampico at different times : Drs. Armstrong, Mote, Scott, Byers and John- 
son. The present physician is Dr. J. B. Kirkpatrick, who has a large 
practice. 

TERRE HALL. 

This little hamlet was surveyed in the year 1852, by John Newlin, for 
Asa Parker, proprietor. It is situated in Section 26, near the southern 
boundary of the township, and was an outgrowth of the P., C. & St. L. 
R. R. The first store was owned and operated by Cable & Osborne, who 



TAYLOK TOWNSHIP. 233 

kept a miscellaneous assortment of merchandise, including a generous 
supply of Johnson County Bourbon, " rot gut," " tangle leg and lay 'em 
straight," which was dealt out in quantities according to demand. In 
connection with their mercantile business, the firm operated a steam saw 
mill, which they afterward disposed of to Thomas Beard. Cable & Os- 
borne were succeeded by James Foresythe, who was in turn followed by 
Thomas Miller, by whom the stock of goods was moved from the place. 
An early merchant was William Carpiner, of whom but little is known. 
There is one store in the village, at the present time kept by Mr. Cole ; a 
blacksmith shop, a shingle machine, post office and church. 

SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL TEACHERS. 

The first school in Taylor Township was taught by one Thomas Stubbs, 
at the old Lower Kokomo Church building, near the residence of James 
T. Dyer. The second term at the same place was taught by Levi Mills. 
The citizens of the township early took an active interest in educational 
matters, and at the election to decide whether the school section should be 
sold or not, fifty-eight voted in favor and three against the project. This 
election took place in 1849, and the total amount received by the township 
at that time for educational purposes was $160. 18f. Among early teach- 
ers were the following: Thomas Beals, David E. Stephens, S. J. John- 
son, Anna L. Gordon, John W. Carter, Harrison Horine, Robert W. 
Morritt, J. C. Anderson, J. M. Chew, William Mott, Seth Beals, A. M. 
Livey, John Stewart, Harriet Brown and H. W. Thompson. There are 
eight good brick schoolhouses, one of which, the Fairfield building, is 
arranged for a graded school. There was paid for tuition during the 
school year (1882-83) the sum of $2,444. The teachers for the last school 
year (1882-88) were J. W. Troyer, Anna Smith, 0. C. Smith, Fleetwood 
Ault, T. N. Jenkins, J. M. Jessup, C. Wolfe, B. W. Cox and Arvilla Dyer, 

CHURCHES. 

The first religious services in the township were held at private resi- 
dences by the Christian denomination known as New Lights. They organ- 
ized a society as early as the year 1843, at the residence of Laomi Ashley, 
one of their ministers, who lived on what is now the Dyar farm. A log build- 
ing was erected about two years later, and the organization took upon it- 
self the name of the Lower Kokomo Church. The society continued 
with a good membership for a number of years, but was finally aban- 
doned, part of the members joining the Upper Kokomo Church, in the 
eastern part of the township. The early preachers were Laomi Ashley, 
Lemuel Shoemaker and Samuel Poff. 

The Upper Kokomo Church was organized July 10, 1847, by Samuel 



2 34 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Poff and Lemuel Shoemaker, with a flourishing membership. Among 
the early members were Samuel McCune, H. Garner, Eunice Garner, John 
R. Colvin, J. J. Poft', John Garner, Elvira Garner, Elias Wilson, Nancy 
Wilson, M. Ryan, Nancy Garner, Rebecca Garner, Mary L. McCune, 
Joseph Garner, Miles Gibson, Jane Gibson, Barbara Pendegrass, M. 
Spencer, Catherine Poff, Sarah Poff, Elizabeth Cole, Francis Poff, Asa 
Parker, Eliza Parker, John Beamer, Peter Beamer, W. H. Poff, W. J. 
Poff, Marietta Rodman and Eli Spencer. Meetings were held at Samuel 
Poff's residence for several years. A house of worship was afterward erected 
about one mile northeast of Tampico. It was a log structnre, and was 
used by the congregation until the year 1879, at which time the church 
purchased the Methodist building in Tampico, which has been the meet- 
ing place since. The following parties have had charge of the society at 
different times : Thomas Whitman, H. Johnson, Isaac Johnson, Laorai 
Ashley, Ammon Cook, E. Ashley, J. J. Poff, Daniel Lewellen, Vinson 
Roberts, J. 0. Kirby, R. Hultz, J. Comer, J. Dunfee, L. L. Gibson, G. 
Hurlbert, the Rev. Mr. Williams, L. W. Hercules, John R. Kob and the 
Rev. Mr. Jaynes. At the present time, the church is without a regular 
pastor. On the records are the names of about forty-five members in 
good standing. 

The Union Separate Baptist Church was organized in the spring of 
1846, by Elders Jacob Baumgardner and Uriah McQueen. The first 
meeting was held at a little log schoolhouse, which stood on the farm of 
Charles Harmon in Harrison Township. The original membership con- 
sisted of the following persons : Peter Kirkman and wife, G. W. Baum- 
gardner and wife, Jacob Baumgardner and wife and Charles Harmon 
and wife. The schoolhouse was used for a meeting place about three 
years, when a house of worship was erected in this township near where 
the present building stands. It was a small structure, 18x20 feet, built 
of rough logs, and stood on ground donated for the purpose by Reason 
Lackey. It served the congregation until the year 1862, at which time 
it was decided to build a more commodious structure, and work on the 
new house besran at once. The old house was removed, and a frame 
building, 30x36 feet, erected in its stead, at a cost of $400. The first 
pastor was Jacob Baumgardner, who remained with the church a part of 
one year. He was succeeded by Elder Josiah Randolph, who exercised 
pastoral control at intervals until 1871. Other pastors and stated sup- 
plies were John Layman, the Rev. Mr. Sharpe, James Hamilton, Andrew 
White, William Randolph, G. W. Baumgardner, George W. Turner 
and Wilfred Spurlin. The church is in good condition at the present 
time, and has about eighty members. A Sunday school is sustained dur- 
ing the spring and summer seasons, with an average attendance of fifty 
scholars. John Morrows is the efiicient Superintendent. 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 235 

Albright Chapel Methodist Church dates its history from the year 
1847, and was organized at the residence of John Albright, with the fol- 
lowing seven members : John Albright and wife, E. C. Albright and wife, 
Elizabeth Ford, Emily Rodman and Nancy Skeen. Among those who 
joined the church shortly after its organization were William Albright, 
Elizabeth Albright, E. S. Apperson and wife and William xlpperson and 
wife. For eleven years, public worship was held at private dwellings, 
schoolhouses and barns. The present neat house of worship was 
erected in the year 1858, on land donated by William Albright. The 
building is of brick, 35x45, was erected by John Albright at a cost of 
^1,500. Present membership of the church is about 275 persons. 

In October, 1849. an ecclesiastical council convened at the house of 
Simeon Mugg, ea^t of Tampico, for the purpose of organizing a church. 
The council was composed of William Lewis, Jesse Thatcher, Henry 
Cobb, Thomas R. Cobb, I. Hip, F. Kizer, J. Wright, A. Leach, 
William Golding, and M. B. Golding. Elder Leach was chosen 
Moderator, and M. B. Golding, Clerk ; Simeon and Lucinda Mugg, 
James K. Mugg, Nancy J. Mugg, William A. Curran, Rebecca Curran, 
Hannah Hall, William Mugg and Jemima Mugg presented their letters 
and were organized into a society, under the name of Bethany Missionary 
Baptist Church, and attached to the Judson Association. Elder H. Cobb 
was chosen pastor, a position he filled very acceptably for two years, 
when he resigned. The church licensed Simeon Mugg to peach in 1851. 
Elder A. Leach served the church from 1851 to 1853, at which time 
Simeon Mugg was called as pastor. For six years meetings were held 
at the residence of Simeon Mugg, who opened his door and took the little 
flock in and fed them both spiritually and temporally. In July, 1854, 
the church changed its place of worship to the Christian Meeting-House, 
which was used until the year 1858, when a frame edifice was erected in 
the village of Tampico, at a cost of ^300. In the year 1855, Rev. Denton 
Simpson was called as assistant pastor, and later as pastor, .in which ca- 
pacity he served until the year 1866, when he resigned his charge, and was 
succeeded by Elder Cobb. The latter remained with the church until 
1868, when Simpson again took charge and served until 1870, being 
succeeded at that time by Rev. J. E. Ellison, who preached one year. 
Simpson was called for the third time in 1871, and has been with the 
church ever since. A new house of worship was erected, in the year 1882, 
a short distance northeast of Tampico, near where the old Kokomo church 
formerly stood. It is a neat brick structure, and an ornament to the 
community. 

The Fairfield Christian (New-Light) Church was organized in the 
year 1853, at a little cabin which stood on the northwest corner of the 



236 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Youngman farm. The organization was brought about mainly through the 
labors of Elder Hiram Westbrook and Thomas Cole. Among early mem- 
bers were J. B. Fletcher, Thomas Cole and wife, Thomas Beard and 
wife, Nathan Comer and wife. The organization was moved to a little 
abandoned cabin on the farm of Benjamin Neal, where services were held 
one summer, after which the schoolhouse was used as a meeting place. 
A regular house of worship was erected some years ago. It is a frame 
building, with a seating capacity of about 250 persons. The society was 
kept up for a number of years, but was finally abandoned, and at the 
present time no organization is maintained. 

The Methodist Church of Tampico was organized November 5, 1857, 
with the following members : John T. Armstrong and wife, Samuel 
Whistler and wife, Moses Adamson and vrife, James S. Currens and wife 
James Bennett and wife, E. S. Apperson and wife, Sarah Eaton, Mrs. 
C. S. Wilson, R. S. Lattey, A. S. Kinnear and wife, T. W. Banks and 
wife and Richard Landon. H. J. Lacy was the first pastor, and served 
two years. A. S. Kinnear served during the year 1858 ; S. T. Stout, 
1859 ; W. S. Birch, 1860 ; Augustus Eddy, 1861 ; C. W. Miller and 
George Havens, 1862, and James Black, 1863. The last pastor 
was Rev. C. E. Disbro. Public worship was held in the village ware- 
house and private dwellings until the year 1862, at which time a temple 
of worship was erected, which is still standing. The building is frame, 
26x44 feet, cost the sum of $850, and stands on ground purchased of 
Elizabeth Trabue. In the year 1871, the organization, by mutual con- 
sent, was abandoned, and in 1880 the building was sold to the New- 
Lights, who use it at the present time. 

The Fairfield Christian Church was organized at the village school- 
house in the year 1860, by Elder Aaron Walker. The first members were 
Miletus Shirley and wife, Aaron Walker and wife, Stephen Kirkpatrick 
and wife, William Kirkpatrick, Henry Weaver and wife, W. T. Johnson 
and wife, James Duncan, John Newton and wife, Mrs. Newton, T. G. 
Anderson and wife, Louie Anderson, Alice Anderson and Parmela 
Anderson. The first Elders were William Kirkpatrick and T. G. 
Anderson. Miletus Shirley and Stephen Kirkpatrick were the first 
'Deacons. The congregation held services in the schoolhouse for about 
one year, when a more commodious audience-room was fitted up in the ware- 
house belonging to T. G. Anderson. The present house of worship was 
commenced in the year 1863, and completed one year later. It stands 
in the north part of the village, on ground purchased of Joseph Lowry, and 
represents a capital of about $1,500. Aaron Walker preached for the 
church about ten years, and was instrumental in building up quite a 
flourishing congregation. The next regular pastor was Elder George E. 



UNION TOWNS (IIP. 237 

Flower, who remained with the church one year. During his pastorate, a 
large revival was held, which resulted in a number of accessions to 
the congregation. Flower was followed by Elder A. J. Kerr, who 
preached acceptably for two years. Then came Elder William Welsh, who 
supplied the pulpit regularly for the same length of time. Daniel Patter- 
son preached one year, and was in turn followed by Elder Charles 
Blaekman, whose pastorate closed in 1882, since which time the church 
has been without a regular preacher. The organization at the present 
time is in a very dormant state, numbering among its members many 
nominal Christians with but few active workers. A good Sunday school is 
maintained during the greater part of the year, with a large attendance. 
The present Superintendent is G. N. Berry. 

Friendship Baptist Church is an offshoot of the Bethany Baptist 
Church of Tampico, and was organized January 17, 1877, with seven 
members, to wit : James Mugg, B, F. Mugg, William Mugg, Joseph 
Mugg, Catherine Mugg, Elizabeth Thatcher and Rachel E. Mugg. The 
society met for worship at the residence of James Mugg for several months, 
when the organization was moved to the Terre Hall Schoolhouse, which 
served as a meeting place until 1878, at Avhich time a log church was 
erected. This building was used until 1881, when the present neat 
temple of worship was built. The house is about 32x40 feet, and was 
erected at a cost of |1,500. The first pastor was Rev. I. J. Langdon, of 
Muncie, Ind., who preached one year. J. L, Matthews was the next 
pastor and remained with the church for three years, being followed by 
Rev. J. W. Saunders, who ministered to the congregation about one year. 
The pastor at the present time is Rev. J. F. Crews. The membership is 
about twenty-five. 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 

Union Township occupies the southeast corner of Howard County 
and comprises thirty-one and a half square miles of territory bordering 
on Grant County on the east, and Tipton County on the south. Liberty 
and Jackson Townships on the north, and Taylor Township on the west. 
It was originally included in the territory of Green Township, and was 
set off as a distinct division at the March term , 1853, of the Board of County 
Commissioners. Topographically, the surface may be described as prin- 
cipally of even face in the northeastern, southeastern and southwestern 
portions, with occasional undulations of somewhat irregular character in 
the central part, while adjacent to the streams the land is more uneven, 
though in no place is it too broken for farming purposes. The town- 
ship is well watered and drained by several streams, which flow throuu^h the 



238 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

country in various directions, the chief of which is Big Wild Cat. This 
water course passes through the central part of the township in a north- 
westerly direction, and aiibrds tlie principal drainage of the eastern part 
of the county. It has three divisions, known as the Grassy, Middle and 
South Forks, which unite, as a single stream, near the central part of the 
township in Section 18. Lily Creek rises near the northwestern part of 
the township, flows through an irregular channel in an easterly direction, 
and empties into Wild Cat in Section 10, near the village of Jerome, Ko- 
komo Creek, the second stream of importance in the county, flows through 
the western part of Union. It enters the township from the west, about 
one-half mile from the southern boundary, takes a northeasterly course 
through Sections 80, 20 and 19, and leaves from Section 18. A small stream 
known as Prairie Creek rises near the south-central part of the township 
in Section 27, from whence it flows a northwesterly course through Sec- 
tions 22 and 15, crossing the northern boundary in Section 16. 

SOIL, TIMBER, ETC. 

The soil in all parts of Union is the fine black loam common in the 
eastern part of the county, and which has given to this township its pe- 
culiar advantages as an agricultural region. It is very deep, and rests 
upon a stratum of clay, thus rendering artificial drainage comparatively 
easy where sufiicient outlets can be obtained. When first seen by white 
men, this part of the county was covered with dense forests of the finest 
timber, the principal varieties being black and white walnut, maple, beech, 
hickory, ash, oak, hackberry, linn, elm and sycamore in the low grounds 
along the water-courses. So thickly interwoven were the branches that 
the sun's rays were completely excluded from the soil beneath, which con- 
sequently remained wet during the greater part of the year. .This damp 
condition of the ground, with the abundance of decaying vegetable matter, 
proved the fruitful source of much of the fever and ague with which the 
first pioneers were afflicted during the first few years of the country's 
settlement. By a successful system of underdraining, however, all the 
surface water is now easily gotten rid of and in no part of the county is 
there a more healthy locality than Union Township. Union has the rep- 
utation of being a fine farming section, a claim which is well founded. 
While some portions of the county may show as rich a soil, and others 
may be better adapted to some specialty, yet we believe that no other 
township can lay claim to all the advantages of soil, water, timber and 
health fulness than are justly claimed for this. For a number of years, 
the natural advantages of this region were scarcely appreciated, as the 
farming was carried on in such a manner as to obtain results far below 
what are now realized. Better farm machinery, improved methods of 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 239 

planting and cultivating, and the adoption of crops better suited to the 
soil, have brought great and favorable changes. In an especial manner is 
this true in regard to harvesting and taking care of products. 

PRIMITIVE FARMING. 

The way our fathers performed their farming operations is so little known 
to this generation, who depend almost entirely on machinery, and require 
horses to do all the work which men, women and children formerly did, 
that a description of the old way, gathered from conversations with those 
who know whereof they speak, may be of interest to the young farmers of 
the present day. Banish all such modern improvements as self-binders, 
mowers, corn planters, sulky plows, horse rakes, threshing machines, 
riding cultivators, and some conception may be formed of the primitive 
way of farming. The following was the mode of planting corn : A.fter 
the ground had been broken with a "bar shear, " plowed and scratched 
over with a harrow in which short wooden pins were used for teeth, the 
little shovel plow and single horse were used for marking ruts both ways. 
After marking was done children, big and little, the men and women, 
went into the field, and while the children, with tin basins, or small baskets, 
dropped the grain in the crossings, the others, with heavy iron hoes, fol- 
lowed and covered it with dirt. After the planting came the hoeing, now 
superseded by the improved cultivator. The tending by single shovel 
plows was the common method until a few years ago, and many of them 
are still in use. Harvesting wheat, oats, rye and grass was formerly a 
laborious process. Even within the recollection of comparatively young men, 
the scythe and cradle were looked upon as improved implements of husbandry. 
The hand sickle and reap hook were the implements used in our grandfathers' 
time, and several days were required to harvest a field of grain which 
could be done with one of our modern self-binders in as many hours. 
The manner of cleaning wheat from the chaff, after it had been trampled 
out by horses or oxen, was by pouring it slowly out of a bucket or half 
bushel measure, for the win<l to blow the chaff away ; next came the " con- 
cave thresher" and the old fan mill turned by hand. But now the per- 
fected thresher not only cleans and separates the wheat from the chaff 
and straw, but sacks and counts the number of bushels. Other improved 
methods of farm labor have kept pace with the modern machinery 
mentioned, and the advance which this township has made in an agricult- 
ural point of view since its first settlement has been almost phenomenal. 

PIONEER SETTLEMENT. 

The political condition of a people depends largely upon the tenure of 
land. If a settler could call land his own, in the same sense that a iiorse 



240 PISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

or a gun is his, the region couhl not be retarded in its development, or 
such embarrassments arise as have been experienced in older countries. 
The land tenures in this county were perfect, hence its prosperity was 
placed upon a solid basis. There were no "grants " in those early days 
when the price of land was put up to enrich the seller. The land in this 
region was put in mai'ket for the benefit of the State by attracting per- 
manent settlements. 

The first settler who located in Union Township as it is at present 
designated, was David Bailey, the exact date of whose arrival was not as- 
certained, though it is supposed to have been prior to the year 1842. 
He located near the forks of Wild Cat, about two miles southeast of 
Jerome, where he erected a small cabin and cleared a patch of ground, 
though he did not remain there very long. There was a large family of 
the Baileys, several of whom settled near Greentown, in Liberty Town- 
ships where they took and disposed of a great many claims, accumulating 
thereby considerable money, which enabled them to enter land when it 
came into market. In the year 1843, Jesse Lancaster came to the town- 
ship and settled a short distance north of the present site of Jerome, on 
land at present owned and occupied by Isaac Reed. At that time, the 
land was still in possession of the Indians, from whom Lancaster obtained 
permission to settle and make improvements. When the land came into 
market, he laid claim to 160 acres, but not having sufficient means to pay 
the Government price, he sold the claim, which was an eligible site, to 
Clem Murphy, for money enough to enter the adjoining quarter. Lan- 
caster came here from Wells County, and seems to have been a man of 
some prominence in the little pioneer community. He was quite a me- 
chanical genius, being a millwright by occupation, and found abundant 
opportunities for exercising his skill in making chairs, tables, plows and 
other articles for the early settlers. He improved a good farm and set 
out the first orchard in the township, many trees of which are still stand- 
ing. In 1858, he sold this farm to John Shaughan and moved to Wayne 
County. 

A son-in-law of Lancaster, Charles Baldwin, came about the same 
time and selected a site for his home a short distance west of Jerome, 
near a large spring, where he erected a rude pole shanty. This structure, 
which cannot be dignified by the term house, was constructed in a few 
hours, while the wind was blowing a still' breeze and the snow Avas flying 
thick in tlie air. The large cracks were stuff'ed with moss, which, with 
sheets hung around the interior, served to keep out the cold winter winds. 
A fire on the ground near the central 'part of the domicile, there being no 
floor, answered for heating and cooking purposes, while smoke was allowed 
to make its escape as best it could through a small opening in the brush 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 241 

and hay roof. The following spring, a more comfortable and convenient 
cabin was built, but the members of the family never forgot their expe- 
rience in the rail-pen during the cold winter of 1843-44. Baldwin was 
a native of England, a man of more than ordinary intellectual culture, 
and, as a teacher, was for several years identified with the early schools of 
Union. He afterward became the possessor of a good farm, lying about 
one mile east of Jerome, where Albert Farrington now lives. He sold 
this place and moved into Jackson Township a number of years ago. 

During the year 1844, the following settlers located within the 
present limits of the township : Charles 0. Fry, William Jones, Joseph 
Brown, Thomas Moorman, John Farrington and John Husted. The first 
named settled a short distance southwest of Jerome, near Big Wild Cat, 
on land which he "pre-empted" when it came into market. He erected 
his first cabin near an Indian sugar camp, which so exasperated the red 
men who were in no wise friendly toward the settler, that serious results 
very nearly followed. The savages looked upon Fry's action as an en- 
croachment, and gathering a number of their braves together they rode 
through the country, tore down a number of newly erected but unoccu- 
pied cabins, burned fences and seized the stock belonging to several set- 
tlers. Fry and Joseph Brown visited the Indian camp to make repara- 
tion for the offense committed, which was rather more easily accomplished 
than they expected. The chief said that all would be well and no fur- 
ther depredations be committed, providing the white man (meaning Fry), 
would procure them a load of hay for their ponies. Brown and Fry 
•were compelled to go to Marion for the hay, an undertaking attended 
with many difiiculties, as they were compelled to cut their road through 
the woods for almost half the distance. The hay was unloaded at the 
Indian village in due time, and thereafter all was peace and harmony be- 
tween the redskins and settlers. Fry was a native of Wayne County, 
but moved to this part of the country from Grant, where many years be- 
fore he figured as a prominent pioneer. He was a zealous member of the 
Methodist Church, and it was at his cabin the first religious services in 
the eastern part of the county were held. He remained in this township 
about three years, when he traded his claim to Henry Bailey for a claim on 
the present site of Greentown, to which he moved his family in the sum- 
mer of 1845. 

William Jones came from Grant County, and " squatted " about one- 
half mile north of Jerome, on Lily Creek. Here he erected a diminutive 
cabin, around which was cleared a small patch of ground, and for several 
years did teaming for the neighborhood. He was the owner of a large 
yoke of oxen, with which he made regular trips to Jonesboro for the pur- 
pose of hauling the settlers' grain to mill, and doing their marketing. He 



242 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUxNTY. 

generally took half the grain for his trouble, which was not looked upon 
as exorbitant pay, considering the almost impassable roads over Avhich he 
was obliged to travel. Jones sold his possessions to Henry Hoover in 
1848, and moved from the township. 

Joseph Brown, the oldest inhabitant of the township living at the present 
time, was a resident of Grant County previous to his settlement here. He 
first saw this part of the country in 1843, while on a hunt for cattle be- 
longing to his employer, Mr. Tyler, and, liking the appearance of the land, 
determined to locate here. He selected a spot for his cabin about 
one-half mile northeast of Jerome on Lily Creek, and soon had a habita- 
tion ready for occupancy. His family was soon transferred to their 
new home, and since that period Mr. Brown has been prominently 
identified with the growth and development of the township. At the 
present time, he is operating a mill very successfully at the village of 
Jerome. Moorman located near West Liberty, and was soon afterward 
joined by Elliott Mason, who settled in the same vicinity. They both 
came here from Grant County^ and for many years were residents of 
Union. John Farrington settled on the south bank of Wild Cat, one 
mile southeast of Jerome, where he took a claim. He traded this 
claim two years later to Ephraim Bates, who lived north of the creek, 
on the old Bailey place. He was a man of considerable energy 
and rare business qualifications, and became the possessor of a fine tract 
of real estate, which, at the present time, is in possession of his de- 
scendants. 

James Husted was an odd character, who achieved quite a reputation 
among the early settlers as a successful bee-hunter and trapper. He was 
an unmarried man, and lived entirely alone, in a little rail pen, which he 
built about two and a half miles east of Jerome. He made no improve- 
ments, but spent all his time in the woods, trapping during the fall and 
winter season, and hunting wild honey in the summer time. From the 
sale of his furs and honey, he realized considerable money, which he hoard- 
ed away with miserly care. He remained in this part of the country until 
the game became scarce, when he packed his few household goods, and 
with them upon his back, departed for more congenial quarters further 
west. 

Among other early settlers who came in about the same time, or per- 
haps a little later, were Elias Brown, brother of Joseph Brown, who lo- 
cated on Lily Creek, one mile north of Jerome, where he entered land in 
1847, and Jefferson Horine, who settled about midway between West 
Liberty and Jerome, on the East Fork of Wild Cat, where his son, Samuel 
Horine, lives. Horine was a native of Kentucky, and proved a valuable 
acquisition to the community where he settled. He was the first physi- 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 24 3 

cian in the township, and early achieved quite a reputation for the suc- 
cessful manner in which he treated the chills and ague, so common in 
pioneer times. 

Reuben Hawkins was another early settler deserving special notice. 
He came the latter part of 1844, and settled east of Joseph Brown's 
place, on Lily Creek, where he built the first mill in the eastern part of 
the county. He manufactured the buhrs for this mill out of two large 
" nigger heads " found near by. The machinery was operated by water- 
power, ground very slow, but made a very fair article of meal. Hawkins 
afterward attached a turning-lathe, and, being an expert workman in 
wood, soon had all the work he could do making tables, stands, chairs, 
and various other articles of furniture, which he sold to the settlers of this 
and adjoining townships. He was a resident of Union about twenty-five 
years, dying in 1869. 

Another early settler of note was Hampton Brown, father of Joseph 
and Elias Brown, whose arrival in the township dates from the year 1846. 
He was a native of Indiana, but passed his youth in Warren County, 
Ohio, where his father moved in an early day to escape the ravages of the 
Indians, who at that time were very troublesome in the southern part of 
the State. After attaining his majority, he moved back to Indiana and 
settled near Richmond, when that city was a mere hamlet of a half dozen 
cabins, and remained there until he immigrated to this county in the year 
mentioned. He made an entry of land in Section 11, and built his cabin 
on the present site of Jerome, of which village he was the proprietor. He 
was a resident of Union until the year 1871, and did as much toward the 
general development of the township as any other man within its bounda- 
ries. He died in the above year at a ripe old age, and left a large estate, 
which is in possession of his descendants. Harvey, Eugene, Jerome, Joel 
and Napoleon B. Brown, sons of Hampton Brown, came about the same 
time and located in the vicinity of Jerome. The first named resides in 
the township at the present time, and is justly considered one of its lead- 
ing citizens. William Trader came in 1846 and located near the forks of 
Wild Cat, where he entered a quarter-section of land one year later. He 
was a person in whom were combined many of the elements of the suc- 
cessful business man and shrewd farmer, although his name cannot be 
placed in the calendar of saints by any means. It is said that he always 
had an abundance of pork for sale, although he never raised any hogs of 
his own. How this meat came into his possession is accounted for by 
the fact that all the early settlers' swine were allowed to run at large. 

Additions were made to the township's population from time to time. 
Among the arrivals were Dr. Fisher, Philip Barkdull and his sons 
Albert and Joseph, George Jones, Dennis and Francis Cash, Nathan 



244 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Freeman and Jesse Dennis. In the years 1847 and 1848, after the lands 
came into market subject to entry, the following persons secured homes 
in Union : John Hogsdon, Daniel Eikenberry, Bernhard Hook, John 
Fellow, James Elmore, John Crousore, Thomas Ireland, Sanford Hestor, 
Theodore Hestor, Richard Parker, George M. Riffe, John M. Tennell, 
Reuben McKay, Pleasant Parker, Caleb Steeth, David Cox, Joseph 
Graves, Simon Davis, William Dickey, Benjamin Lewellen, Isaac Macy, 
John Barr, Benjamin Pickering, Dempsey Bailey, John Reese, A. 
Wright, David Seward, Archibald Leach, Jackson Pumphrey, Calvin 
Newton, William Reeves, William Rosier, John Henshaw, Silas Mitchell, 
S. A. Fletcher, Robert Wiley, Warner Brewer, Ezra Davis, Milton Bar- 
rett, Alexander Williamson, Robert L, Ward, Joseph Dillon, Levi Husten, 
Thomas E. Osborne, Riley Flora, Jonah Pierce, John Conner, Jesse 
Ware, William and David Boywell, Anson Courtright, Isaac Burns, Isaac 
Templin, John Shirley, James Cuthrell and John Allen. 

Like the early settlers in all new countries, the pioneers of this town- 
ship were compelled to endure many hardships and dangers. While it is 
true there were no hostile Indians to encounter, with the single exception 
alluded to, and no very ferocious beasts to guard against, yet the new 
condition of the country made it difficult to obtain wearing apparel, gro- 
ceries, breadstuffs and other articles necessary to convenience and com- 
fort. The pioneers practiced self-denial, for they left behind them the 
comforts and abundance of their old homes. They were few at first in 
numbers, but strong in their faith and courage. They developed a char- 
acter of which their descendants and successors need not feel ashamed. 
Their necessities made them ingenious, their perils made them brave and 
their fewness made them sociable. Their community of wants and dan- 
gers made them sympathetic and helpful of each other. However scanty 
their fare, it was shared with the neighbor or stranger with a free-hearted- 
ness that gave a relish to the plain repast. However small and unsightly 
their cabin, its room and bed and genial warmth were divided with a 
cordiality that sweetened the welcome. Their social life was adorned 
with the graces of liberality and true friendship. They did wisely and 
well their peculiar work of laying the foundations that we might build 
upon them. 

The greater amount of trading during the early days was done at 
Marion, Jonesboro, Peru, Logansport and Noblesville, some of the first 
settlers going as far as Indianapolis for their merchandise. Flour and meal 
were obtained from those places in the summer time, but during win- 
ter seasons when the condition of the early roads precluded the pos- 
sibility of travel, many families manufactured their own breadstuff by 
hand, crushing the grain in a rude mortar made by hollowing out the top 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 245 

of a round stump. As the community increased in wealth and impor- 
tance, the people enlarged their facilities for living more comfortably and 
with less toil and privation. 

SAW AND GRIST MILLS. 

The first mills in the township were those of James Lancaster and 
Reuben Hawkins, erected prior to 1846. Lancaster's stood a short dis- 
tance northwest of Jerome, on Lily Creek. It was a very rude affair, 
operated by hand with a little help from the water of the creek. The 
grain was crushed with a pestle and mortar, and the proprietor took half 
of the grist for toll. A notice of Hawkins' mill will be found on a previ- 
ous page. 

In the year 1847, the Brown Brothers erected a water mill on Big 
Wild Cat, just south of the village of Jerome. It was a combination mill, 
did sawing and grinding, and was in operation until the year 1860, at 
which time it was torn down and the machinery used in the construction 
of the present mill which occupies the same spot. The original building 
was about 30x40 feet, two stories high and had two run of buhrs. 
The present mill is a large three-story frame building, 40x56 feet, with 
three run of buhrs, and a grinding capacity of about 100 bushels of grain 
per day. It is operated by Joseph Brown, present proprietor. 

In the year 1875, William Jessup moved a steam flouring mill from 
Kokomo to the village of West Liberty, which proved a valuable acquisi- 
tion to that part of the country, Jessup sold it before its completion to 
— Carr, who operated it a short time, when it was purchased by William 
McConnell. It passed through several hands and was finally bought by 
Mr. Covalt, the present owner, who has remodeled it and added new and 
improved machinery. A saw has been attached and certain days of 
each week are devoted to the lumber business. 

A number of saw mills have been operated in various parts of the 
country from time to time, the majority of them being portable mills, and 
remaining but a few seasons in the same locality. The most important 
saw mill was erected near the western part of the township a number of 
years ago by Mr. Chandler, and is still in operation. It is one of the 
largest mills of the kind in the county. 

ROADS. 

It has been asserted, and wisely so, that the avenues of communica- 
tion are an undoubted evidence of the state of society. The history of 
the world, from its earliest days, furnishes indisputable proofs of this now 
universally admitted truth ; as civilization progresses, inter-communica- 
tion increases and the channels of trade are improved, while the convey- 
ance of products and the movement of armies requii'e an unobstructed 



246 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

highway. Of the Eastern nations who comprehended the truth of this 
statement, the chief were the Romans, whose broad highways and ruined 
arches still remain to remind us of those masters of the Avorld. While 
in the Western Hemisphere, Mexican causeways and Peruvian stone-roads 
attest the vigor of a national life centuries departed. The first trails 
through the forests of this part of the country, ample for the aborigines of 
Indiana, and withal, equal to their capacity, have given place to a net-work 
of highways, which, though not comparable to the military roads of the 
Romans or ancient Mexicans, and perhaps inferior to the turnpikes to be 
seen in the older States, are yet, at least, equal to the requirements of a 
civilized people. 

The first road in Union extended from near Jonesboro, in Grant 
County, to the forks of Wild Cat, near the central part of the township. 
It was cut out in 1843, by C. P. Baldwin, James Lancaster, C. 0. Fry, 
Thomas Moorman and Elliott Mason, who cleared away the brush and 
blazed the trees, thus marking the way so that travelers could find the 
route. The first legally established highway was known as the " Wabash 
trail," or Wabash and Strawtown State road. It led from Strawtown to 
Wabash, and crossed the township a short distance north of Jerome, and 
ran via Xenia and Somerset. It was never very extensively traveled 
and has of late years been entirely abandoned. 

Anothei: early road led from Jonesboro to Kokomo via Jerome and 
Greentown. It was surveyed in 1847, by Dr. Richmond, and viewed by 
Joseph Brown, Tence Lindley and John Sharpe. Joseph Brown was 
elected the first Supervisor about this time. His force of hands consisted 
of twelve men, who were compelled to work over a district six miles in 
length, two miles being in Grant County. The Tipton & Xenia road 
was laid out north and south through the central part of the township in 
the year 1849. Like many other roads, it has undergone various changes 
during the last thirty years, and is still one of the leading highways in 
the eastern part of the county. 

The Kokomo, Greentown & Jerome pike, which was completed in the 
year 1870. is the only gravel road in the township. It extends from 
Jerome in a northwesterly direction, and has proved a great benefit to 
the citizens of this part of the country. Its history will be more fully 
given in another chapter. A railroad line from Marion to La Fayette 
was run through this township in 1863, but no work was ever done. The 
original survey of the C, C. & I. C. Railroad passed through Union from 
east to west, but was abandoned for the more eligible route further west. 

FIRST BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH. 

The first child born within the present limits of the township was a 



UNION TOWxNSHIP. 247 

child of Philip Barkdull. This event occurred in the year 1846, a short 
time after the family located in the community. Another child was born 
about eighteen months later to the same family, and was the second birth, 
as far as known. The earliest marriage traceable was solemnized in the 
year 1846, the contracting parties being Albert Barkdull and Miss 
Hawkins, daughter of Reuben Hawkins. The ceremony was performed 
by Levi Bailey, the first Justice of the Peace, who became so confused 
that considerable difficulty was experienced before the knot was tied. 

The first burying i):round was laid out near the mouth of Lily Creek, 
west of Jerome. The ground was selected by Joseph and Elias Brown, 
in the year 1846, and the first interment took place shortly afterward. 
The first burial was a child of Philip , Barkdull, whose death occurred 
in the year mentioned. The second person buried in this cemetery was 
a stranger, whose name cannot be learned. He appears to have been a 
Mormon missionary, and died here while on a preaching tour. The 
Jerome Cemetery was laid out in an early day, on ground deeded for the 
purpose by William M. Laden. Among its somber shades on crumbling 
marble can be seen many names mentioned in these pages, while others, 
as prominently identified with the county's development, lie in the 
graves unmarked by the simplest epitaph. 

VILLAGE OF JEROME. 

The chief cause which led to the founding of the village was a general 
desire on the part of the community for a trading point, there being no 
town nearer than Jonesboro on the east, and New London and Russia- 
ville on the west. The immediate outgrowth of the demand was the 
establishment of a small store and blacksmith shop, as early as the year 
1847, which formed the nucleus around which several families located. 
Hampton Brown, actuated by motives in harmony with the general desire 
and with hope of bettering his financial condition, laid out the village in 
December, 1847, and called it Jerome, in compliment to his son of that 
name. It is situated in the southwest quarter of Section 11, on Big 
Wild Cat, and occupies one of the finest locations in the entire county. 
The site is high and undulating, and surrounded by one of the most 
fertile farming districts in the township — a fact which made the village an 
important trading place during the early years oi its history. 

The first sale of lots was made to Smith Todd and Thomas Banks a 
short time after the town was platted. Todd erected a blacksmith shop 
near the central part of the village, and worked at his trade until 1848, 
when he sold out to James Gardner. The latter continued in the village 
until the time of his death, in 1873. Banks built a storehouse and resi- 
dence in the western part of the town, and was the first merchant in the 



248 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

place. He stocked his room with a miscellaneous assortment of merchan- 
dise, to the amount of about $500, and sold goods for three years, when 
the stock was purchased by Joel and C. Murphy. The latter parties con- 
tinued business about two years, when, meeting with some financial re- 
verses, they closed out and left the village. 

Goflf & Allen erected a hewed-log building near the central part of the 
town, in 1853, and engaged in merchandising soon thereafter. They did 
a large business, with a stock valued at $3,500, and were identified with the 
town about four years, when they sold out to Harvey Brown. The latter 
erected a more commodious store room immediately after his purchase, to 
which his stock of goods were at once removed. This building is still 
standing, and at the present time is occupied by the store of James 
Stanley. 

Brown continued in business very successfully for some years, when 
he sold to John Griffin, who in turn disposed of the stock to John Stone, 
a short time afterward. Biglow Jordan erected a large two-story business 
house about the year 1858, which he stocked as a general store. The 
upper story of the building was finished and furnished by the Good 
Templars, who fitted it up for a hall and used it for a number of years. 
Their organization was at one time the most flourishing of any in the 
county. 

Among other old business houses of the place may be named the drug 
stores of B. Jordan, Daniel Moorman, Samuel Hawkins, Richard Free- 
man, J. J. Grifiin and Milton Davis, who appeared in the order 
named. 

The first physician who located in the town was Dr. John Summers, 
who came to the place soon after the survey was made, and re- 
mained about nine years. He was followed by Dr. Jenkins, who came 
soon afterward. The other physicians who have practiced here from time 
to time were Drs. John Airlocker, Blaze, Smith, Goodrich, Eaton, Ellis 
and Kepley. The present physician is Dr. S. T. Murray. 

In the year 1847, Francis Galway, a son-in-law of Hampton Brown, 
settled in the village and started a tan-yard. The enterprise proved very 
remunerative to the proprietor, who operated it successfully for a period 
of twelve years. It was purchased, in 1859, by John Willitts, who 
ran it about four years, when it was allowed to go down. 

A stave and heading factory was built in the village in 1868, by 
Messrs. Allen & Patterson, who operated it but one year. It was after- 
ward purchased by other parties and moved from the place. In the year 
1880, the Worley Brothers moved a large steam saw mill to the village. 
It is in operation at the present time, and doing a fair business. 

At one time there was a flourishing Masonic Lodge in the village,. 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 249 

■which owned a good hall. It was disbanded several years ago, and, 
at the present time, there are no secret societies in the town. 

During the early days of the county, Jerome was a prominent bus- 
iness place, and sustained its reputation well until within a few years. It 
wa3 incorporated in the year 1877, and maintained a town organization 
for about three years, when the project was abandoned. Efforts were 
made by the citizens of the village and surrounding country to induce the 
Toledo, Delphos & Western Railroad to run through the town, but with- 
out avail. The road was constructed a couple of miles north, and, to- 
gether with the growing village of Greentown, proved a serious blow to 
the business interests of Jerome, as it began to wane from that time. 
Merchants moved their stores to more eligible places, shops were closed, 
mechanics sought more remunerative fields of labor, and a general decay 
has fastened itself upon the once prosperous village. The business of the 
place at the present is represented by two stores, kept respectively by 
James Stanley and Branson Turner, one harness shop, one blacksmith 
shop, one grist mill, one aaw mill, and one good hotel. 

WEST LIBERTY. 

This little thriving town is situated in Section 19, near the south- 
west corner of the township, and dates its history from the year 1849. 
The land on which the village stands was entered in 1847 by Israel 
Zentmyer, who erected a residence and blacksmith shop one year later. 
Moses Jones purchased the land of Zentmyer in the spring of 1849, and 
erected a large water mill northeast of the present village plat, which, with 
the blacksmith shop mentioned, gave the place quite a local reputation. 
Jones had the village surveyed the latter part of 1849, and immediately 
placed the lots in the market. One of the first residences was erected by 
John Barr, a son-in-law of Jones, and stood in the northwest part of the 
village. 

The first business house was a little log building, about 16x20 feet, 
erected by Moses Rich as early as 1850, Rich did a good business with 
a stock valued at about $1,000, and was connected with the village as a 
merchant for twelve years, when he sold out to Mr. McQuillis, who 
moved the goods away. The second store building was erected by David 
Macy, and is still standing in the southwest part of the town. Macy was 
a prominent merchant, and operated an extensive store for about five years, 
when he closed out and left the place. Among other early merchants 
were Lewis Sharpe, who occupied the Macy building for two years ; Allen 
& Goff, and Jacob Harvey, all of whom did business between the years 
1856 and 1866. 

Hood & Beckett built a large frame storehouse some time prior to 



250 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

the year 1860, and stocked it with a miscellar:eous assortment of merchan- 
dise, to the amount of several thousand dollars. They afterward sold to 
Mr. Conway, who in turn disposed of the store to Irvin Tennell about 
the year 1863. The building stands in the southeastern part of the town, 
and at the present time is used for a blacksmith shop. One of the largest 
stores in the place was kept by Beckett & Weaver, who handled a stock 
of goods estimated at about $10,000. They did a very extensive business 
for some time, and finally closed out on account of financial embarrass- 
ments. Lester, Covalt k Curtes succeeded them. 

D. S. Swan erected the Simpson building in the year 1868, and was 
for several years identified with the business interests of the village. 
Simpson and Lee formed a copartnership in 1878. The entire interest 
was afterward purchased by Simpson, who at the present time is the leading 
merchant of the place. He keeps a general assortment of merchandise, 
including ready-made clothing, boots, shoes and drugs. Mr. Curtes 
keeps a general store also, and is doing a fair business. 

Jones' mill, to which reference has been made, was a large three-story 
frame building, with two runs of buhrs and saw attached. It was in oper- 
ation until the year 1862, at which time it was completely destroyed by 
fire. A furniture shop was started in 1859 by William Barr, who 
continued the business with moderate success for several years. 

The earliest physician was Dr. Augustus Weaver, who located at the 
village in the year 1855. Since that time the following medical gentle- 
men have practiced their profession in the town and surrounding country : 
Drs. Ransom, William Wilson, C M. Ware, James Simpson and Dr. 
Price. 

The village is situated in one of the wealthest farming communities in 
the eastern part of the county, and at the present time boasts of a population 
of two hundred persons. It commands a large country trade, and its 
future outlook is bright and prosperous. 

CHURCHES. 
The history of Christianity in Union Township may be ternled coeval 
with its settlement, the majority of the pioneers being active members of 
different religious organizations. The earliest preachers of whom there 
is any authentic account made their appearance as early as the year 1844, 
and were of the Methodist denomination. The first public services were 
held at C. 0. Fry's residence, which served as a meeting place during 
the time he remained in the township. Meetings were held at different 
settlers' houses from time to time, and in groves when the weather would 
admit of out-door services. Among the pioneer soldiers of the cross can 
be named Revs. Evans, Colclazer, Lowe, Garrigus, Doyle, Cobb and 
Morrison, all of whom were men of ability and marked piety. 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 251 

The first church edifice in the township was a little log structure built 
by the Quakers near the forks of Wild Cat in the year 1848, It was the 
meeting place for a large Society of Friends which flourished for a 
number of years during the early history of the county ; the organization 
was well maintained for some time, but owing to deaths and removals it 
was finally abandoned, the remaining members identifying themselves with 
societies of other places. The earliest preachers were Jesse Dennis and 
Hannah Mason. The old building stood until the year 1871, at which 
time it was torn away, and nothing remains to mark its location but a 
pile of rubbish and decayed logs. 

Jerome Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in the year 1847, 
with a small but energetic membership. The services were held for a 
couple of years at residences of the different members, and afterward at 
the village schoolhouse, which was the regular place of meeting until 
the re-organization in 1853. The class was brought about chiefly by the 
labors of Rev. M. S. Morrison and Jacob Colclazer, both of whom worked 
diligently to place the society upon a firm basis. At a meeting held at 
the schoolhouse in 1853, a re-organization was effected under the labors 
of Rev. S. V. Rhodes and M. Mahin, v/ith the following members : 
William L. Reed and wife, Isaac Reed and wife, Philip Hawkins, Sr., 
and wife, .Reuben Hawkins and wife, Dr. J. M. Everlougher and wife, 
M. M. Addington and wife and Miss Lydia Reed. The schoolhouse 
served as a place of worship until the year 1857, at which time a sub- 
stantial building, 30x40 feet, was erected in the east part of the village, 
on ground purchased of Hampton Brown. This house stood until 1874, 
when it caught fire and was completely destroyed. A second house of 
worship was built on the same spot immediately afterward, at a cost of 
about $1,200. This building is a neat frame structure, 30x45 in size, and 
will comfortably accomodate three hundred persons. The pastors who 
have ministered to the society at different times are given as follows : 
Revs. Morrison, Colclazer, Forbes, Rhodes, Marks, Gorrell, Hoback, 
Templin, McElwee, Shackleford, Miller, Peck, Curry, J. W. Miller, 
Lewellen, Watkins, Harrison, Bearaer, Fish, John McElwee, Baker, and 
Wilcox, the present incumbent. The present oflBcers of the church are : 
O. T. Florea and H. D. Kepler, Trustees; 0. T. Florea, class leader. 
A flourshing Sabbath school, numbering from forty to eighty scholars, is 
among the most interesting and progressive features of the church. E. 
S. Lancaster is the Superintendent and also one of the earnest workers of 
the congregation. 

New Hope Friends' Church was orgalnized in the 3^ear 1858, at the resi- 
dence of Jesse II. Ellis, with a membership consisting of Edmund Peelle and 
wife, Jesse H. Ellis and wife, Joel iVdams and wife, together with the chil- 



262 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

dren of their respective families. Public worship was conducted at Ellis* 
residence for a period of one year, and afterward for about the same length 
of time in an old unoccupied frame dwelling which stood in the vicinity. 
A few years later, a log meeting-house was built near the site of the pres- 
ent church edifice, and used by the congregation until the year 1871, at 
which time it was abandoned and a structure more in keeping with the 
growing church erected. This house is a neat frame building, and stands 
in the southern part of the township on ground donated for the purpose 
by Edmund Peelle. During a period of eight years following its organiza- 
tion, the society had no regular preaching, although services were held 
each Lord's Day, conducted by different members, while many of their 
meetings were held in silence, a custom peculiar to the denomination. At 
the close of the period referred to, Mary J. Peelle began speaking in 
public, and was soon acknowledged as a minister of more than ordinary 
abilities. She supplied the pulpit at intervals for several years, and by 
her untiring efforts did much toward establishing the church upon its 
present substantial basis. Endowed with superior intellectual powers and 
a spirit of rare Christian fervor, her whole life was a grand poem of con- 
secration to the cause of her Master, and the influence of her eloquent 
words and blameless example will always live in the community where 
she was instrumental in directing many souls to the higher life. It is 
under the influence of such persons that stern men of the world, who have 
squandered life and innocence without a sigh, are compelled to admit 
the truthfulness of the Christian religion and conform their conduct to 
its pure teachings. 

Following the example of Mrs. Peelle came other ministers, among 
whom were Edmund Peelle, James Ellis, Hammer Ellis and Jefferson 
Jackson, all of whom are men of prominence in the country. To the work 
of Hammer Ellis is the church especially indebted for much of its present 
prosperity, as he has watched over its growth with a fatherly interest ever 
since the original organization. 

In this connection it will not be out of place to speak of the temper- 
ance cause which has made substantial progress in this part of the county 
under the leadership of Mr. Ellis, whose best energies are devoted to its 
success. Notwithstanding the unfavorable auspices under which the society 
was founded, it has done a good work and increased its membership until 
at the present time it numbers 250 communicants. A good Sabbath 
school is sustained during the entire year. 

Centre Grove Baptist Church was organized March 21, 1869, by 
Elder Jari Randolph, assisted by Elders Hamilton and Baumgardner. A 
revival was held immediately after the organization, at the close of which 
sixty-five persons assumed the responsibility of membership, a number 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 253 

which has decreased somewhat during the last ten years. Elder Ran- 
dolph preached for the society one year and was succeeded by Elder Gra- 
ham, who continued in charge about four years. After Graham came Elders 
Baumgardner, Hamilton, Spurlin, White and Turner, in the order named, 
the last being the pastor at the present time. The house of worship, which 
is a neat frame structure, was built in 1869, and stands about three miles 
south of the village of Jerome. There are at present about forty -five 
belonging to the society. 

The Christians, or Disciples, as they are more familiarly known, have 
a flourishing church at the village of Jerome. The house of worship is a 
beautiful frame structure situated in the southern part of the village, and 
was erected in the year 1860, at a cost of about $1,500. Elder Blount is 
the present pastor. 

SCHOOLS. 

Mr. Brown reports that the first school ever taught in Union was in 
the year 1845, by Mrs. C. P. Baldwin, at her residence, about one and a 
half miles east of Jerome Village. The few neighbors living in the vicin- 
ity sent their children and made a school of about eight pupils. The second 
school was taught about three years later, in a vacant dwelling which 
stood on the North Fork of Lily Creek, a short distance north of Jerome, 
and numbered twenty scholars. The next in order was at the village of 
Jerome, taught by L. F. Springer, who used for the purpose a small log 
store building which had been vacated some time previous. The date of 
the term was the winter of 1849-50. These were pioneer schools, and, 
considering the circumstances, were very good indeed. The only Latin 
they ever taught was to make their pupils pronounce the letter Z, " izzard." 

The people of those days, compared with the present, had some very 
healthy ideas about education. They believed a school was a place of 
training in the three " R's," and that its usefulness stopped with the " rule 
of three." It was some time before the rudest log schoolhouses were 
erected. The people were sparsely scattered through the neighborhoods. 
They were poor in this world's goods, as a rule. Teachers were scarce 
and so were books. There were a goodly proportion of the grown people 
who failed to appreciate the benefits of education, hence did not realize 
the importance of teaching their children to read and write, in onier to 
prepare them for what was soon to follow, namely, mail facilities, cheap 
postage and abundant and cheap literature. 

The first house built especially for school purposes stood a short dis- 
ance north of Jerome. It was a comfortable hewed-log structure, with 
slab seats, and was erected in the year 1850. It was first used by Charles 
Baldwin, who taught in the winter of 1850-51, and the following year 
Jonathan Grifiin wielded the birch in the same place. The building stood 



254 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

about five years, when it was replaced by a two-story frame house, the 
upper story of which served as ;r Masonic hall. The latter building was 
the first frame schoolhouse in the township, and served its purpose until 
about the year 1862, at which time it was completely destroyed by tire. 
Among the early teachers in the village are remembered Patterson, Plants 
and Van Winkle. 

The township is well supplied now with twelve good buildings in which 
schools are taught about seven months in the year. 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 

Jackson Township originally embraced the greater part of the present 
township of Liberty, and extended east from range line 4 to Grant County, 
and south from Miami County to the line dividing Congressional Town- 
ships 23 and 24, including in all forty-eight square miles of territory. In 
the original organization of Richardville County, it formed a part of 
Green Township, and was reduced to the limits described in the year 
1846. Seven years later it was reduced to its present dimensions, four 
by six miles, by the formation of the townships of Union and Liberty. 
The surface of the country is very level, and was originally wet and 
slushy, consequently was not settled as early as other portions of the 
county further west. The soil is a deep, black loam, very fertile, and well 
adapted for general farming purposes, producing in abundance all the 
grain and fruit indigenous to Northern Indiana. 

SOIL AND DRAINAGE. 
For a number of years after the first settlement of the township, great 
difficulty was experienceil in farming the soil, on account of its wet nature ; 
but as time passed, large ditches were dug through the country, by means 
of which the surface water was carried off, and much valuable land re- 
claimed. By a successful system of tile drainage portions of the county, 
formerly looked upon as worthless, have been brought under cultivation, 
and at the present time there is as little waste land in Jackson as any 
other township in the county, a fact which gives it precedence over many 
others as an agricultural region. The entire face of the country, at the 
time of the first settlement, was covered with a dense forest growth, which 
from time immemorial had been the home and hiding place of numerous 
wild animals, such as bears, wolves, deer, etc. Here the red man erected 
his rude bark wigwam, and amid the thick forest shades hunted the game 
and found fish in the streams by which the country is traversed. With 
the advent of the whites, the Indians removed from their ancestral hunting 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 255 

grounds and went further west, and their existence now is but a remem- 
brance. The tribes that then roamed over the lands now covered with 
well-tilled fields of waving grain and comfortable homes have forever dis- 
appeared, and another race are the undisputed possessors of the soil. 

The principal water-course is Little Pipe Creek, which flows a north- 
erly course through the eastern part of the township. It affords ample 
drainage for that part of the country through which it passes, and furnishes 
an exhaustless supply of stock water, an important factor to the farmers 
of northern Jackson. There are several other streams of minor impor- 
tance in the township, which, with the large public ditches traversing the 
country in different directions, furnish ample outlets, thus rendering arti- 
ficial drainage comparatively easy. 

PIONEER SETTLEMENT. 

The early history of Jackson is similar to that of the adjoining town- 
ships, especially in these facts, which are matters of record. The pio- 
neers who first sought homes in the thick forests of this part of the 
county were not adventurers, but plain, matter-of-fact men, who were al- 
lured to the new country by the advantages it offered in the way of cheap 
lands, which could be secured at that time for the Government price of $2 
per acre. To make a home in the woods was an undertaking attended 
with difficulties of which we of the present day can form but a faint concep- 
tion. Settlers two and three miles apart were not regarded very dis- 
tant neighbors, and met together at the same log-rollings, house-raisings, 
and at the same meeting for local organization and to elect township of- 
ficers, and to co-operate in all matters of public improvement, such as lay- 
ing out new roads, building bridges, and establishing schools. 

The earliest recorded settlements Avithin the present limits of Jackson 
appear to have been made in the northern part of the township as early 
as the years 1845-46, and in the southern part a few years later. Among 
the very first pioneers may be mentioned Joseph Hockett, who moved here 
from Grant County in the latter part of 1845 ; Turner Sullivan, who 
came in one year later ; and Samuel Darby, a native of Butler County, 
Ohio, whose arrival dates from the fall of 1846. These were all men of 
considerable prominence. By their industry they soon had comfortable 
cabins erected on their respective claims. They located in the northeast- 
ern part of the township, and were prominently connected with the coun- 
try for a number of years. A little later came William Braden, Garner 
Bryant and W. W. Braden, all of whom were natives of the Buckeye 
State, and located claims near where the first-named settlers located. 

In the years 1847-48-49, a number of settlers secured homes in the 
northeastern part of the township, among whom are remembered Will- 



256 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

iam Ebright, William Taylor, David Stanfield, R. Shinn, Stephen Peters, 
Frank Shinn, Hugh Means, Abram Wrightsman, Solomon Burris, Asa 
Marine, Samuel II. Riggs, Thomas Addington, Meredith Maple, H. Mil- 
ler, C. Miller, James Holingshead, John Cook and George Linsieum, all 
of whom became permanent residents, securing the patents for their lands 
from the Government. 

Prominently connected with the northeast settlement, was Zila Ma- 
rine, who built one of the first cabins in the township as early as the fall 
of 1845. He was a man of more than ordinary energy, and did as much, 
if not more, toward the general welfare of the township than any other 
citizen living within its limits. A man of public spirit, he took an active 
part in establishing highways, building schoolhouses and running ditches, 
and to him is the county indebted for much of its present prosperity. He 
was a resident of Jackson until about the year 1871, at which time he 
sold his possessions in the township and moved to Xenia, Miami County, 
where he still lives, an honored representative of the pioneers of forty 
years ago. 

Jonathan Reeder, another settler of some note, settled in Section 25 
in the spring of 1846, locating on the James Allison farm. He came 
here from Madison County and was identified with the township about 
two years, when he sold his claim tj Henry Burris and moved to Centre 
Township, and later to the city of Kokomo. He was a prominent mem- 
ber of the Methodist Church, and early took an active part in introduc- 
ing Christianity into the pioneer communities of Howard County. In 
the year 1847, William Hatfield came to the township and took a claim 
where Clark Gate lives, near the eastern boundary. He afterward sold to 
Michael Thompson and moved to another part of the county. 

John McClellan came about the same time and selected a claim in 
the northwest corner of the township, being the first to settle in that lo- 
cality. He came from Henry County and is still a resident of Jackson. 
Another early settler deserving special mention was Ezra Reynolds, who 
located in the northeast settlement about the year 1846. He pre-empted 
a very desirable claim which he entered two years later, and was an hon- 
ored citizen of Jackson until the time of his death about six years ago. 
A number of des3endents of this old pioneer are living in the township 
and are considered among its most worthy citizens. 

Lemuel Powell settled near Sycamore Corners in the year 1847, and 
made his first improvement on what is known as the Warnock farm, where 
his son still lives. Like many of the first settlers, he came to the country 
with but little of this world's goods ; but, being a man of great industry 
and business tact, soon acquired a competency and became the owner of a 
valuable tract of real estate. His death occurred many years ago. Will- 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 257 

iam Golden and Jonathan Wright settled' in the eastern part of the town- 
ship near the county line about the year 1847 and entered land the year 
following. They were both men of some note as hunters, and subsisted 
principally on game, from the sale of which sufficient money was realized 
to keep their respective families in such articles of clothing and groceries 
as were needed. 

In the year 1847, P. S. Maxwell came to the county on a tour of ob- 
servation and passed through the southern part of Jackson. Being fa- 
vorably impressed with the country, he marked out a claim a short dis- 
tance north of Sycamore* Corners, on what is known as the Samuel P. 
Thompson farm. He afterward sold this claim and entered the land 
where he still resides in the year 1848. He is one of the oldest citizens 
of the township living at the present time. 

Other early settlers in the southern part of the township were John 
S. Garrigus and William Hatfield, who came in 1848, R. Turner, John 
McCormick, Daniel Gate, William B. Morris, Janathan Reeder, Smith 
Todd, Isaac and Thomas Jessiop, all of whom came the latter part of the 
same year or in the spring of the year following. Among others whose 
arrival dates from about the same time were Joseph Fleek, James Hog- 
land, Andrew Hart, William C. Miller, C. Brunk, Valentine Somers, J. 
H. Reeder, John Gate, Joseph Bates, Eugene Brown and Jacob Brunk. 
Later came Alexander Rhea, Asa Gossett, H. Somers, P. W. Gossett, 
George Grutherd and Clevenger. Among those who entered land in an 
early day were Alexander McCullouch, James R. Thompson, Restori 
Shinn, Garner Bryant, Ghristopher Armacost, Samuel Riggs, William 
Brandon, Samuel Hamilton, Jesse Elliott, George Wetherow, Gharles 
Waddell, Emanuel Huler, William Turner, Spencer Moon, Jesse Moon 
and several of the pioneer settlers already alluded to. It is impossible to 
fully realize the hardships, privations and struggles of the early settlers 
in the forests and sloughs of Jackson. They were in the midst of an 
immense woods without society, far removed from villages where anything 
could be purchased, and oftentimes destitute of the means to purchase, 
with a number of miles of almost impassable roads to travel before a grist 
mill or store could be reached. They were in a sickly country, where 
fever and ague was the common lot of nearly every one, and no physician 
near, the wolf without and sometimes the wolf of hunger within. All 
these things conspired to make the pioneer's lot one of trial. The little 
produce raised could find no market, as there were no transportation facil- 
ities, and each settler supplied his own wants. As a result, little money 
was in circulation, and all groceries were paid for in produce at extreme- 
ly low rates, as the storekeeper must find a mai'ket over nearly impassa- 
ble roads. But happily these difficulties have all passed away. The 



258 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

country is now nearly all improved, is reasonably healthy and as produc- 
tive and well cultivated as the surrounding townships and considerably 
ahead of some. Societies have been organized, church edifices erected 
and schools established. Stores are now convenient, mills abundant and 
every convenience at hand to make the citizens of Jackson a happy 
rural people. 

THE EARLIEST ELECTIONS. 

At the organization of the township in 1853, the voting place was 
fixed at the residence of Henry Burris, which was used for that purpose 
several years. Elections were afterward held at Jacob Brunk's residence, 
and later at the Mattock Schoolhouse, which was used until the Honey 
Creek Schoolhouse was permanently fixed upon. The first election in the 
township was held in the year 1847, at the residence of George H. Golden. 
The first election after the division of 1853 was held at Burris' residence, 
and the following Township Board elected : Eugene Brown, Jacob Brunk 
and Abraham Wrightsman, Trustees ; J. S. Garrigus, Treasurer ; and 
William B. Morris, Clerk. The present Trustee is Mr. Gossett, who is 
serving his first term. 

THE CAUSE OF EDUCATION. 

It is not positively known who taught the first school in Jackson Town- 
ship, though it is supposed to have been a man by the name of Stanfield. 
From the most reliable information at hand, it is safe to say that Stanfield 
taught a term as early as the year 1849, in a little abandoned cabin which 
stood in Section 5, near the northeast corner of the township. This build- 
ing was a very diminutive affair, about 12x16 feet in size, and had been 
fitted up by the neighbors for school purposes with the least possible out- 
lay of money and labor. There were a few rough puncheon benches 
which rested on a floor of the same material, and a large stick fire-place 
in one end of the room which could accommodate logs of almost any 
dimensions. There were no desks for the pupils' accommodation, little 
and big being compelled to sit on the narrow pole benches from 8 A. M. 
until 5 P. M., with nothing to rest their aching backs against. School 
books were in keeping with the house and its furniture, and the curriculum 
of study embraced reading in the old English reader and Testament, arith-, 
metic, and writing about twice a week. The first schoolhouse appears to 
have been used but once. It was torn down and replaced by a more com- 
modious structure the following year. The fate of Schoolmaster Stan- 
field was to be drowned in the Iowa River about the year 1860. The 
first house built eigpecially for school purposes stood near Sycamore Cor- 
ners, and was first used by Charles Somers, the date of whose term can- 
not now be ascertained. Other early teachers were Z. Rider, Asa Gossett, 
William B. Morris, B. Ladd, W. C. Miller, William R. Parker, Edward 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 259 

Morris, Davis, Joseph Fleeks, Jonathan Wrightsman, Lewis and J. F. 
Elliott. 

There are at the present time six good schoolhouses, all frame but one, 
which is brick, and all in fair condition. The present corps of teachers 
consists of J. M. Davis, George M. Horine, Henrietta Powell, G. Lind- 
ley, George M. Allison, C. L. Gate and 0. W. Outland. For the school 
year 1882—83, there was expended for tuition the sum of $1,493. 

ROADS AND RAILROADS. 

The first road through Jackson was the old Wabash trail, which 
crossed the township in an irregular direction from northeast to south- 
west. It was laid out in the year 1845, but was never traveled, the orig- 
inal route being afterward changed on petition of the people. The Je- 
rome & Xenia road was cut out through the township in 1848, by P. S. 
Maxwell, at that time Supervisor. It passes through the western part of 
the township, from north to south, and is a well traveled highway. An- 
other early road runs east and west through the southern part of the town- 
ship, leading from Sycamore to Kokomo. It was surveyed in the year 
1850 by Dr. Richmond. 

In the year 1853, the township was divided into four road districts 
under the following Supervisors : William Detamore, Jacob Brunk, Will- 
iam Hatfield and Eugene Brown. The number of hands employed 
at that time was fifty. The township at the present time is well sup- 
plied with roads, which intersect each other at proper intervals, the ma- 
jority of them being regularly established on section lines. The absence 
of gravel precludes the possibility of making pikes ; consequently, the 
most of the roads are almost impassable during certain seasons of the 
year, on account of the mud. This difficulty is being overcome some- 
what by large ditches along the various highways, by means of which the 
road-beds are efi'ectually drained, thus rendering them reasonably com- 
pact. 

There is one railroad in the township — the Toledo, Delphos & St. 
Louis — which was completed in the year 1881.' It passes along the 
southern border, and has been the means of improving the township by 
increasing the value of land and affording shipping facilities for the prod- 
uce of the country. 

EARLY DEATHS, BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES. 

Among the first deaths in the township was Emily, wife of Stokes Max- 
well, who died about the year 1850. Another early death was J. Gillen, 
father of John Gillen, who died some time prior to the above year. Riley 
Maxwell, son of P. S. and Emily Maxwell, was one of the early birtlis, 



260 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

being born in the year 1848, a few months after the family moved to the 
township. Among the early marriages were those of James Marshall and 
Rachel Turner and Hubert Somers and Amanda Turner. The ceremo- 
nies which united the above-named parties were performed by Mr. Max- 
well, an early Justice of the Peace. 

SAW MILLS. 
A question which perplexed many of the pioneer farmers of Jackson 
was, " What shall we do to get rid of so much superfluous timber ?" For 
several years, every means that could be devised was resorted to, in order 
to destroy the forest growth, which proved such a hindrance to the success 
of the husbandman. In this ruthless destruction, much fine walnut and 
poplar timber was destroyed, which, if standing at the present time, 
would represent a value equal to the farm lands of the township. As 
time passed, however, the growth and development of the country created 
a demand for lumber, and saw mills were located at various places in the 
fine forests of the country. 

The first saw mill was built near Sycamore Corners, in the year 1851, 
by Daniel Gate and Joseph Fleeks, who operated it very successfully for 
a number of years. Much lumber was manufactured and shipped from 
this point, especially walnut, from the sale of which the proprietors of the 
mill realized considerable wealth. The mill passed through several hands, 
the last owners being David and James McClellan, who ran it until its 
destruction by fire several years ago. 

The second mill of which we have any knowledge was erected in the 
northwest corner of the township, in an early day, by Alman McClellan 
and John Needham. It was a steam mill, and was operated but a few 
years at the original location, being afterward removed to the southern 
part of the township, to a place called Lynn Corners, about one-half 
mile north of Sycamore, where it is still standing. It is owned at the 
present time by Armstrong, Pickett & Co., of Kokomo. Another saw 
mill was built a short distance east of Sycamore, several years ago, by 
Messrs. Lee & Peters, who ran it but a short time. A. number of mills 
have been in operation in the township at difierent times, and the lumber 
business was an important industry. The greater portion of the timber 
has now been cut and shipped away, however, and consequently the mills 
have removed to more eligible localities. 

CHURCH HISTORY. 

It is difiicult at this distant day to accurately determine where and by 
whom the first religious services in the township were held, and the 
circumstances which led to the same. Many of the pioneers were mem- 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 261 

bers of the Methodist Church, and it is reasonable to suppose that min- 
isters of that denomination were the first to preach the Gospel in the 
sparsely settled communities of Jackson. One of these early pioneers of 
the cross was Rev. Alfred Thorpe, who preached at the residence of Jo- 
seph Hockett, in the northern part of the township, at an early day, the 
date of which cannot be ascertained. A society of the Wesleyan Method- 
ist, the church to which Thorpe belonged, was organized at Mr. Hockett's 
house, with a good membership, and was well sustained for a number of 
years. Thorpe preached for this and neighboring societies, and appears 
to have been a man of more than ordinary abilities. Other early preach- 
ers who ministered to this society were T. L. Garrigus, father of Milton 
Garrigus, Daniel Worth, Elliott E. Brookshire, Joseph Shackelford and 
William Gladden, all of whom were men of fervent piety and untiring 
industry. 

The Missionary Baptists conducted public worship at the residences of 
diiferent settlers in an early day, but do not appear to have had an organiza- 
tion. Among the early preachers of this denomination is remembered Rev. 
Jean Baptiste Brouilette, a French Indian, of the Miami tribe. He was 
one of the first of his tribe to embrace Christianity, and commenced 
preaching soon after his conversion, and was instrumental in establishing 
several cTmrches among his fellows. He was a noble specimen of his 
race, being over six feet in height, endowed with the strength of a Her- 
cules, and possessing a fervid eloquence, by means of which he exercised 
great influence among the Indians with whom he came in contact. 

It is related of him that while preaching on one occasion in the early 
days of his ministry, he was greatly annoyed by several Indians who 
came to church for the avowed purpose of creating a disturbance. One 
of them taunted him with being a pale face, while another called him a 
squaw — a great insult — to which he paid no attention further than to re- 
quest them to keep quiet. Seeing their attempts to throw him off his 
guard by words had no effect, one of the Indians stepped in front of him, 
and deliberately spit at his face. Instantly all the fury of his wild nat- 
ure was aroused, and with one hand he seized the luckless persecutor by 
the throat and a large stick of wood, lying near by, with the other. He 
raised the club and was about to brain his tormentor, when he checked him- 
self, saying aloud, " My Master suffered death at the hands of his enemies 
without a murmur, and shall I not bear this slight persecution for His 
sake? " Loosening his hold, he returned to the desk, and finished his 
sermon with no further annoyance. The crest-fallen savages, seeing the 
mettle the preacher was made of, retired abashed, and from that time he 
received no more trouble. He died about sixteen years ago, greatly re- 
spected by both whites and Indians. 



262 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

There are at this present time two church organizations in the town- 
ship, Curry's Chapel in Section 1, near the northern boundary, and Pop- 
lar Grove, in the southwest corner. The first-named is a Methodist Epis- 
copal society, with a large membership and a good house of worship. The 
church is well sustained, and numbers among its members many of the 
leading citizens of the community. Poplar Grove Church is sustained 
by the Protestant Methodists, and for a number of years has been a 
flourishing society. This house of worship is a neat frame structure, 
representing a value of about $1,200. It was erected in the year 1873, 
on the farm of Isaac Jessiop. 

VILLAGE OF SYCAMORE. 

This live little town was founded, in the year 1881, by 0. P. Hollings- 
worth. During the intervening years between that time and the present, 
it has attained quite a position of mercantile importance, and is recog- 
nized as a permanent trading point. It was the immediate outgrowth of 
the narrow-guage railroad, and is one of the best shipping points on that 
line. The first stock of merchandise was opened for sale by Allen Quick 
and Frank Hoon, who fitted up the old frame schoolhouse for a store room 
shortly after the railroad was completed. Hoon afterward purchased the 
entire interest, and conducted business very successfully for about one 
year, when he sold out and left the place. He returned later, erected a 
new building on the west side of Main street, and is in business at the 
present time. The promising opening soon attracted other merchants, 
and several other stores were in successful operation within a few months 
after the village was platted. At the present time there are four general 
stores, one drug store, one blacksmith shop, a saw mill, stave factory and 
warehouse, and a population of about 100. There is a good brick school- 
house, where a church organization and a temperance society also hold 
their meetings. The growth of the village has been quite rapid, and its 
outlook is flattering. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 

Among all grades of history, none is more instructive, or sought after 
with greater eagerness, than that which truthfully delineates the rise and 
progress of the State, county, or even township in which one lives. 
There is pleasure as well as profit to every well educated and inquiring 
mind, in contemplating the struggles of the early settlers in all portions of 
the great West ; how they encountered and successfully overcame every 
species of trial, hardship and danger incident to a life in the wilderness. 
But these things strike us more forcibly, and fill our minds with more 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 263 

immediate interest, when confined to our own little county, where, per- 
chance, we can yet meet with some of the gray-haired actors in those early 
scenes — actors with whom life's rugged day is almost over, whose bravery 
in encountering troubles and misfortunes in the backwoods has borne an 
important part toward making our country what it now is, and whose acts, 
in connection with hundreds of others in the first settling of our vast do- 
main, have compelled the civilized world to acknowledge that the Amer- 
icans are an invincible people. 

It may appear to some a rather small and insignificant work to record 
the history of so small a portion of the earth's surface as is embraced within 
the limits of a township, but it will be remembered that our vast republic 
is composed of States that are made up of counties, which, in turn, are 
subdivided into smaller divisions, each of which contributes its share to the 
general history of the country. Though occupying but a small part of 
Howard County, Ind., the township, to which the following pages are de- 
voted, has a history peculiarly its own, and fraught with interest to all 
her citizens at least, besides many others whose early homes were located 
within its territory. 

TOPOGRAPHY AND PRODUCTIONS. 

Liberty Township originally formed a part of Jackson and Green 
Townships, and dates its history as a separate division from the year 1853, 
at which time it was set oif with its present boundaries. It occupies ter- 
ritory in the northeastern part of the county, having a geographical area 
of thirty-one and a half square miles, being eight miles long from north 
to south, and four miles from the eastern to the western limits. It is 
bounded on the east by Jackson Township and a part of Union, on the 
south by Union, on the west by Taylor and Howard Townships, on the 
north by Miami County, and is composed of portions of Congressional 
Towns 23 and 24 north, Range 5 east. 

The distinguishing characteristics of Liberty are its fine undulating 
farm lands, which in point of fertility and productiveness are unsurpassed 
b^ any similar amount of territory in the county. The northern and 
central portions are very level, and in -certain places contain some low, 
marshy land, but the great majority of its acres are susceptible of a high 
degree of cultivation, as is attested by the rank which the township takes 
as an agricultural district. In the southern part, adjacent to Wild Cat, 
the surface is more irregular, but in no place is it too broken or uneven 
for tillage. The soil is a deep, black loam, mixed with clay in certain 
localities, and very fertile. It rests upon a clay subsoil, which renders 
artificial drainage easy. The township is well watered and drained by 
several streams which traverse the country in various directions, the chief 



'J6-t HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

of which is Big Wild Cat. This water-course enters the township near 
the southeast corner, flows a northwesterly direction through Sections 10, 
9, 5, 4 and 32, and crosses the western boundary from Section 31. It 
passes through a very fertile region of country, and receives several small 
tributaries, which are not designated by any particular names. 

The surface of the township was originally covered with dense forests, 
which afforded a natural home for many kinds of wild animals, and their 
scarcely less wild companions, the red men. The productions of these 
forests were at one time the source of considerable wealth to those who 
settled in the timber and made the lumber busines sa specialty. At the 
head of these forest products, stands the black walnut, a tree unequaled 
in the United States for its many uses in cabinet-making. Vast quanti- 
ties of this timber were found in the woods of this township, mucli of it 
being ruthlessly destroyed by the pioneer settlers, who had no adequate 
idea of its value. Next in value is the poplar, which affords the princi- 
pal amount of lumber for all practical purposes to the farmers of this part 
of the country. Another of the forest raonarchs is the elm, which grows 
to gigantic size in the low lands, along the water-courses. Beech, linden, 
ash, hard and soft maple, hackberry, buckeye and several species of oak 
are found growing in abundance. There is also a luxuriant undergrowth, 
consisting principally of spicebush, papaw and dogwood. 

Agricultural productions of every kind indigenous to this latitude are 
certain of a rapid growth and large returns, as is shown by the wealth 
that has been drawn from the bosom of the soil during the past forty 
years — a wealth Avhich has covered the township with beautiful homes, 
and contributed toward feeding the hungry millions of other lands. Wheat 
and corn are the staple products, to which the soil seems peculiarly adapted. 
Of the former, as high as forty bushels per acre have been produced in favor- 
able seasons, although the average will fall considerably short of that amount. 
Other cereals are raised, particularly oats, which return abundant and 
well paying harvests almost every year. Apple orchards are beginning to 
be extensively cultivated, and fruits of the finest and hardiest varieties 
yield abundantly and are being produced in large quantities, while tjie 
already large area of orchards receives yearly additions. 

PIONEER SETTLEMENT. 

The first settlement within the present limits of Liberty Township 
was made by Henry Bailly, on the site of Green town, about the year 
1843. He was accompanied by several sons and sons-in-law, all of whom 
moved into a small tent with the Indians, with whom they resided until 
their cabin was erected. The Baillys moved to this locality from what 
is now Union Township, where they made their first improvements, nt 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 265 

the village of Jerome, as early as the year 1842. They appear to have 
been men of roving tendencies, remaining but a short time at one place, 
but they always managed to better their condition with each move they 
made. Like many early settlers in a new country, they were men of 
moderate means, but by taking eligible claims and afterward selling 
their improvements as the settlements increased, became in time the pos- 
sessors of some wealth. It is said that twenty-seven pre-emptions were 
taken by the family at different times during the period of their residence 
in this and adjoining townships. They were residents of the county until 
about the year 1850, when they sold out and moved to Iowa, in which 
State the old gentleman's death occurred several years ago. A son-in- 
law of Bailly, by the name of Anderson, came to the township about the 
same time and settled in the same locality. He was a man of no particular 
note, and made but few improvements, spending the greater portion of 
his time hunting, from which he derived his principal means of subsistence. 
Robert Felton, another son-in-law, joined the family shortly after their 
arrival, and was identified with the township in the capacity of a citizen 
until the year 1847. 

In the year 1844, Joshua Freeman settled about one mile south of 
Greentown, in Section 5, where he took a claim and cleared a small 
patch of ground. He was a noted hunter and trapper, and passed over 
almost every acre of ground in the eastern part of the county in his quest 
of game, which, in that early day, Avas abundant and easily procured. He 
afterward disposed of his improvements to a Mr. I >imb and left the town- 
ship. 

An eccentric character, by the name of Hopkins, squatted near 
the Freeman claim in the latter part of 1844. He erected a rude 
pole shanty in the woods, lived entirely alone, and subsisted on game, 
roots, bark and such articles of food as the settlers saw fit to give him 
during his ramblings over the country. He appears to have been at one 
period of his life a man of strong intellect and considerable culture, but 
at the time of which we write he was sadly demented and passed the 
greater part of his time roving about the country, preaching, singing and 
reciting original poetry whenever he could find an idle crowd to give him 
audience. Among his eccentricities are remembered the habit of carry- 
ing a bed, an ax and a rooster with him in all his ramblings, also a long 
string of red peppers, which he wore around his neck as a charm for 
warding off the influence of the evil one. 

Prominent among early residents of Liberty was Charles 0. Fry, who 
moved to Howard County, about the year 1842, and settled in Union 
Township, near the present site of Jerome Village, where he took a claim 
and made considerable improvements. In 1845, he traded this claim to 



266 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Henry Bailly, and moved where the latter lived in this township, on Sec- 
tion 4 — land which he entered in 1847. Fry was a man of considerable 
note in the community where he resided, and took a lively interest in all 
movements calculated to develop the country's resources. He was the 
chief mover in the laying-out of Greentown, and it is to him as much 
as to any other man that the village is indebted for its success and 
prosperity. In addition to farming. Fry gave some attention to stock- 
raising, and was one of the first citizens of the township to make that 
industry a success. He was identified with the township for a period of 
sixteen years, when he sold his real estate to Stephen Kirkpatrick and 
moved to Marion County, near Indianapolis, where he died in 1876. 

The same year that saw Fry locate in Liberty witnessed the arrival of 
James Morton, William Cox, John Sharpe and Matthew Golden. The 
first named settled about one-half mile east of Greentown, on land where 
a few improvements had formerly been made by Stephen Comer, of 
whom the claim was purchased. Morton was a native of Virginia, a man 
of considerable energy, and soon had a goodly number of acres under suc- 
cessful cultivation. He became a prominent farmer and stock-dealer, and 
earned the reputation of being a public-spirited citizen during the period 
of his residence in the township. He died in the year 1849. The 
place on which he first settled is owned and occupied at the present 
time by Henry Brunk. Cox located about one and a half miles south- 
east of Greentown, in Section 10, where he entered land a few years 
later. He came here from Wayne County, and resided in Liberty until 
1858, at which time he sold to Stephen Kirkpatrick and moved to 
another part of the county. Sharpe located in Section 3, near the eastern 
boundary of the township, where he lived until 1850, when he sold his 
farm to Benjamin Wood and moved to Clay County. He was a man 
of more than ordinary education and culture, and served several terms 
as a teacher in the early schools of the township. Golden took a claim 
a short distance east of Sharpe's place on land at present owned by 
Jesse Ware. He came to this locality from Shelby County and be- 
came a man of some note in the community, being elected one of the 
first Justices of the Peace in the township. He resided on his fiirm until 
the year 1856, when he sold to W^illiam Hatfield and moved to one of 
the Western States. 

Another early settler deserving of special mention was James Lind 
ley, whose arrival in the township dates from the year 1845. He was 
a native of Wayne County, N. C. Reared upon a farm, his early 
life was passed in the usual routine of farm labor, and he grew to 
rugged manhood amid the bracing airs of his Southern home, where he 
was taught the dignity and nobility of labor and those lessons of economy 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 267 

and frugality which so well fitted him for the difficulties incident to the 
life of a pioneer. Having determined to move where land could be easily 
obtained, he left his native State in the year 1811, and emigrated to In- 
diana, settling in the southern part of the State, near Richmond. When 
the land in this county came into market, he made a tour of inspection 
through the eastern townships for the purpose of selecting a home. Be- 
ing pleased with the appearance of a piece of land lying about two miles 
north of Greentown, he determined to locate there, and immediately took a 
claim. He entered this tract of land in October, 1847, and resided upon 
it about four years, when he moved to Clinton County, Ohio. Several 
sons of this old pioneer accompanied him to this country, of whom two, 
Tence and William, are still living in the county, the former at Kokomo 
and latter at Greentown. Jesse Osborne, a son-in-law of Lindley, came 
about the same time and located on the present site of Greentown, of 
which he was one of the proprietors. He became a prominent citizen 
and was several times elected Justice of the Peace, besides serving the 
township as Trustee shortly after its organization. Two other sons-in- 
law, John Arraantrout and Jacob Elliott, came a short time afterward. 

In 1846, the population of the township was increased by the arrival 
of Absalom Lamb, a native of North Carolina, who located south of 
Greentown, on a claim purchased of Joshua Freeman. Ira Thorpe, Benja- 
min Young, E. Pickering, Stanton Bailey, all of whom settled in the 
southern part of the township. Jacob Davis and his sons, John and Jacob, 
Jr., came about the same time as the foregoing, and selected their homes 
in the western part of the township on the Kokomo & Jonesboro road, 
where Uncle "Jack," as he was familiarly called, opened a public house 
for the accommodation of such travelers as saw fit to accept his hospital- 
ities. In this primitive tavern the bill of fare consisted of choice venison 
steaks, corn dodgers, stewed pumpkin, flapjacks, etc., with a generous 
supply of the liquid which maketh the heart merry and the head light, 
consequently there were always plenty of paying guests. The foregoing 
list comprises the majority of settlers who located within the present 
limits of the township prior to 1847. 

Prior to 1847, the settlers obtained their claims by " pre-emption, " but 
in that year the land was put upon the market, subject to entry at the 
Government price of $2 per acre. This served to attract a number of 
persons to the new country, and during the year mentioned we find the 
population of the township increased by the following settlers, who ob- 
tained patents for their land from the Government : Thomas L. Smith, 
Section 3 ; Luther Segraves and Josiah Beeson, Section 9 ; Jacob Elliott, 
Aaron Elliott, Tence Lindley and Benjamin Carr, in Section 31 ; Charles 
Lindley and James Lindley, in Section 32 ; Robert Fair, Section 4 ; 



268 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

William Fulwider, Section 5 ; Daniel Nordyke, in the same section, and 
Tarver Segraves in Section 33. During the year 1848, the following per- 
sons entered land in the township, several of whom had purchased claims 
some time previous : Thomas Thatcher, Timothy L. Garrigus, Nathan 
Simmons, A. L. Hestor, R. W. Smith, Arch Moorman, Jacob Schrock, 
Joseph Kendall, James A. Wright, Henry Schrock, Joseph Troyer^ 
Emanuel Hochsteadler, John Webb, Martin Chamness, Henry Cook, 
Thompson Simmons, Peter Kingseed, M. D. Miller, Daniel Gerber, M. 
Shultz, A. J. Simmons, Boze Manner, John Shute, R. M. C. Martin, Henry 
Thomas, Benjamin Abertson, Peter Davis, A. W. Lewis, Daniel Stone, 
John Tira, Joseph Shaffer, George Wade, Benjamin Seese, James Cook, 
Lewis Summers, Jacob Brememan, John Hart, C. Willitts, Horace Sum- 
mers, Baltzer Lybrook, Robert Simpkin, James M. Loop, Jonathan 
Fisher, D. W. Johnson, Epperson Painter, Hardy Johnson, John Shock ey, 
Harvey Martin, Dempsey Thornburgh, James Osborne, Jacob Ray, Will- 
iam Jones, Tence Howell, Elias Fouts, George Golding, John Arnett, 
Davis Pegg, John Linville, Elam Johnson, Joseph Bates, George Stevens, 
James Swope, David Bagley, Moses Rich. Other early settlers were 
John Winslow, P. S. Maxwell, George Tru third. Resetter Gray, Eli 
Hockett, P. Costlow, John Healton, R. H. Stanley, William Woods, 
Thomas Gallian, A. N. Goff, Joel Stephenson, William Y. Stephenson, 
Noah Westerfield, L. F. Springer, E. P. Gallian, William Morgan, Isaac 
Vankirk, Andrew Zeek. Many others entitled to a mention could be added 
to the names enumerated did not the limits of the article forbid. 

During the years 1849 and 1850, the influx of population was steady 
and constant, and by the year 1851 all the available land was taken up 
and improved. 

EARLY CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY. 

One cannot write history as a blind man goes about the street feel- 
ing his way with a stick. The facts are transparent, and through them 
we catch gleams of other facts, as the rain-drop catches light and the be- 
holder sees the splendor of a rainbow. We are to speak of common men, 
whose lot it was to plant civilization, and who in so doing displayed the 
virtues which render modern civilization a boast and a blessing. Those 
early times cannot be reproduced by any prose of the historian. The 
pioneers had a thousand years behind them, and in their little space of 
time they made greater progress than ten centuries had witnessed. Theirs 
was a full life. They did so much, it is hard to recognize the doers. Of 
their constancy one can judge by the fact that but few went back to their 
ancestral homes. 

The first settlers in Liberty found no royal highway to affluence, and 
for many years hard work and manifold inconveniences were the common 



LIBERTY TOWxNSHIP. 269 

lot of those who carved for themselves homes in the forests. Their early 
struggles and hardships are but a repetition of those experienced by all 
other settlers in a new and uninhabited country. The first year was 
generally the most difficult, as houses had to be erected and ground cleared 
for a crop — an undertaking attended by many difficulties, considering the 
wet condition of the soil and the dense forest growth to be removed. The 
little stock of provisions frequently gave out, and many hardships were 
endured in order to obtain the necessaries of life from the older settle- 
ments and distant market places, but after the first crop was harvested 
there was generally a plentiful supply for home consumption, stored away 
and husbanded with scrupulous care. The forest supplied the meat from 
the bountiful store of game, in quantity and quality, according to demand. 
Deer were every where abundant and afforded the chief means of subsistence 
to many families during the first two and three years' sojourn in the woods. 

Jonathan Fisher states that in one year he killed one hundred and 
twenty-five within a few miles of his home. A man by the name of Ray 
was a hunter of considerable note, and frequently killed four and five 
deer a day, of which he kept nothing but the hams and hides. The other 
parts of the carcass were given to any one who desired them, or left in 
the woods to be devoured by the wolves. Wild turkeys were so plentiful 
as to be no rarity, and were considered game not worth the ammunition re- 
quired to kill them. An occasional bear was seen, but the majority of 
these animals had disappeared several years prior to the first settlement 
by the whites. A large one was killed a short distance east of Green- 
town about the year 1846, which weighed over four hundred pounds. 
This was the only one ever killed in the township, as far as can now be 
learned. Wolves infested the woods in great numbers, and proved very 
destructive to stock. Farmers were obliged to build tight pens for their 
hogs and sheep, yet despite all their precautions an occasional lamb and 
porker would fill a prey to the gaunt scourges of the forests. In time, 
these animals disappeared, many of them being killed by the early settlers 
for the reward offered by the State for their scalps. 

As settlers increased in numbers, a common cause was made in meet- 
ing the wants of each other, helping for help again. The idea of assist- 
ing another for a pecuniary consideration never intruded itself into the 
mind of the pioneer in those early days. If a cabin was to be raised or 
clearing " rolled, " all the occasion demanded of the neighbors near and 
remote was a knowledge of the time and place, distance being a second- 
ary consideration, and other less pressing work had to succumb in order 
to render the needed assistance. Every man's cabin was his castle. The 
"latch string always hung out, " and the traveler was assured of a kind 
welcome and a place at the frugal board, as hospitality was a virtue culti- 



270 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

vated to a rare degree by the pioneer settlers of Howard County. Those 
old times are gone, buried in the dead past, but with them are gone a 
world of pleasant memorijs. Many frosty haired veterans, whose youth 
was passed amid the stirring scenes of those early days, recall them as the 
most enjoyable period of their lives and regret the days that can never return. 



EARLY IMPROVEMENTS, ETC. 
t 

The early settlers of Liberty were obliged to travel long distances over 
almost impassable roads for their groceries and breadstuffs. For several 
years, Peru, Logansport, Marion, Jonesboro, and, later, New London and 
Russiaville, in the western part of the county, were the nearest places 
where those supplies could be obtained. Money, in those early days, was a 
scarce article and many families were compelled to deny themselves the 
luxuries which to-day are considered necessities. Deer skins, ginseng, 
and maple sugar, of which large quantities were made every spring, were 
articles of commercial importance by means of which many families kept 
themselves supplied with groceries, dry goods, etc. 

The first mill in the township was erected in the year 1849 by Luther 
Segraves, and stood about one mile south of Greentown on Big Wild Cat. 
This was a combination mill which sawed lumber and ground grain, and 
supplied a long- felt want in the community. During the erection of this 
mill, a very distressing accident occurred, in which the proprietor, Mr. 
Segraves, lost his life by falling through the building. The enterprise 
was afterward taken up by Mr. Jennings, who operated the mill very suc- 
cessfully for a number of years. It did a good business, being well pat- 
ronized by the citizeris of this and adjoining townships, and was in oper- 
ation until about the year 1863. 

William Lindley erected a saw mill in the southern part of the town- 
ship on Wild Cat, about the year 1850, which he sold to a man by the 
name of Dorman ; five years later, Dorman built an addition to the origi- 
nal building, put in two runs of buhrs and did a very fair business for sev- 
eral years. It is still in operation, and at the present time is owned by 
Abraham Curlee. Ira and 0. P. Hollingsworth built and operated a steam 
saw mill at the village of Greentown about the year 1852. This was 
what is known as a "muley-saw." It gave employment to a number of 
hands, and was in successful operation until about the year 1859. Val- 
entine Somers operated a steam saw mill at the village also during the 
years 1853 and 1854. It was purchased by other parties and removed 
from the township a number of years since. A number of other mills 
have been built, from time to time, the majority of them being portable 
saw mills which remained but a short time in one place. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 271 

ROADS. 

The first roads through Liberty were not laid out with any reference 
to section lines. Each settler took the shortest route across the country 
in order to arrive at his destination as quickly as possible, and as a result 
there are a number of zigzag roads which have been a source of consid- 
erable annoyance to land-owners through whose farms they pass. Eflfbrts 
have been made, however, to have all the roads properly established, and 
in time will be effected. 

The first legally established highway was the Jonesboro & Kokomo 
road, which passes through the southern part of the township from east 
to west. It was surveyed and laid out about the year 1848, and is at the 
present time one of the most extensively traveled highways in the eastern 
part of the county. It was graveled in the year 1870, and is now known 
as the Kokomo, Greentown & Jerome pike. [For further particulars 
concerning this road, see chapter on general county history.] The Marion 
& Kokomo State road, which passes through the central part of the town- 
ship from east to west, was an early road also, having been established 
some time prior to 1858. The original line was surveyed by Dr. Rich- 
mond, but, during the past twenty years, many changes have been made 
and it no longer runs on the old route. 

The Kokomo & Greentown gravel road extends through the western 
part of the township from Greentown to the western boundary. It was 
commenced in 1869 and completed in the year 1874. It runs parallel 
with the Kokomo, Greentown & Jerome pike, one- half mile south, and, with 
the last-named road, has been the means of developing the resources of 
the township to a remarkable degree. 

The Toledo, Delphos & St. Louis Narrow-Gauge Railroad passes 
through the southern part of the township in an easterly direction. It 
has proved a great benefit to the citizens of the township by affording 
ample facilities for shipping their grain and live-stock, and bringing a good 
market into their midst. It was completed in the year 1871. 

FIRST DEATH AND MARRIAGE. 

It is difficult to determine at this distant day which of the early settlers 
was first summoned away by death, though it is supposed to have been 
Mrs. Benjamin Lamb. She died in the year 1846, and was interred in 
the Lamb Graveyard, about one mile southwest of Greentown, on the 
south bank of Wild Cat. This cemetery was laid out by Absalom Lamb 
on his farm, and is one of the principal burying grounds in the east part 
of the county. Another early death was Curtis Morton, son of James 
Morton, who departed this life in the early part of 1847. He was buried 
about one mile east of Greentown, on the farm now in possession of Jesse 



272 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

Ware. Several other interments were made in this graveyard, but it 
was finally abandoned and the remains removed to other burying places. 
The Lindley Graveyard was laid out in the year 1847 by James Lindley 
on his farm in Section 32. The first person laid to rest in this cemetery 
was the wife of John Lindley, whose death occurred in the latter part of 
the year mentioned. 

An early burying ground was laid out a short distance south of Green- 
town, but was abandoned after being used a few years. Among the first 
burials at the place was Mrs. P. S. Maxwell, a daughter of Matthias 
Golding, one of the pioneers of the township. 

Cupid's first victims in this township were Dr. Harvey and Elizabeth 
Morton, whose marriage was solemnized about the year 1847. Other early 
marriages were Samuel Lindley and Lillis Cook, James Howell and Rosetta 
Cook, and Ira Tharpe and Widow Harvey, all three of which occurred in 
the year 1848. 

EARLY ELECTIONS AND OFFICERS. 

The first election in the township of which Liberty originally formed 
a part, was held at the farm of W. Cox, a short distance south of Green - 
town. The ballots were cast on a large stump, and, when counted in the 
evening, numbered just eighteen. At this election, Levi Bailly was unani- 
mously chosen Justice of the Peace, an office which he filled with all the 
dignity of a Supreme Judge. Many laughable incidents are related of the 
manner in which he discharged the duties of his onerous position, and of 
the credit he took to himself as an exponent of the law. It is related 
of him that, upon one occasion, he was in a town in an adjoining county, 
when quite a riot occurred upon the street. Rushing into the midst of 
the crowd, he commanded the mob to disperse, telling them at the same 
time that he was an officer of the law and speaking with authority. 
Being questioned as to his authority, he replied, " Sir, I am a Justice of 
the Peace." "Where from?" " From Howard County, sir." '• Well, 
sir," finally retorted his interrogator, " does your jurisdiction extend over 
the whole d — d State ?" Other early Justices of the Peace were Fisher, 
Rosetter, Gray, John Smith, Charles Pindley, Eli Hockett, M. B. Golding 
and John Golding. 

The first Board of Trustees were L. F. Springer, Tence Lindley and 
T. W. Sanders. The date of their election is not known. The second 
board was composed of Almon Cook, Charles Willits and Thomas 
Sanders. Since 1859, when the law providing for one Trustee instead of 
three went into effect, the following-named gentlemen have had charge of 
the office : R. Gray, Luther Gray, E. P. Gallion, J. T. Scott, William 
Nusser, William C. Warnock, William Johnson, an I C. M. Fifer, the 
present incumbent. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 273 

Among the citizens of Liberty who were called to fill county offices 
at difi'erent times were L. F. Springer, who served as Treasurer ; William 
Woods, Tence Lindley, M. B. Golding and David Smith, County Com- 
missioners ; Samuel Lamb, Sheriff, and Luther Gray, Auditor. 

VILLAGE OF GREENTOWN. 
This thriving little town is situated in the southern part of the town- 
ship, and dates its history from April, 1848, at which time the plat was 
placed upon record. The principal causes which led to the origin of the 
village was the outgrowth of the neighborhood's demand for a trading 
point. Coupled with this was the desire on the part of the proprietors for 
a big profit, which they thought could be easily realized from the sale of 
lots, as the location promised much for the welfare of the future city. It 
was laid out on the site of an old Indian town, known as Green's Village, 
from which the name Greentown is derived. From the county record we 
copy the following description, which will give the reader a good idea of 
the city : 

" Greentown is laid out due north and south and east and west; 
occupies an elegant situation in Section 4, Township 23 north, Range 
5 east, in Howard County, Ind. The township line, dividing 23 and 
24, forms the base line of the town, and passes through the center of 
Main street, the open line in Section 4 running at a variation of fifty de- 
grees and ten minutes to the left of the magnetic variation north, and 
intersecting the township line at right angles, forms the meridian of the 
town and passes through the center of Meridian street. The lots are 
fifty by one hundred and fifty feet, and point uniformly north and south. 
Main and Meridian streets are each eighty feet wide. Green and Howard 
are each sixty feet wide. The alleys are each ten feet wide, dividing each 
whole square into blocks of three lots each. The whole town is of a uni- 
form bearing, and was surveyed February, 1848. All that part of the 
town which lies in Section 4 was laid out by Charles 0. Fry. All that 
part which lies in the southwest quarter of Section 33 was laid out by 
Jesse Osborne, and all that part which lies in the southeast quarter of 
Section 33 was laid by T. Segraves." 

The first lot purchased in the new town was by Dr. James Barrett, 
who immediately improved it by erecting thereon a small dwelling. This 
was a small log structure, and stood on the corner of Main and Howard 
streets, near the spot occupied by the store building of Templin k 
Powell. The second building was a log storehouse erected by L. W. 
Bacon, on the northeast corner of Main and Meridian streets. Shortly 
after the village was laid out. Bacon stocked his storeroom with a miscella- 
neous assortment of merchandise to the amount of about ^1,000, and sold 



274 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

goods for two years. A second store building was erected some time later 
on the southwest corner of Main and Meridian streets, where the Star 
Hotel now stands, by C. 0. Fry, who was one of the early merchants of 
the village. Dr. Barrett purchased an interest in Fry's store, and to- 
gether they continued in business for several years. 

In the year 1852, Joel Stephenson built a storeroom on the north- 
east corner of Main and Meridian streets, in which he sold goods for 
about three years, when he disposed of his stock' to Lytle & Winslow. 
This firm was afterward changed to Lowder & Winslow. An early firm 
was Vankirk & Winslow, who did business in the Fry building until the 
year 1854, with a large stock of goods. C. 0. Fry and R. Gray formed a 
partnership in the year 1854, and continued in business together until 
the year 1858, at which time Lindley purchased Fry's interest. Fry & 
Lindley sold goods about one year, when the entire stock was purchased 
by William Canady. Among other merchants who have transacted bus- 
iness in the village at different times during its history can be named S. 
G. Hall, William Walker, Charles Willits and Mr. Goff. 

The business of the town at the present time is represented by the fol- 
lowing exhibit : Two large dry goods and general stores kept by Corne- 
lius Powell and Walter Templin ; two drug stores by R. Gray, and the 
firm of Manring & Manring, and one grocery store kept by Lindley & 
Brother. The first blacksmith who worked at his trade in the village 
was Crawford Fair; later came "Dick" Dormer, J. S. Woods, B. F. 
Beeson, Turney D. Hendrickson and Nehemiah Ellis, the last named 
being the only smith in the town at the present time. The early carpen- 
ters were R. H. Stanley, L. F. Springer, 0. Free, J. and W. Stephen- 
son, R. D. Bowman, Charles and Oliver Osborne, Timothy L. Garrigus. 

There have been several mills in the village at different times, but to 
these reference has already been made in a previous page. A planing 
mill was erected in 1880 by William Jennings, which is in operation at 
the present time, and doing, a flourishing business. Jay & Dolman erect- 
ed a large elevator shortly after the completion of the T., D. & St. L. 
Railway, which is one of the largest grain houses on the line of that 
road. Many thousand bushels of grain are shipped from this point 
every year, and this is one of the best market places in the county. 

The first physicians who located in Greentown were Drs. L. W. Ba- 
con and James Barrett. Since their departure, the following medical 
gentlemen have practiced the healing art in the village and surrounding 
country : John Spell, William J. Morgan, William Scott, R. W. Smith, 
Dr. Collett, H. Beeson, Dr. Ross, D. S. Caylor, J. H. Stover, James T. 
Scott, G. B. Scott, William White, Dr. Watson and J. W. C. Eaton. The 
present physicians are J. T. Scott, who has been practicing in the com- 



LIBERTV TOWNSHIP. 275 

munity constantly during the past twenty years, G. B. Scott, A. A. 
Covalt, L. A. Bagwell and B. Payton. 

In the year 1873, after a spirited contest, the village took upon itself 
the dignity of an incorporated town. The first municipal officers were : 
R. Gray, Mayor; William Segraves, Marshal; G. W. Rice, Clerk; 
James T. Scott, Henry Lamb and Hugh Courtney, Councilmen. Ciiief 
among the several reasons urged in favor of incorporation was the general 
desire of the citizens to improve the streets, sidewalks, etc., which could 
not have been accomplished without such a measure. A laughable cir- 
cumstance is related of the first arrest made after the town organization. 
The chief party in the transaction was a "drummer" who committed the 
daring crime of hitching his team to a shade tree. The Marshal, proud 
of the authority vested in him, very promptly marched the guilty of- 
fender before His Honor the Mayor, who soon ascertained that no ordi- 
nance had as j^et been passed providing punishment for such misdemean- 
ors. Here was a dilemma. What should be done? Should the culprit 
be liberated to make a lauo'hino'-stock of the town which had a citv or- 
ganization with no ordinances to govern it ? No ! such an idea could not 
be entertained for a moment. At this critical juncture, a happy thought 
struck the Mayor which suggested a way out of the difficulty, and at the 
same time enabled him to preserve the dignity of his court. Excusing him- 
self for a short time, he went out on the street and got a bystander to go 
and advise the prisoner to " skip." The man discharged his errand and 
the commercial tourist "skipped " accordingly. The town officers at the 
present time are G. W. Price, Justice of the Peace and Mayor ; Joel 
Lindley, Marshal ; Willard Woods, Clerk ; Henry Thrasher, Treasurer ; 
Charles Fifer, President of the Board of Councilmen; John Woolen, 
Henry Lindley and Henry Thrasher, Councilmen. 

The Masonic fraternity and Odd Fellows both have good lodges in the 
village. Greentown Lodjje, No. 341, A., F. & A. M., was organized 
May, 1867, with a considerable membership. The first officers were Ezra 
Gallion, W. M.; Joseph H. Woolen, S. W., and Theodore F. Hazzard, J. 
W. The officers in charge at the present time are Amos Powell, W. M.; 
H. C. Lamb, S. W.; William Elliott, J. W.; A. A. Covalt, Sec, and 
William Wooters, Treas. Meetings are held in the hall, which be- 
longs to the organization. Present membership, about thirty-three. A 
former lodge liad been in existence a number of years before the one re- 
ferred to, but no particulars concerning it have been learned. 

Greentown Lodge, No. 328, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted May, 1869, 
with eight charter members, whose names appear as follows : Milton Gar- 
rigus, Jonathan Covalt, William T. Manring, Austin S. Freeman, J. S. 
Summers, W. M. Simms, Amos A. Covalt and Henry H. Ray. The 



276 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

first officers were W. T. Manring, N. G.; Milton Garrigus, V. G.; A. A. 
Covalt, Sec, and John Summers, Treas. Meetings were held in the 
Stephenson Hall until the year 1881, when the lodge erected a hall of its 
own, over the storeroom of Cornelius Powell, on Meridian street. This 
hall is large, well finished, and represents a capital of $1,100, The 
present membership is about twenty-seven, and the lodge is reported in 
good working order. The following comprises the present list of officers: 
William Wooters, N. G.; Charles Wooters, V. G.; J. T. Scott, Sec, J. H. 
Hinkle, Treas.; N. D. Stanbraugh, Warden; A. J. Griffin, Conductor; 
John Pearce, I. G.; A. A. Covalt, R. S. N. G.; B. Hall, L. S. N. G. 

The present population of the town is 550. Its growth since the 
completion of the T., D. k St. L. Railway, which gave the business inter- 
ests of the place new impetus, has been steady and substantial, and its 
future outlook is very encouraging. 

VILLAGE OF PLEVNA. 

Plevna is a small village, situated about four miles and a half north- 
west of Greentown, in Section 9. It is but a mere hamlet, containing 
two general stores, a blacksmith shop, post office, and about nine or ten 
residences. There is one physician in the village, Dr. Miller, who has 

a lucrative practice. 

SCHOOLS. 

The first school in Liberty was taught by Miss Lillis Cook in a dimin- 
utive log shanty which stood about one and one-half miles northwest of 
Greentown, on the claim of William Cox, who erected it. It was used 
by Cox as a residence for several years, but was afterward abandoned. 
The neighbors fitted it up for school purposes, and it was in use only dur- 
ing the one term. The date of the school was the winter of 1848—49. 
The first schools were supported by subscription, and generally lasted 
about three months. Among the early pedagogues of the township were 
L. F. Springer, P. F. Peters, Milton Garrigus, George Hazzard, R. 
Gray, B. Moon, H. Deyo, Luther Gray, John Power, William Styer, 0. 
Free and Alexander Hopkins. The township was supplied with public 
schools in 1853, at which time the school land was sold, and the citizens 
taxed for educational purposes. The first public schoolhouse in the 
township was a hewed-log structure, which stood a short distance east of 
Greentown. It was in use for a number of years, and answered the two- 
fold purpose of school and meetinghouse. There are at the present time 
nine good, substantial buildings in the township in which schools are 
taught from five to seven months in the year. Five of these houses are 
frame and four brick; the Greentown Public School building is the finest 
structure in the county outside of Kokomo, and cost about $3,000. It 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 277 

has four rooms, all of which are well finished and furnished. It stands 
in the southern part of the village, and is an ornament to the town and 
township. The village schools at the present time are under the efficient 
management of Prof. L. M. Herrington, Principal; Charlton Bull, teach- 
er of the intermediate ; and Miss Amanda Turner, who has charge of the 
primary department. The other teachers in the township are Belle 
Wooters, Cora Powell, 0. P. Kemp, W. 0. Nelson, D. C. Peters, D. W. 
Garrison, W. B. Woods and W. D. Hamer. The amount of money ex- 
pended for tuition for the school year of 1882-83 was $2,565.76. 

CHURCHES. 

Several healthy religious organizations, with as many substantial tem- 
ples, are the most convincing evidence of the existence of high moral prin- 
ciples and a sense of religious duty on the part of the citizens of Liberty. 
Many of the early settlers were members of different denominations, and 
public services were held from house to house for several years. At those 
early meetings all met on a common level, and left their sectarian pecul- 
iarities at home. Among the early preachers were John Evans and 
Benjamin Cobb, ministers of the Baptist Church, who conducted public 
worship at the residences of Thomas Golding, Benjamin Woods and Ben- 
jamin Young. A flourishing society of this church was organized in an 
early day, and was kept up with good success until about the year 1850. 
Another early preacher was Rev. Jacob H. Stover, of the U. B. Church, 
who preached at different places throughout the township as early as the 
year 1848. Thn New Salem, or Friends' Church, was organized in the 
spring of 1848, at the cabin of George Lamb. In the following summer, 
the place of meeting was changed to John Healton's residence, which 
served as a meeting place until the fall of 1848, when a hewed-log build- 
ing, 24x24 feet, was erected. In the construction of this house of wor- 
ship but little money was used, the work being done gratuitously by the 
members and neighbors. In a few years, this building proved much too 
small for the increasing congregation, and another building of the same 
size was built, adjoining the first, by means of which a large audience 
room, 24x48 feet, was secured. The original society consisted of fifteen 
families, whose names appear as follows : Absalom Lamb, Isaac Rat- 
cliffe, Naaman Colyer, John Rich, William Rich, Richard Hodson, Zach- 
ariah Hodson, Nathan Hodson, Nathan Freeman, Sr., Nathan Freeman, 
Jr.; also the single members, Moses L. Rich, Benjamin F. Lamb, Mrs. Abi- 
gail Flockett and Rachel Carr. The total membership, young and old, was 
seventy-five. The society continued to worship in the log structure until 
the year 1874, at which time the present commodious brick house was 
finished. It was commenced in the fall of 1873, and completed the fol- 



278 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

lowing year, and cost |?1,827. The present membership is 112. During 
the greater part of the first twenty years the church was without any 
regular pastors, the pulpit being supplied at intervals by different minis- 
ters. Of late, Amos Kenworthy, William Healton and Milton Cox have 
preached for the congregation. 

It is impossible to give anything like a complete history of the Meth- 
odist Church of Greentown, because, as one of its members states, Meth- 
odism sets little value on the formalities of organization. Its methods are 
simple ; those who desire a home in her communion are enrolled as a 
class, and some one of the number appointed leader. No official minutes 
of the transactions are kept or recorded except incidentally on the class 
books. The Greentown class was organized about the year 1848, and 
held its meetings at private residences until the schoolhouse in the village 
was built, which was used as a place of worship for a number of years. 
The place of meeting was afterward changed to the Stephenson building, 
which served the congregation until the present house of worship was 
erected in 1854. Among the first members of this class were Charles 
0. Fry and wife, Joel Stephenson and wife, Luther Segraves and wife, 
Tarver Segraves and wife, Mrs. Jones, Lemuel Gray and wife and Reason 
Summers and wife. Luther Segraves was the first class reader. Amons: the 
pastors and stated supplies of the church since its organization were Revs. 
M. S. Morrison, Jacob Colclazer, Forbes, Rhodes, Marks, Garrell, llo- 
back, Templin, Shackleford, Miller, McElwee, Peck, Curry, J. W. Miller, 
Lewellen, Watkins, Harrison, Beamer, Baker, Fish, John McElwee, and 
Mr. Wilcox, the present incumbent. The house of worship was erected in 
the year 1854, on ground donated by C. 0. Fry. It is a frame structure, 
34x50 feet, and cost the sum of $1,200. It has been frequently remod- 
eled and at the present time has a very commodious audience room, capa- 
ble of seating about 300 persons. The present officers of the church are 
Jesse Ware, Cornelius Powell, W. A. Powell, A. Willits and J. T. Scott, 
trustees, and N. D. Stanbrough and W. 0. Nelson, class leaders. There 
are at this time seventy-five active members. A large, flourishing Sun- 
day school is maintained throughout the year, Avith an average attend- 
ance of about ninety scholars. It is at the present time under the effi- 
cient superintendency of Dr. James T. Scott. 

*The Greentown class of the church of the United Bretiiren in Christ 
was organized August, 1856, by Rev. Cyrus Smith, preacher in charge- 
At the first meeting, the following named persons were enrolled as orig- 
inal members : George H. Snow and wife, L. S. Gray and wife, Sophia 
Osborne, Naomi Stanley and Susannah Woods. Dufing the ensuing 
conference year, the society increased to about forty members, which has 

*Prepare(t by Luther S. Gray. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 279 

been about the average number from year to year. At present there are 
about fifty names enrolled on the class book, including seekers under the 
watch care of the church. For a series of years, the Methodist and 
United Brethren labored together in sustaining a Sabbath school on union 
principles, each church reporting its interest therein. The following is a 
list of the ministers who have at different times served as pastors of this 
charge : Revs. Cyrus Smith, B. F. Morgan, J. S. Wall, J. Rutherford, 
J. Stanley, B. R. B. Holcomb, William Hall, Eli Hoover, R. B. Beaty, 
M. Gronendyke, A. P. Stout, S. Bias, W. E. Mosier, J. Y. Demunbrun, 
A. Rector, S. Huff and Irvin Cox. The pastor in charge at the present 
time is Rev. C. Smith. Meetings are held in the Methodist Church. 

The Christian Church of Greentown was organized in the year 1868 
by Elders James Comer and John L. Puckett, with an organized member- 
ship of about thirty. The village schoolhouse was used by the congrega- 
tion as a meeting place for one year, when the organization was moved to 
the wagon shop belonging to Elder Puckett. This building was used 
about eighteen months, when steps were taken to provide a more commo- 
dious place of worship for the constantly increasing audiences. A build- 
ing committee was appointed to purchase ground and draw up specifica- 
tions for a house of worship. T. Segraves, Daniel Carr, Hardy Johnson, 
Henry Pickett and Riley Lindley composed the committee. An eligible 
site in the eastern part of the village, on Main street, was purchased of 
Jonathan Covalt, and work on the building commenced at once. The 
house was completed in 1872, and represents a capital of about ^1,800. 
Its dimensions are 40x55 feet, the audience room being sufficiently large 
to accommodate 450 persons. The first regular pastor of the church was 
Elder John L. Puckett, who preached very acceptably for three years. 
He was succeeded by Abraham Culbertson who exercised pastoral con- 
trol one year, and was in turn followed by Elder John R. Kob, who re- 
mained the same length of time. Elder D. W. Fowler was the next pas- 
tor ; he ministered to the society one year, and was succeeded by Elder 
William Winegardner, who supplied the pulpit two years. The present 
pastor is Elder L. Ryker, who is in his first year's labor. The member- 
ship of this church is constantly increasing, and the congregations and 
Sunday school rank with the first in the township. There are at the 
present time the names of 135 communicants on the church book. Mary 
Johnson is Superintendent of the Sunday school, which is maintained 
throughout the entire year. 

The Missionary Baptists organized a society at Greentown in the 
year 1851, which was kept up about five years. Among the preachers 
during that time were Revs. Henry Cobb, Simeon Mugg and William 
Golding. They used the schoolhouse for a place of worship, and at one 



280 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

time had a considerable membership. The organization was finally 
abandoned on account of the majority of members removing from the 
place. 

A society of the Christian Church was organized at an early day at 
the Lindley Schoolhouse, a short distance northwest of Greentown. The 
organization became very strong during the first five years of its history, 
but from various causes was finally abandoned. 

A Wesleyan Methodist class was organized at the same place, also 
with a good membership. It was kept up for several years and numbered 
among its members many of the best citizens of the community. It 
ceased to exist a number of years ago. 

The United Brethren have a flourishing class in the northern part of 
the township, which meet for worship at the schoolhouse in District No. 
4. It was organized in 1882, and at the present time numbers about 
forty members. Rev. Cyrus Smith is pastor. 

The Wesleyan Methodists have a society in the northeast corner of 
the township, with a membership of about twenty. Murphy's School- 
house in District No. 1 serves the congregation as a place of worship. 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 

Howard Township comprises thirty square miles of territory, lying 
in the north-central part of the county, and is designated as Town 24 
north, Range 4 east. It is bounded on the north by Miami County, on 
the east by Liberty Township, on the south by the townships of Taylor 
and Centre, on the west by Centre and Clay. It was named in honor of 
Hon. T. A. Howard, a man well and favorably known among the early 
citizens of the county. Big Wild Cat is the largest Avater-course by 
which the country is traversed, and affords the principal drainage. It 
flows in a westerly direction through the southern part, entering the 
township in Section 6, near the southeast corner, and crossing the western 
boundary from Section -33. It passes through one of the oldest and 
most highly cultivated regions in the eastern part of the county, and was 
the principal attraction to the early settlers of Howard. In the north- 
west corner of the township is Deer Creek, which affords ample drainage 
to that portion of the country. It enters the township from the west, 
flows in an easterly course for about one mile, when the current is de- 
flected to the northwest. It receives South Deer Creek near the north- 
west corner of the township, and crosses the northern boundary from Sec- 
tion 6. 

The surface of the country is, in the main, quite level, especially in 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 281 

the northern and central portions, while in the southern part, along Big 
Wild Cat, the land is more undulating, and in some places considerably 
broken. When the pioneers made their first appearance, the township 
was covered with an almost unbroken forest of the finest timber, the prin- 
cipal varieties being black walnut, white walnut, several species of oak, 
poplar, maple, ash, elms of various kinds, sycamore along the creeks, and 
a dense undergrowth, consisting chiefly of spicebush. The most difficult 
task, which the settler had to encounter, was getting rid of so much su- 
perfluous forest growth, and various means were resorted to to eff"ect its 
destruction. Much valuable timber was ruthlessly destroyed, which, if 
standing at the present time, would represent more value than the land 
would bring at the highest market price. The soil of the township is of 
great depth and consists of the fine black mold common to this part of 
the country. It is clay-mixed in certain localities, very fertile and well 
adapted to all the cereals and fruits indigenous to Northern Indiana. As 
an agricultural district, Howard Township takes no second rank and can 
probably boast of as many well-improved farms as any other division of 
the county. Next to the agricultural interests, stock-raising is the most 
important industry, a business in which a number of persons have en- 
gaged quite extensively. The richness of the pastures and the presence 
of water in abundance have won for the township an enviable reputation, 
and her stock-farms are among the largest and best improved in the county. 

FIRST SETTLERS. 

The settlement of Howard Township by the whites dates back to the 
year 1840, at which time the first pioneer, a man by name of Kimball, 
made his appearance and located on Wild Cat, a short distance south of 
David Farley's farm. The country at that time was in possession of the 
Indians, with whom Kimball lived for several years. He adopted their 
mode of dress, passed the greater part of his time at their camp, partici- 
pated in their hunting excursions, and was to all intents and purposes a 
savage himself. He remained here until about the year 1843, when, be- 
coming restive under the increasing civilization, he took his departure 
and joined his red companions in the West. Several other transient set- 
tlers, whose names were not learned, came about the same time with the 
foregoing, and located temporarily near Cassville. They associated with 
the Indians also, and took their departure about the same time the latter 
quitted the country. 

In the year 1842, George Spitzenberger, a native of Ohio, came to 
the township and erected a temporary habitation on Wild Cat, about a 
quarter of a mile south of the Lerner farm. He was attracted to the lo- 
cality in quest of game, and obtained permission of the Indians to hunt 



282 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

and trap along the stream. He was a true type of the backwoods hunt- 
er, went clad in a peculiar garb of deer skin, and shunned all intercourse 
with society, for the usages of which he entertained the most profound 
contempt. He remained here until the year 1844, when he sold his few 
improvements and went to Illinois. 

In the year 1842, Jacob Good settled within the present limits of the 
township, and obtained permission of the Indians to clear and cultivate 
a small patch of ground. near Wild Cat, on land at present owned by 
David Smith. The agreement between Good and the red men was kept 
in good faith, and a crop of corn was raised the following year, being the 
first attempt at agriculture in the township. Good was a native of Vir- 
ginia, left his early home when a young man and went to Sullivan Coun- 
ty, Tenn., where he remained until his immigration to this State, some 
time prior to 1840. His first settlement in Indiana was made in Henry 
County, where he lived until 1841, at which time he made a tour of ob- 
servation through Howard County for the purpose of selecting a home. 
He took a claim in what is known as the " Float " Section, which he en- 
tered when the land came into market five years later. He appears to 
have been a man of considerable influence in the community, and did 
much in a quiet way toward the moral improvement of his neighborhood. 
His death occurred in the year 1851. One daughter, Mrs. Templin, 
wife of Timothy Templin, resides in the township at the present time. 
Salathiel Good, son of the preceding, came to the township in company 
with his father and took a claim in Section 35, on land at present owned 
and occupied by Mr. Sale. He made a good farm here and built his first 
cabin on the spot where the Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church now 
stands. When the first school was organized in 1845, Good was elected 
teacher, and for a number of years thereafter was identified with the ed- 
ucational interests of the township. He sold his farm many years ago, and 
moved to Wisconsin and later to Nebraska, where he at present resides. 

In the latter part of 1842, the Garringers — Alexander, David, Abner 
and Isaac — moved to the township and selected claims in the southern part 
along Wild Cat. They came fi'om Delaware County, and unlike many 
early settlers were men of means. The father, Alexander, settled 
near Hopewell Church, on the farm at present owned by Jonah Beeson, 
where he lived until the year 1851, at which time his death occurred. 
Martin Smith, a son-in-law of Jacob Good, came the same year also, and 
settled near an Indian village on Wild Cat. For several years the red- 
skins were his nearest neighbors, between whom and the pioneers the 
most friendly relations were maintained. Smith entered land in 1847, 
and resided in the township until the year 1852, when he disposed of his 
farm and moved to Wisconsin. 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 283 

In 1843, the Tyler brothers — David, James, Frank, J^athaniel and 
Joseph — selected homes in the township near the Garringer and Good 
settlements. They were natives of Ohio and proved no particular ad- 
vantage to the community in which they resided, being of that thriftless 
class generally found on the outskirts of civilization. Ephraim Bates 
came in the year 1843 also, and took a claim where David Farley lives, in 
Section 27. He afterward entered this land and was a resident of the 
township until 1850, when he joined a company of gold-seekers and went 
to California. He died in the latter State, of cholera, soon after his ar- 
rivfil. 

Among the early settlers who came in prior to 1844 may be named 
Christian Loffer and his sons Daniel and Simon L., all of whom settled 
a short distance west of the Farley farm, where they made small improve- 
ments. They moved to this county from Ohio and were identified with 
the township for a few years, when they sold out and moved to Iowa. 

During the year 1844, the population of the township was increased 
by the following additions : Bernhart Lerner, Henry Loop, John W. 
Lewis, Wilson Brewer and a man by the name of Dix. Lerner came to 
the county in the year 1841 and settled in Harrison Township, where he 
took a claim and worked at the shoemaker's trade. Thinking to better 
his condition, he moved to this township three years later, and purchased 
a portion of his present farm, where he has since resided. In company 
with several others, among whom was Ephraim Bates, he went to Cal- 
ifornia during the gold excitement of 1850, and remained in that State 
about two years. While absent, a distressing accident occurred at home, 
in which his wife was killed by the falling of a burning chimney. He 
afterward married the widow of Bates. He is the oldest settler living in 
the township at the present time. 

Henry Loop came from Ohio and located near the western boundary 
of the township. He took a claim and cleared a small farm but did little 
toward tilling the soil, depending upon his rifle for his chief means of sub- 
sistence. He achieved quite a reputation as a bee-hunter also, and real- 
ized many dollars from the sale of wild honey, which he marketed in 
large quantities. He was daring almost to foolhardiness, and would climb 
the loftiest trees in his search for honey, and appeared as much at home 
among the branches as he did on terra firma. On one occasion he fell 
from a tree a distance of forty -five feet, and sustained injuries from which 
he never entirely recovered. In later years, he manufactured half bushel 
measures, a business which proved very remunerative, and which he fol- 
lowed until the time of his death in 1875. 

John Lewis located in the southern part of the township on Big Wild 
Cat, where he entered land in 1848, and Brewer took a claim in Section 



284 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

16, where Peter Touby lives. Dix settled in the northern part of the 
township on the John Barnes farm, where he took a claim and made a 
few improvements. He is remembered as a noted backwoodsman, whose 
greatest delight was hunting and trapping, which he followed very suc- 
cessfully. By the sale of deer skins, venison hams and wild honey, he 
managed to supply his family with what groceries and few articles of 
wearing apparel they needed, while hcAveut clad in the conventional buck- 
skin garb common among the pioneer hunters forty years ago. In the 
year 1848, he sold his claim to John Oakey and moved to one of the 
Western States. 

Other early settlers were Henry Hemker, who located in Section 27, 
where his son still lives ; the Martin family, consisting of several sons, 
all of whom made temporary settlements on the Jacob Brunk farm, and 
a man by name of Freeman who took a claim in the same vicinity. In 
the year 1845, James Bell, William Stanley, Edmund Wright and John 
Haas selected land in the township, and moved to their claims soon after. 
William Hutson, James Stevens, Thompson Simmons, Andrew Caldwell, 
Thomas Ralston and James Caldwell came in 1846. 

Prominent among those who came in that year was Rev. Jacob Stover, 
a minister of the United Brethren Church and one of the pioneer preach- 
ers of Northern Indiana. He was a native of Augusta County, Va., 
where he lived until his marriage in 1835, at which time he came West 
and settled in this State, near the city of Richmond. In one of his preach- 
ing tours, he passed through Howard County, and being favorably impressed 
with the country he determined to make it his future home. He took a 
claim in this township near Wild Cat, on the Eli Lock farm, to which he 
moved his family a few weeks later, occupying a little deserted cabin 
near by until a more comfortable habitation could be erected. At that 
time he had charge of a number of churches in Howard and adjoining 
counties, and spent the greater part of his time traveling to and from his 
different appointments. His wife relates that during one of his preach- 
ing tours, which was extended longer than usual, on account of a long, 
spell of stormy weather, the family stock of meal gave out, and they were 
compelled to do without bread for a period of ten days. Later in his 
life, Stover took up the medical profession and secured an extensive practice 
among the pioneer communities of eastern Howard, He was a resident 
of this township for twenty- eight years, when he sold his real estate and 
moved to Kokomo. His death occurred in Centre Township about six 
years ago. 

During the year 1847, the following persons entered lands in the town- 
ship : Larkin Meyers and Samuel Lewis, in Section 11 ; John Evans, 
in Section 8 ; John D. Lockridge, in Section 12 ; George Stewart, in 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 285 

Section 13; Carey Brown, in Section 21; Smith Chambers, in Section 
24 ; John Wright, in Section 28 ; Phineas W. Johnson, in Section 33. 
Among those who came in 1847 was Timothy Templin, a native of High- 
land County, Ohio, and one of the oldest settlers living in the township 
at the present time. He moved to Henry County, this State, in an early 
day, where he married a daughter of Jacob Good. He settled in the 
southeast corner of this township in the year mentioned and has been for 
thirty-six years prominently identified with the growth and development 
of the country. 

During the year 1848, entries were made by Harrison Archer, Andrew 
Bray, Patrick Costlow, Vespasian Goyer, VV. B. Wilt, Noah Carter, 
Brinton Webster, John Terrell, John Kane, Samuel CofFman, J. W. Jack- 
son, Charles Thomas, Clerwell Pickett, Charles Elliott, Peter Shook, 
William McCormick, W. J. Brewer, Dennis Truax, Jesse Slider, Jacob 
Albright, John F. Russell, W. W. Thompson, George Rarey, William 
Webb, Lewis Odom, C. V. Justice, John Swift, James Davidson, G. 
Tirey, Thomas Watkins, William Bradbury, John F. Tate, Washington 
Garrell, Alfred Farlow; John Tribbett, William M. Stark, 0. Kizer, 
Thomas Hill, Michael Brownson, William Huston, Caleb Lane, Samuel 
King, Robert D. Palmer, Z. W. Baker, John W. Clements, Newton 
Mills, James Bell, William Brookbank, S. A. J. Brisey, and others 
of whom limited space forbids mention, 

THE FIRST ELECTION. 

The first election in the township was held at the residence of Carev 
Brown,near the Prairie Schoolhouse, in the year 1848. At this election the 
following township officers were elected: Daniel Martin, Salathiel Good and 
Timothy Templin, Trustees ; James Pollock, Clerk ; Whalen Todhunter, 
Treasurer; Andrew Caldwell and Wesley Jackson, Justices of the Peace. 

FIRST BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES. 

The first white child born within the present limits of Howard was a 
daughter of John Kane, whose birth occurred in the spring of 1848. 
Another early birth was in the family of James Tyler a few months later. 
A son of Bernhart Lerner was born about this time also. 

The first marriage in the township was solemnized in the year 1847 
by Rev. Mr. Skillman, the contracting parties being Larker North and 
Martha Dix. Their laudable example was soon afterward imitated by 
Patrick Dix and Elizabeth, daughter of David Tyler. Other early mar- 
riages were John Haas to Jane Stanley, H. Smith to Miss Templin, 
•J. Lee to Mary A. Strode and Jacob Templin to Delilah Fonts. 



286 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

THE FIRST CEMETERY. 

The first burying ground in the township was laid out by Bernhart 
Lerner in the year 1848, and is known as the Salem Cemetery. It is 
situated in Section 27, and is one of the principal burying places in the 
township. The first interment in this cemetery was Catherine Bates, 
whose death occurred in 1848. Among others laid to rest here in an 
early day were Alexander Garringer, Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. Bernhart Lerner 
and Mrs. Kane. The Hopewell Cemetery was laid out about the same 
year, and the first interment therein was Jacob Good, one of the 
township's earliest pioneers. 

SCHOOLS. 

The citizens of Howard Township displayed an early interest in ed- 
ucational matters and among the pioneer institutions of the country may 
be noted the old log schoolhouse. The first settlers coming as they did 
from older States, where education was the rule, the majority of them 
were men and women of intelligence. The first building used for school 
purposes was a small cabin which had been previously occupied by the 
family of a squatter. It stood in the northern part of the township on 
Bernhart Lerner's land and was first used in 1845. The room was furnished 
-with a few rough benches made of logs split once and hewed smooth with 
a common chopping ax. These rested upon an uneven floor of the same 
material, which required no sweeping ; a broad board extended around the 
apartment next to the Avail and served the purpose of a writing desk 
during certain hours of the day ; a large fire-place occupied the greater part 
of one end of the building, in the construction of which neither brick 
nor stones were used, a bank of earth being merely thrown against the 
logs to keep them from taking fire. A small rough stand for the teacher 
completed the interior arrangement of the room, the whole lighted by a 
single window in which greased paper was used instead of glass. The first 
pedagogue who wielded the birch in this primitive structure was Salathiel 
Good, who is remembered as an able instructor. His school continued 
three months, numbered about fifteen pupils and was supported by sub- 
scription. 

The second schoolhouse was built about the year 1848 and stood on 
Christian Loffer's place, a short distance west of David Farley's residence. 
It was a log house also, but a decided improvement on the one described, 
and was in use about seven years. Among the early teachers at this place 
were Salathiel Good, Anna Gordon and Harriet Smith. In 1850, a school- 
house was erected on Wild Cat, near the present residence of David 
Smith, and used the same year by Salathiel Good. Isaiah Roberts taught 
school about the same time in a house which stood a short distance north 
in Section 16. 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 287 

The first public schoolhouse was built on Timothy Teraplin's farm in 
the year 1854. It was a comfortable hewed-log structure, and served its 
purpose well for many years. Good taught the first term in this building, 
and was followed by C. Pettijohn, Thomas Armstrong and Richard 
Templin, in the order named. Other early teachers of the township were 
David Evans, Daniel Martin, Warren Truax, Isaac Whittaker, Joseph 
Dixon and William Styer. As time passed the number of schoolhouses 
increased ; the little log cabins gradually disappeared and were replaced 
by the more comfortable and commodious brick and frame buildings. 
There are at the present time ten good school buildings in the township, 
all of which are well supplied with the latest improved furniture and 
fixtures. The following list comprises the teachers in charge at the 
present time : J. N. Loop, John E. Lock, Robert L. Myers, Jacob C. 
Sipe, H. W. Fisher, Melissa Troyer, Ada Hemper, RoUa A. Trees, John 
A. Miller and Mattie Lovejoy. 

CHURCHES. 
The early church history of Howard is involved in considerable ob- 
scurity, and many dates and interesting facts relating thereto have faded 
from the memory of the oldest inhabitants. The early settlers were a 
church-going people, and held public services from house to house for sev- 
eral years. These early meetings were attended by all, far and near, and 
served to bring remote settlements into social contact. Many of the pio- 
neer preachers were men singularly gifted with a powerful eloquence, 
which fired the hearts of their hearers, and many converts were gathered 
into the different churches. It is not positively known who preached the 
first sermon in the township, but, as near as can be ascertained, it was a 
Methodist minister by the name of Burns. He conducted a series of 
meetings at the residence of Bernhart Lerner, as early as 1845, and 
preached at intervals thereafter for two or three years. A class was or- 
ganized at Lerner's house, in the year 1848. by Revs. Brooks and Fenni- 
more, and the following names recorded as members : Bernhart Ler- 
ner and wife, Phebe Bates, Salathiel Good and wife, Martin Smith and 
wife, Timothy Templin and wife, Polly Thrailkill and Mrs. Hays. For 
one year, the little congregation had no house of worship, and held their 
public services, protracted and quarterly meetings, in private dwelling 
houses and groves. 

"No silver saints, by dying miserj given, 
Here bribed the rage of ill-requited Heaven, 
But such plain roofs as piety could raise, 
And only vocal with the Maker's praise." 

At a meeting held at Lerner's residence, in the latter part of 1849, 
steps were taken to erect a house of worship, and ground was selected for 



288 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

the purpose. Salathiel Good donated a half-acre of his farm, south of 
Wild Cat, in Section 35. A comfortable hewed-log edifice, 25x30 feet, 
was soon built thereon. At one of their early meetings, the society 
adopted the name Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church, by which the 
class should be designated — a name which it still retains. The first pas- 
tor was Rev. Henry Badley, at that time in charge of the Kokomo Cir- 
cuit, to which this charge was attached shortly after its organization. 
Badley served the church very acceptably for two years, and was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. Forbes, who remained one year. After Forbes came 
Morrison, under whose labors the society was made amission of the Koko- 
mo Circuit. Since its organization, the church has been ministered to by 
the following pastors: Joseph Doyle, Samuel Rhodes, Moses Marks, 
Abraham Gorrell, Mr. Hoback, Nathan Shackleford, Joseph Shackleford, 
L. Miller, William Peck, Mr. Curry, Mr. Wadkins, John W. Miller, 
Casey, Bearaer, Lewellen, Baker, Samuel McElwee, John Harrison, Fish, 
John McElwee and L. J. Templin. The pastor in charge at the present 
time is Rev. Mr. Wilcox. The congregation, at a meeting held in the 
year 1874, resolved to build a new house of worship, and a considerable 
sum of money was at once subscribed ; work commenced and the result 
was the present building, which was completed and dedicated in the win- 
ter of 1874. It is a neat brick structure, with a seating capacity of 
about 300, and represents a capital of $2,500. It stands opposite the 
old building, on ground donated by William S. Sale. 

On the 6th day of August, 1845, Elder Laomi Ashley held a meeting 
at the residence of Thomas Martindale, near the present site of Cassville, 
and organized a society of the Christian, or "New Light" Church. A 
sermon was preached upon the occasion, and the following persons re- 
ceived into membership: John Hicks, Rebecca Hicks, Thomas Martin- 
dale, Francis Martindale, Jonathan Martindale, Elizabeth Martindale, 
William Stanley, Nancy Stanley, William Pearson, Mary Pearson, Ke- 
ziah Garrett and Elizabeth Dale. For several years, Martindale's resi- 
dence was used as a meeting place, and the society increased in numbers 
under the earnest labors of Ashley, and his successor. Elder Isaac John- 
son. Amcng the early pastors was Abraham Sneethen, who deserves 
more than a passing notice. He was a native of Virginia, and a man of 
unblemished character, and was considered quite a noted preacher in his 
day. At an early age, he moved to Ohio, when that State was on the 
outskirts of civilization, and settled with his parents near Cincinnati. 
He entered the ministry while yet a young man, and preached at Cincin- 
nati Avhen that city was a mere hamlet of a dozen houses. From Ohio 
he came to this State, where he became widely and favorably known as a 
pioneer evangelist. He was a sincere Christian, whose life was spent in 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 289 

*' going about doing good." 'Tis true, his oratory was not what could be 
termed classic, nor were his scholastic acquirements of that profound type 
considered so essential to the success of the modern divine ; yet he was 
endowed with a strong, practical mind, well furnished with plain, unvar- 
nished facts. He preached the Gospel of Christ with but few adorn- 
ments of rhetoric, and was untiring in his efforts to establish the cause of 
his Master among the sparsely settled localities of the new country. 
Several churches in this and adjoining counties were established through 
his instrumentality, for which he preached a number of years. His death 
occurred several years ago, in one of the Western States. Under Snee- 
then's labors, the church was re-organized March 27, 1853, with eleven 
members, whose names are as follows : David Truax, Sarah Truax, John 
M. Pearson, Dorothy Pearson, Benjamin Balinger, Nancy Balinger, 
Phebe Roberts, Cordelia Martindale, Elizabeth Kuowles, Delilah Martin- 
dale, Thomas Martindale and Francis Martindale. The Martindale 
Schoolhouse was used for public worship until tlieyear 1860, when ground 
was purchased in the village of Cassville, and a frame building erected. 
This house was a comfortable edifice, about 40x55 feet, and cost the sum 
of $1,500. It was used until 1866, when it was purchased by the town- 
ship for a schoolhouse. The present building was erected in the year 
1870. It is a frame structure about 40x60 feet, and will comfortably 
seat 300 persons. Among the pastors and stated supplies of the church 
during the last twelve years were N. Myers, B. D. Hays, Dr. John L. 
Puckett, John R. Kob, Lute Hercules and Rev. Mr. Ryker, present in- 
cumbent. 

The Salem United Brethren Church was organized at the residence 
of Rev. Jacob Stover, in the year 1848, with twelve members, to wit : 
John Goyer and wife, John Oakley and wife, David Rarey and wife, Ja- 
cob Stover and wife, Vespasian Goyer and wife, and Erastus Welsh and 
wife. Services were held at Stover's residence for two years, when the 
organization was moved to the Loffer Schoolhouse. This house was the 
regular preaching place for about eight years, when it was given up for 
the Loop Schoolhouse, the latter being larger, and more suitable for 
church purposes. In the year 1871, the present neat temple of worship 
was erected at a cost of $2,500. It is a beautiful brick structure, and 
stands near the Salem Cemetery, in Section 27. The pastors who have 
ministered to the church at different times during its history are the fol- 
lowing: Revs. Mr. R. King, B. Witt, F. Morgan, George Mooth, William 
Ballon, Jonah Perkins, C. Smith, Gronendyke (under whose labors the 
building was erected). Bias, DeMumber and Joseph Mosier. The present 
pastor is Rev. Thomas Evans. The church at the present time numbers 
about twenty communicants. A good Sunday school is maintained. 



290 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

The Cassville Methodist Episcopal Church was organized about the 
year 1849, with a strong membership. Their first house of worship was 
built in 1856, but was not completed until three years later. It was used 
until the year 1874, at which time their present edifice was erected. This 
is a large, commodious brick building, the finest in the county outside of 
Kokomo, and cost the sum of $4,000. The church at the present time 
has a large membership, and is in a flourishing condition. 

The Vermont Methodist Episcopal Church is an oiFshoot of the Hope- 
well Methodist Church, and dates its history from the year 1875. The 
principal cause which led to its formation was the difficulty experienced 
by the members living north of the creek in reaching their place of wor- 
ship during inclement seasons. The class was organized with a member- 
ship of twenty-five, and attached to Jerome Circuit. A beautiful temple 
of worship was erected shortly after the organization, on land donated for 
the purpose by James Miller and Jacob Brunk. The building is brick, 
cost the sum of $2,500, and is the best church edifice in the circuit. The 
present membership is about thirty. Rev. Mr. Wilcox is pastor. 

VILLAGE OF CASSVILLE. 

Cassville is situated in the northeast quarter of Section 6, near the 
county line, on the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway. It was laid 
out September, 1848, by William and Nathan Stanley, and at one time 
achieved quite a reputation as a trading point. The circumstance which 
led to its origin was the surveying of the I., P. & C. R. R. through the 
country, an enterprise which promised much for the future welfare of our 
city. Among the first to purchase and improve lots in the village were 
David Evans, John Hicks, B. Martin and Patrick Ilarten. The last named 
started a saloon soon after his arrival, which gave the place an unsavory 
reputation always. This dram shop was of the vilest type, and proved a 
plague spot to the vilage and community as long as it remained. 

The first stock of goods was brought to the place by John and David 
Evans, who erected a good frame storehouse near the railroad. They did 
business very successfully about four years, when their stock was pur- 
chased by Samuel Martindale, who continued for a short time. The fol- 
lowing merchants sold goods in the village at different times : Josiah Hite, 
Daniel Martin, Martin & Lewellen, Mr. Goodson, Hill & Fortner, Miller 
& Logan, Mr. Stutler, William Petty, James Smallwood, N. Rader and 
Jonathan Small. The only business house in the place was burned in 
1882, and at the present time there is no store of any kind in the village. 

The following list comprises the medical gentlemen who have practiced 
their profession fi-om Cassville : Drs. A. Walter, Reuben King, McKen- 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 291 

zie, Davis, Flower, Ward, Bryant, Smith, Morrell, Langston, Bitler, 
Maughan, and Puckett, the present physician. 

The close proximity of the village to Kokomo, Miami and Bunker 
Hill has proved a serious hindrance to its growth, and at the present time 
it is but a mere hamlet of about a dozen houses. 



VILLAGE OF VERMONT. 

In the year 1845, Milton Hadley, a native of Ohio, came to the 
township, and settled near the southeast corner, where he took a claim. 
He made a treaty with the Indians, and secured from them a valuable 
tract of land in Section 7, in which he laid out the village of Vermont 
four years later. Hadley appears to have been a man of some energy 
and forethought. He platted his town for the ostensible purpose of secur- 
ing the county seat, but the selection of Kokomo for that purpose proved 
a death-blow to the village, and put an effectual check upon its develop- 
ment. One of the first houses in the town was erected by Charley Elli- 
son, and used by him for a grocery store and dram shop. His saloon 
was the general resort for the hard characters of the surrounding country, 
a fact which caused the place to be looked upon as a rough locality. An 
early merchant was Benjamin Jackson, who sold goods for about three 
years, when he disposed of his stock to John Colescott. The last store 
was kept by Charles Lindley. Joshua Galway started a tan-yard in the 
village about the year 1850, and kept it up five or six years. It proved 
a paying venture, and was conducted very successfully. Galway had a 
blacksmith shop also, which he operated in connection with his other busi- 
ness. 

The city of Kokomo on the west and Greentown on the east absorbed 
the business interests of Vermont to such an extent that the town plat was 
finally abandoned, and of the city of large pretensions nothing now remains 
but a plowed field. On the completion of the Toledo, Delphos & St. Louis 
Narrow-Guage Railroad through the township in 1880, a station was es- 
tablished near the original village, and a good business house erected. 
There is a good store at the present time kept by James Miller, a 
grain house belonging to Russell, Dolman & Co., of Kokomo, and a post 
ofiice. 



292 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



CLAY TOWNSHIP. 

BY H. C. FELLOW. 

Clay Township is situated in the northern part of Howard County, 
and is bounded on the north by Cass County, on the east by Howard 
and Centre Townships, on the south by Centre and the Big Wild Cat, and 
on the west by Ervin. It was formerly a part of Kokomo Township, 
but was set oif and organized under the acts of 1851 and 1852, and 
named in honor of the great champion of American rights, Henry Clay. 
It contains about twenty-seven sections of excellent land, somewhat low 
and level in the nothern part, and considerably of a rolling or broken 
nature in the southern part of the township. 

The Wild Cat and its many small tributaries in the southern part, and 
several large open ditches through the central and northern part, form the 
drainage system of this section. The soil consists mostly of a rich black 
loam, and is capable of a high state of cultivation. The history of this town- 
ship extends back over a period of forty-four years, when the waters of the 
Wild Cat only eddied to the splash of the Indian oarsman, and the deer, 
bear and wild cat held undisputed sway in the gloomy solitudes of the un- 
broken forest. 

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 

In 1838, a man by the name of Taylor, desiring to locate himself in 
the " Seven Mile Strip," took a claim on a tract now known as the Sim- 
mons farm. Finding himself out of the bounds of this strip, he deserted 
this claim, and moved over into the present limits of Honey Creek. The 
Taylor claim T. A. Long obtained possession of two years later, paying 
a man by the name of Heart for the same the sum of $100. The cabin 
on this claim stood west of Simmons' barn, while Long's little gun- 
smith shop stood in the front yard, not more than thirty feet from the pike. 

In the summer of 1841, it is thought, the first patch of corn in the 
county was raised on this place ; some two years after Long put out on 
this place the first nursery in the county. In 1840, a man by the name 
of McHone settled near a prairie in the northern part, which tract after- 
ward bore the name of " McHone Prairie." The next year, Peter Gay 
and Chris Cromer and a Mr. Linden settled in the southern part of the 
township. 

In ' 1842, tliose who settled in this part were Samuel McClellan, 
Harvey Johnson, Jason Clark, James McCalley, David Ilowser, David 
Lambert, S. B. Lambert and Warwick Johnson. The next year wit- 
nessed the arrival of W. H. Conwell, Capt. T. M. Kirkpatrick, 



• CLAY TOWNSHIP. 293 

Thomas Dimitt, Adam Smith, W. B. Smith, George Dimitt, Holeman 
Dimitt, Jacob Holeman, M. W. Carr, Daniel Richards, John Gar- 
den, Thomas M. Carrothers, Crawford Griffith, James Thompson, 
George W. Smith, Moses Scott and Sampson Allen. This was during 
the time that David Foster had his trading house on the Seven Mile 
boundary, some twenty rods north of the crossing of the Wild Cat pike 
and the road running on the east side of W. W. Smith's farm. The 
house was contructed of logs and stoutly built, with port holes in the 
walls. The store room was on the Seven Mile territory, while the 
counter over which he sold goods was in the Reserve. It is thought that 
this peculiar location was chosen to evade the law in selling whisky to 
the Indians on Government territory. This was at a time when cucum- 
bers sold for $1 a dozen, needles $1 a piece, and no woman in this part 
of the State other than the good wife of Foster could " sit down on a 
half bushel of silver dollars." 

EARLY EVENTS. 

The first religious meetings were held in private families, while the 
first preaching we have any account of was done by Frank Taylor, in 
1842. After him, the Gospel was preached to the pioneer settlers by 
David Rush, George W. Smith, Jacob Colclazer, Lewis Johnson, and 
others. In 1845, the Methodists built a log church on Spice Run, near 
Capt. Kirkpatrick's house, and in the same year a log schoolhouse was 
built on the Long farm. Among the pedagogues of birchen fame are the 
names of Julia Chaffin, David Rush, Silas Baldwin, David Lambert, W. 
B. Smith, Robert McClelland and Charles Price. 

The first post office was in the house of George W. Smith, near Bell's 
Prairie, on a route from Kokorao to Logansport. Before the township 
was organized, Capt. Kirkpatrick served as Justice of the Peace. 

The first election after the organization of the township was held at 
the house of David Ridgeley, and resulted as follows : Thomas M. Carro- 
thers, A. M. Reeves and W. Daley, Trustees; L. Scott, Treasurer; J. 
W. Campbell, Clerk ; T. A. Long and S. S. Crail, Justices of the Peace ; 
A. Brown and B. B. Preble, Constables. 

On T. A. Long's place was the great carnping-ground of the Miami 
Indians, who came from along Deer Creek and Pipe Creek to trade with 
Foster. There yet remains in a ravine on the south side of this place an 
old Indian spring, nicely walled with stone, while a great many stone 
implements are also found here. On this place, southeast of the house, 
are three large sinks, all in a line. Two of these are perfectly round, and 
each some forty feet across, while the third and larger one is a little more 
oblong, and is about 120 feet across. On account of being situated on a 



294 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

high bluff, these sinks could not have been the work of beavers, and we 
are therefore inclined to believe them to be the work of Mound-Builders. 
It was in the old orchard west of the run, on this same place, that Pete 
Cornstalk, the peace chief, murdered an Indian brother for a slight prov- 
ocation. In different parts of the township are evidences of the exist- 
ence of iron ore, and also the finest deposits of gravel in Howard County. 

EARLY TRUSTEE MEETINGS. 

The first meeting of the Township Board of Trustees took place on 
April 11, 1853. The report says: "The Board of Trustees of Clay 
Township met April 11, and organized by choosing A. W. Daily, Presi- 
dent, and not being in possession of the laws defining the duties of Trust- 
ees, they adjourned to meet April 30, 1853." The first order of the 
board was made April 30, 1853, when it was ordered, " that the County 
Auditor be notified that the Board of Trustees of the township have levied 
a tax of 5 cents on each f 100 for road purposes, and a tax of 10 cents on 
each $100 for township purposes." On August 6, 1853, it was ordered 
" that school-house No. 1 be located in the neighborhood of T. A. Long; 
No. 2 in the neighborhood of John Miller ; No. 3 in the neighborhood of 
Josiah Marcum ; No. 5 in the neighborhood of Jacob Holeman. The 
schoolhouses are to be built of hewed logs, twenty feet square, with shingle 
roof — that is, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Tax payers may put in work in lieu of 
paying the money by the 1st of November. The work for repairs on 
schoolhouse No. 5 will be taken by that time. Wages, 65 cents per day." 

On March 25, 1854, the following badly spelled order was made: 
" Now comes Moholan S. Reaves, School Teacher in District No. 4, and 
files his Report by an Afadaved to the Township Clerk, for the Terra of 
Forty-Foure days, at the rate of sixty Dollars per quarter, witch Report 
was alowed By the Board of Trustees." 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES, TAX FIGURES, ETC. 

The first brick house in the township was built by H. W. Smith in 
1859. The township is traversed by four excellent gravel roads, and a 
division of the Pan-Handle Railroad, all running into Kokomo. On the 
railroad is located a small town and post office, which bears the name of 
Jewell, although no plat of a town was ever made. 

The principal church in the township is that of " Shiloh," erected in 
1874, under the direction of the Trustees, Daniel Spraker, James H. 
Kerlin and John Hamilton; and Treasurer, William W. Smith. The 
church was dedicated in June of the same year. The estimated cost was 
$1,700. The society is in a flourishing condition under C. E. White as 
pastor. There is also a small church at Jewell. 



CLAY TOWNSHIP. 295 

The Shiloh Cemetery is on a nice lot of ground just west of the 
church. The first interment was made in 1864. The first Trustees 
were J. W. Lanham, William W. Smith and Willard Johnson. 

There are eleven school districts in the township, each of which is 
supplied with a good frame or brick schoolhouse. 

The principal occupation of the laboring class outside of farming is that 
of the saw milling business, there being several saw mills located in different 
parts of the township. A mercantile and blacksmithing business is car- 
ried on at Jewell. 

The township is somewhat Democratic on the State election. It has, 
however, elected a Republican Trustee (Mr. B. B. Preble) the last two 
elections. The vote for Secretary of State for 1882 was as follows : 134 
Republican, 147 Democrat, and 25 National. 

The value of the land in the township amounts to $237,820, while 
the improvements on the same foot up |64,825. Of personal property, 
the records show a grand total of $79,200, making a total of taxable 
property of $381,845. The total tax for 1882 amounted to $7,510.39. 

In comparing the history of Clay Township of 1873 with that of 
1882, we find that there have been many marked changes in the popula- 
tion, taxation and drainage. Although there were a less number of 
school districts in 1873 than in 1882, yet the enrollment of children be- 
tween the ages of six and twenty-one, in 1873, is 519, while the list for 
1882 only foots up to 405. The common school revenue for 1873 was 
$1,113.66, against $473.39 in 1882. The special school tax for 1873 
lacked $296.37 of equaling that for 1882, the amount for the first date 
being $494.96, and for 1882, $791.33. The township tuition tax shows 
a falling ofi" of $451.02, the showing for 1873 being $661.39, and for 
1882 only $210.37. Thus, we have a total of school fund moneys of 
$2,270.01 for 1873, against $1,475.09 for the year of 1882. 

The road tax for 1873 was $365.89, while in 1882 the amount was 
only $67.57, thus showing a falling off of nearly $300. The township tax 
for 1873 was $21.35, and for 1882, $96.92. The dog tax for 1873 was 
$72.80, and for 1882, $59.11. The license fund of the township for the 
year 1882 was $92.46. 

The census of 1880 showed a population in the township of 1,340. 

DRAINAGE. 

The drainage system of the township up to 1873, was very meager 
compared with what it is at present. But a few small open ditches then 
helped to carry the water away from the marshy districts of the township, 
while now there are nearly a half score of large county ditches in the 
township and several more under comtemplation. The first ditching 



296 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

companies formed in Clay for the purpose of making better the drainage 
system were organized under the law of 1873, as the Clay Union and 
also the Howser Drainage Association. Under the acts of 1875, the 
county began its work of constructing public ditches. Now we have the 
McReynolds ditch extending from Clay into Ervin, constructed at a 
cost of $7,285 ; the Bulk ditch of some seven miles in length, cost- 
ing $5,294.25 ; the James E. Kidder ditch, costing $2,708.84 ; the 
Levi Conwell ditch, costing $1,920 ; the John Locus ditch, costing $1,- 
112.71 ; the William Conwell ditch, constructed at a cost of $3,346.73 ; 
and the Huston ditch, at a cost of $2,127. The estimated cost of the 
John Davis ditch is $4,064.50. Probably the longest and most expens- 
ive ditch in this part of the State, called the Tate & Harness ditch, will 
run through a good part of Clay. The length of this ditch will be about 
eleven miles and will cost $15,038.94. Besides those mentioned, the 
John M. Fossett and Harlan ditches are now constructino-. 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 

BY D. A. WOODS. 

Ervin Township is the largest township in Howard County, and is 
situated in the northwestern part of the county. It is seven miles north 
and south and six miles east and west, thus containing forty-two square 
miles. It is bounded on the north by Cass County, on the east by Clay 
Township, on the south by Monroe Township and Wild Cat River and 
on the west by Carroll County. This township is part of the land ceded 
by the General Government to Indiana, and from her to the Wabash & 
Erie Canal for its construction. The eastern and northeastern portions of 
the township are very low and swampy ; the northwestern and southern 
parts of the township are sufficiently undulating to make fine agricultural 
lands with but little underdraining. No better soil can be found any- 
where than is possessed by Ervin Township. It is a black sandy loam, the 
soil being very deep and almost inexhaustible. It can be farmed for years 
without rest or change and still be productive. 

The great drawback to much of the land in Ervin for agricultural use 
was the fact of its being so low and swampy. Crops were ruined by the 
rain whenever the spring season proved a little wet. The land lying in 
such large quantities needing drainage, the underground drains were 
impracticable. Therefore the farmers have taken to the construction of 
open ditches — great canals for the discharge of this surplus water. 
These now thread the township in every direction and much land 
which a few years ago was deemed almost valueless, is now among the 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 297 

most productive to be found in the township. These drains have also 
been instrumental in carrying away the water formerly stagnant in ponds 
all over the township. Soon after the rainy season closed in early sum- 
mer, this water, gathering in pools, caused much malaria. Chills and 
fever were the scourge of the day, commencing the latter part of 
August and lasting until cold winter froze the ague out of the people, 
as it were. Many times all the members of a family would be stretched 
upon beds of sickness at the same time, no one being able to wait 
upon any other. Quinine was a staple article of commerce. The writer 
has known many families who purchased the drug at wholesale, as it 
was thus obtained much cheaper. Those days have happily passed, and 
now there is no more healthy part of the country. 

PIONEER SETTLERS. 

The early settlers of Ervin Township were from Ohio, Pennsylvania and 
Virginia. They Avere a hardy, economical hard-working people, sober and 
religious. No community was ever blessed by a better class of immigrants. 

The township was named Ervin in honor of Robert Ervin, an earlv 
settler, and one of the first Associate Justices of the early county of 
Richardville, now Howard. He settledon the old John Young farm, now 
owned by Tom Ridgeway. 

Robert Walker, who lived in Miami County, near Peru, came into 
Ervin Township in the early part of 1838. He remained here some six 
or eight weeks, hunting and fishing. He was much pleased with what he 
saw, and in the early fall of 1838 he sold his little possessions near Peru 
and started for what is now Ervin Township. He induced Isaac Price, 
Joseph Taylor and his son, George Taylor, to accompany him to the 
forests of Ervin. When they arrived, they fell to preparing homes for 
themselves and families. Soon the pioneer's cabin was ready for the re- 
ception of its humble occupants. Isaac Price and his family settled on 
the farm now known as the Col. Richmond farm. Here Mrs. Price gave 
birth to a daughter, Mary C. Price, on the 15th day of August, 1839, 
being the first white child born in Ervin Township. The mother never 
fully regained her health, and in the fall of the same year, she died here, 
making the second death in this county. 

In the latter part of 1838, the father of George W. Brown settled in the 
northwestern part of Ervin Township, and commenced making for himself 
a home in the forest. The old Brown farm is now one of the best in the 
township. George W. Brown still lives in the township, near the west 
end of the Pete's Run gravel road. 

In 1839, Capt. John Harrison, an old soldier of the war of 1812, set- 
tled in Ervin, on the farm now owned by T. A. Harrell. He was the 



298 



HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 



first Sheriff elected by the people of the new county, and the election was 
held at his house, this, also, being the first election held in the county. 
Soon after this, Joshua Barnett erected the first store in the township, 
and also erected a saw mill, and attached a corn-cracker thereto. This 
proved a great convenience to the pioneer fathers, as it enabled them to 
get their corn meal near at home. Previous to this, they were compelled 
to go fifteen and twenty miles for this prime necessity. The old mill is 
now known as Cromwell's mill, being on the west side of the boundary 
line, on the Wild Cat pike. 

David Foster established a trading post on the boundary line, in 1840, 
for the purpose of trading with the Indians. To say that poor Lo never 
got the best of him in a trade, would be stale, as his cunning has become 
proverbial in this county. The old settlers never weary of recounting his 
wonderful exploits. 

In 1841, Jacob Price and his family followed their son, Isaac. This 
year also came David Bates and William Y. Gearheard. Uncle Billy 
Oearheard died but a short time ago, at the advanced age of ninety- 
three. 



EARLY IMPROVEMENTS. 



David Bates was the first blacksmith to set up a shop in the county. 

The first post office in the township was at Poplar Grove, in the north- 
western part of the township. This is a small village, if it is of sufficient 
importance to be denominated such, and is the only one in this large and 
flourishing township. There is nothing there now but the post office and 
a blacksmith shop. 

The other two post offices are " Ervin " and " Ridgeway." Dr. I. 
W. Martin is Postmaster at Ervin, and has been since its establishment 
in 1862. He is also one of the pioneer physicians and old settlers. 
When the sickly seasons would begin, in the " auld lang syne," then the 
jolly Doctor would reap a harvest. He delighted in giving a fellow 
quinine, and then laughing at him for swearing it was bitter. Daniel 
Booerholser is the Postmaster at Ridgeway. At Ervin and Ridgeway, 
there are country stores kept by the Postmasters. 

William Butcher erected the first brick house in the township in 
1854 ; he had moved here from Decatur County, Ind. The house still 
stands in a perfect state of preservation, and is now inhabited by John 
Wilson, Esq., his son-in-law. It was here that Uncle Billy died. Uncle 
Bobby Coate built the first flouring mill in the township, in the year 
1846, at Poplar Grove. He also erected a saw mill, which proved to be 
a valuable property, as the township was now being very rapidly settled, 
and sawed lumber was in great demand. 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 299 

STREAMS, ETC. 

Pete's Run and Deer Creek are the only streams of water in the 
township. Pete's Run was named in honor of Peter Cornstalk, a cele- 
brated Miami chief. He was buried on the farm of Dan Flora, and there 
his bones rested in peace until the spring of 1878, when Dr. W. L. Price^ 
now of Windfall, without the fear of disturbing his soul, resurrected his 
bones and found a hunting knife, powder horn and flask. The Doctor 
now has the skeleton in his office. Pete's Run rises in the eastern part 
of the township, runs in a southwesterly direction, and empties into the 
Wild Cat, near the southwestern part of the township. Deer Creek rises 
in Clay Township on the east of Ervin, and flows in a northwesterly di- 
rection until it leaves the township ; it finally empties into the Wabash. 

Those who came at an early date found plenty of work in making 
their farms. The township was covered with a dense growth of very 
heavy timber. All the different varieties of timber native to this county 
were there in great profusion. Timber was destroyed in order to get rid 
of it, that would now bring ^100 per tree. Walnut, poplar, oak, elm 
and other varieties were growing in great quantities. The township is 
now in the vanguard of Howard's progress. There are magnificent 
farms, schoolhouses, churches, gravel roads, and everything necessary to 
comfort and happiness. The most approved agricultural implements are 
employed in the cultivation of the land, the stumps have been mainly 
taken out of the fields, so that farming is now a pleasure as well as a 
profit. Nearly all of the land within its borders is now in shape to be 
cultivated, and is valuable, appraising from $40 to |100 per acre. 

LATER SETTLERS. 

The early settlers of the township, aside from those already named, 
were Alexander Forgy, James McCool, James Burnett, Daniel Smith 
and Alif Henly. These came in the years 1842 and 1843. After this, 
people commenced coming in very rapidly, and among them were Blu- 
ford Hawkins, Abraham Brubaker, John Flora, Jacob Early, Sr., John 
B. Early, James Forgy, Daniel Lambert, Charles Standiford, Joel Brower, 
Levi Beckner, Jackson McDowell, James Ridgeway, Sr., Ephraim Woods, 
J. L. D. Hanna, Capt, John Harrison, Amos Bates, Samuel Bortsfield, 
Francis M. Power, Jacob Lawrence, Ralph French (afterward for many 
years Township Trustee), John Rider, Henry H. Gillam, William Ma- 
laby, Burrell Bell, Silas Baldwin, Benjamin Tucker and Abram Flora. 
Of the above, only a few are still living, the others having gone to the 
better world. 



300 HISTORY OF HOWARD COUNTY. 

CHURCHES. 

There are six church houses in the township at present. The Friends 
have a house of worship a little way east of Poplar Grove, with quite a 
number of communicants. 

In the northeastern part of the township is the house of the United 
Brethren, near the old Ralph French farm. The same denomination 
have a beautiful church building just south of Poplar Grove. There is 
a Baptist Church, about two miles east of Ervin Post Oflfice, called Judson. 
The Christian Church has a good building on the Wild Cat gravel road, 
near the west end of the pike, as has also the old order of German Bap- 
tists, on the farm of Peter Miller, near the end of the same pike. This 
is a beautiful new building and is supported by a wealthy class of wor- 
shipers. In fact, all these different denominations are in a flourishing 
state. The colored folks are quite numerous in this township, and have 
a school of their own, generally taught by a person of color, and there 
is also a church of the same people of the Baptist faith. Richard Bas- 
sett is their pastor. 

THE FIRST TRUSTEES, PHYSICIANS AND MINISTERS. 

When it became necessary to choose county officers, the first election 
in the county was held at Capt. John Harrison's, on the farm now owned 
by T. A. Harrell. The building in which this election was held was 
built for Capt. Harrison by Mr. Penny, father of Col. E. W. Penny, of 
Kokomo. The same building still stands, and the original roof turns 
water quite well yet. There was not then as much interest manifested 
as now in politics, and the election was a very quiet one. 

In 1844, there was an assessment made upon the township. Charles 
Price, son of Isaac Price, one of the very first settlers of the township, 
was the Assessor. 

The first church was built by the Quakers at Poplar Grove, in the 
year 1848. The same place claims the honor of the first schoolhouse, and 
Robert Coate was the first teacher. The first Justice of the Peace was 
Daniel Cline, Esq., and Daniel Flora, David Smith and William King 
were the first Trustees. 

Dr. James M. Darnall and Mr. Anderson, of Burlington, were among 
the earliest physicians to practice in this township. Doctor A.nderson 
still resides in Burlington and practices his profession. Dr. Darnall has 
been a resident of Kokomo for some time, where he is held in high esteem 
by all its citizens. Dr. Martin has been for many years the principal 
physician of the township. He is still in the enjoyment of a large 
practice. 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 301 

One of the first, if not the first marriage in the county, was that of 
William Walker to a step-daughter of Isaac Price. Certainly, it was 
the first marriage in the township. This was in January, IS-tl, four 
years before Kokomo was selected as tbe county seat of the new county. 

H. Hamilton, one of the early preachers of the township, is still alive 
at an advanced age. He was a man of remarkable power, and was one 
of the most able backwoods preachers in the State of Indiana. Other 
preachers were Harper Hanna, Daniel Flynn, John Low and Benjamin 
Underwood. Rev. Joel Brower has been a minister of the Gospel for 
many years. He is still in the enjoyment of good health at the age of 
seventy-five. Alif Henly and George W. Harness Sr., lived to a great 
age. Henly died at the age of one hundred and ten years, while Mr. 
Harness was considerably past one hundred years. George W. Harness, 
Jr., is now living in the township at an advanced age. 

Ervin Township did her full duty toward supplying Howard's quota 
in the field during the war of the rebellion, and no soldiers ever did bet- 
ter service. Joseph Bright, an old pioneer, sent five sons to the front, 
who remained until the war closed. Of the five. Peach and Isaac were 
drowned by the explosion of a boat on the Mississippi River, while on 
their way home after the war had closed. Sault T. Butcher, George 
Butcher, Isaac N. Butcher, John B. Butcher and A. P. Butcher, five 
sons of William Butcher, Esq., served in the war of the rebellion, and all 
were so fortunate as to get home alive. 

The following are the present officials of Ervin: John B. Butcher, 
Trustee ; Cornelius Rice and Judge Markland, Justices of the Peace. 

SCHOOLS. 

The schools of Ervin have ever been noted for their efficiency and high 
standing. Some of the best country schools to be found anywhere are 
in Ervin. Much credit is due to the old teachers, who have been en- 
gaged in the work for years, among whom may be mentioned John B. 
Miller, Luther McDowell, Noah Whisler and Alvin McDowell. The 
teachers for the past winter were as follows : Henry C. Miller, Elmer 
Bryan, Jordan Tucker, George Miller, Luther McDowell, William 
H. Thompson, Alvin McDowell. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 



THOMAS A. ARMSTRONG, one of the pioneers of Howard County 
and one who has assisted by energy and means in advancing the city of Ko- 
komo to its present prosperity, was born in Bucks County, Penn., February 
14, 1795. His parents, Abraham and Nancy A. (Geary) Armstrong, were 
also natives of Pennsylvania, and moved to Pittsburgh when he was in his 
infancy. He was reared and attended school in the latter city until he 
was sixteen years of age. He then went to Philadelphia and entered the 
law office of an uncle, Thomas Armstrong, with whom he remained four 
years. In 1814, he was admitted to the bar and practiced his profession 
in Philadelphia until 1820. He then located in Pittsburgh, where he wag 
admitted to practice in the Supreme Courts, and remained engaged in the 
active duties of his profession for a short time only. He then emigrated 
to Ohio and located in Clinton County, where, for a number of years, he 
resided, engaged in the practice of his profession, subsequently re- 
turning to Pennsylvania, where he resided for. three years. Mr. Arm- 
strong, in 1851, came to Kokomo and purchased forty acres of land, upon 
which part of the city is now located. At this period, there were but few 
inhabitants, and the land purchased by him worth only about $15 per acre. 
Here he has since resided ; he practiced law for a few years and was in- 
terested in general merchandising, which business was conducter' by 
his sons for several years. He then abandoned active business life, his 
son, Thomas S. Armstrong, taking the goods to Tipton, where he is still 
engaged and conducting a successful business. After abandoning mer- 
cantile pursuits, Mr. Armstrong was elected Justice of the Peace, the du- 
ties of which office he satisfactorily administered for four years. Mr. Arm- 
strong was united in marriage in Clinton County, Ohio, July 1, 1824, to 
Miss Sallie E. Grant, a native of Virginia. They have reared a family of 
eight children, seven boys and one girl — Thomas S., a resident of Tipton, 
Edward A., Horace A. (deceased), Charles G., Addison F., Alexander 
C, Walter S. and Lizzie A. Of this family they have every reason to 
be proud ; of the sons, each has attained high standing in professional, 
mercantile, political and social spheres, and are men of unblemished 
reputations. Thomas A. Armstrong is now living with his faithful wife in 



304 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

retirement at his pleasant home in the northwestern portion of the city, 
and although well advanced in the " sere and yellow leaf," his eighty- 
eight years sit lightly upon him. His wife, now eighty-three years of 
age, is also bright and active. Mr. Armstrong has been a faithful mem- 
ber of the Christian Church for over forty years, and has been an Elder 
for many years. All the members of his family are also connected with 
this church ; they have all been liberal in their support and active and 
faithful workers in upholding this faith in Howard County. 

E. A. ARMSTRONG, M. D., one of the old and successful practition- 
ers of Howard County, is a native of Clinton County, Ohio, where he was 
born December 25, 1827. He received the education such as the common 
schools of that period afforded until he was qualified to teach ; this he fol- 
lowed at intervals, assisting upon the farm until he was about twenty-three 
years of age. He then decided upon the medical profession as his life work, 
and went to Pittsburgh, where, under the tutelage of an uncle, Dr. Charles 
Armstrong, he remained about three years. In 1851, he came with his 
parents to Howard County, and the following year he entered the Rush 
Medical College of Chicago, attending lectures one term. He then com- 
menced the practice of his profession at Russiaville, where he remained 
ten years, engaged in active and successful practice. In 1857, he attended 
the Ohio Medical College, located at Cincinnati, and graduated from that 
institution in 1858. In 1865, he removed to Kokomo, and soon after 
formed a partnership with Drs. Johnson & Cooper. In 1875, he formed 
his present professional partnership by admitting Dr. J. McLean 
Moulder, who had been a student with him for a number of years. Dr. 
Armstrong has been-^in continuous practice in Howard County for over 
thirty years, and has established a remunerative business. He is well read 
and keeps up with the advancement of the times, in all matters, as well as 
in his profession. In the field of surgery. Dr. Armstrong ranks high 
among the operative surgeons of Indiana. His long experience and 
especial study of this most important branch eminently qualify him, and 
the remarkable success attending his operations has given him the lead 
over all his professional brethren in this work. Dr. Armstrong is a 
member of the State and County Medical Societies, and of the Kokomo 
Academy of Medicine. Of the county society and academy, he has 
served as President. Dr. Armstrong is also a member of the hard- 
ware firm of Armstrong, Pickett & Co., one of the largest mercantile 
houses in the county, and is interested in considerable farming land 
in Howard and Tipton Counties. He was united in marriage, in 1861, 
to Miss Sarah J. Ratcliff, of Russiaville. She died in 1863. Dr. Arm- 
strong is an influential member of the Christian Church, and has taken 
a leading interest and aided largely in the construction of the new 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 305 

church edifice. He is a progressive member of the Democratic party and 
one of the most respected citizens of Kokomo. 

DR. HORACE A. ARMSTRONG (deceased) was born in Clinton 
County, Ohio, December 25, 1829, and was reared on a farm, receiving a 
good common school education of that day. In 1849, he removed with 
his father's family to Pittsburgh, Penn., where he commenced the study 
of medicine with his uncle, Charles L. Armstrong, M. D. In 1851, he 
removed to Kokomo, Ind., and engaged in farming, teaching and pre- 
paring for his chosen profession. In 1856, he formed a partnership with 
Dr. J. A. James, both in the practice of medicine and in the hardware 
trade, and continued a member of the hardware firm of James, Armstrong 
& Co. (now the firm of Armstrong, Pickett & Co.), for ten years, but 
gave his time and attention to the practice of medicine, having graduated 
in 1858, at the Medical College of Ohio, with the highest honors of his 
class. During his practice in Howard County, he stood at the head of his 
profession. Dr. Armstrong died in 1868, having led a consistent life in 
the Christian Church, leaving an example well worthy of imitation. In 
February, 1861, Dr. Armstrong was married to Ella C. Mathers, of 
Meadville, Penn., who, previous to her marriage, was a teacher of elocu- 
tion in the Allegheny City College. She was a woman of rare intellect- 
ual ability, and a prominent member of the Christian Church. Mr. 
Armstrong left two children, A. Buell and E. Armor, both young at the 
time of their father's death. 

A. F, ARMSTRONG, one of the representative business men of In- 
diana, is a native of Clinton County, Ohio, where he was born April 1, 
1835, and where he received a common school education. In 1849, he 
came to Kokomo, and has made it his home up to the present time. In 
1856, he, with Dr. J. A. James and H. A. Armstrong, founded the pres- 
ent business house of which he is still the head, and the remarkable suc- 
cess of which is due, in a great measure, to his skillful management and 
able financiering. For about thirty years, Mr. Armstrong has been act- 
ively engaged in the mercantile business, persistently carrying out the 
fixed purpose of his life. His career has been one of continuous prosper- 
ity, the result of industry, integrity, and fair, honorable dealing. Mr. 
Armstrong helped to organize the city of Kokomo, and was a member of 
the first Council, in which capacity he served eight consecutive years. 
He has assisted all progressive measures for the improvement and ad- 
vancement of the material wealth of Howard County, and in all works of 
charity and benevolent societies he is a liberal supporter. In politics, 
Mr. Armstrong has always been an ardent and influential Democrat. 
He was elected to the State Senate in 1870, and held that position until 
1874, serving three terms, and through the special session of 1872. His 



306 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

genial and gentlemanly deportment has always made him popular in his 
district, and in 1876, when candidate for Congress from the Eleventh 
District, he reduced the Republican majority from 3,100 to 1,400. In 
1878, when a candidate for the nomination as State Auditor, he received 
nearly as large a vote as the numerous candidates combined, with the ex- 
ception of Gen. Manson, who received the nomination. He has held 
various minor offices in the county, all of which have been discharged 
with fidelity and honor. In educational matters, Mr. Armstrong has 
always taken a progressive interest, and has served upon the School Board 
of Kokomo. In June, 1863, Mr. Armstrong was united in marriage 
with Miss Mary S. Brandon, daughter of Montgomery and Martha 
Brandon, of Kentucky, who were pioneer settlers of Indiana, settling in 
this State in 1834. Mr. B, died in Kokomo in 1880, surviving his be- 
loved wife only a few months. Mr. Brandon was for many years promi- 
nently identified with the progress of the State, and a respected citizen. 
Mrs. Armstrong is foremost in all good deeds, and has given much atten- 
tion to public and charitable works, such as President of the Orphans' 
Home, of the Suifrage Club, and the Ladies' Lecture Association, besides 
taking an active interest in the cause of temperance and all good works. 
They have been blessed with two children, Jennie and Sherman, who 
died in infancy. In religion, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong are influential 
and leading members of the Christian Church, being members for many 
years. Mr. Armstrong has aided largely and been instrumental in clear- 
ing off the church debt, and in giving freely his time, means and energy 
to the upbuilding of the same. He helped to organize the first church of 
this faith in Howard County, and assisted in rearing its first edifice. In 
all of his business, social and political relations, Mr. Armstrong has always 
pursued an honorable and conscientious course, and is universally regarded 
as one of the citizens of whom Howard County is justly proud. 

W. S. ARMSTRONG, Mayor of Kokomo, is a native of Clinton 
County,Ohio, where he was born in 1838. At the age of thirteen, his parents 
moved to Howard County, Ind, Here he was reared and educated, re- 
ceiving good educational advantages. In 1862, he removed to Tipton 
and engaged in the hardware trade with his brother, remaining in that 
business four years. In 1866, he was appointed Auditor of Tipton 
County, and later in the same year was elected to that office. At the 
expiration of his term, he was re-elected in 1870, serving two terms, 
honorably and faithfully. He then removed to his fiirm adjoining Tip- 
ton, upon which he resided four years, engaged in stock-dealing and 
farming. In 1878, he returned to Kokomo, where he has since resided. 
Upon coming to Kokomo, he engaged with his brothers in the hardware 
business, continuing with them until the fall of 1880, when he was elected 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 307 

Mayor of Kokomo, to succeed Dr. Cole, deceased. This oflSce, Mr. 
Armstrong is still administering. He served two terms as member of the 
Common Council, resigning while serving the last term, to accept the 
office of Mayor. In politics, Mr. Armstrong has always affiliated with 
the Democratic party, but is not a partisan in his views, being conserva- 
tive and liberal. He is one of the leaders of his party in the county. Mr. 
Armstrong is progressive in his ideas and advocates all measures of im- 
provement. He is a liberal supporter of all works of charity and be- 
nevolent associations, and ranks as a citizen of worth. In the discharge 
of the duties of the office in which he is now serving, Mr. Armstrong 
has been wise and judicious, and meets the approval of his fellow-citizens. 
He is a member of the A., F. & A. M., I. 0. 0. F. and the K. of P. 
Mr. Armstrong was married in 1869 to Miss Mattie Winfield, a native 
of Ohio. They have four children — Walter Winfield, Horace Howard, 
Jessie and Merle. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong are members of the Chris- 
tian Church of Kokomo. He was re-elected Mayor of the city of Ko- 
komo on the 1st day of May, 1883, for the period of two years. 

A. B. ARMSTRONG, son of Dr. Horace A. Armstrong, is a native 
of Howard County and was born in Kokomo December 31, 1861. He 
was educated in Kokomo, graduating from the schools of that city in 
1881. He also is a graduate of Bryant & Stratton's Commercial Col- 
lege of Indianapolis. After finishing his education, he entered the hard- 
ware store of Armstrong, Pickett & Co., of Kokomo, and was for some 
time an active and efficient assistant. He still retains an interest in this 
firm. He is now engaged in the boot and shoe trade, his location being 
upon the east side of the public square. Mr. Armstrong carries a large 
and elegant stock of goods and has established a good trade. As a busi- 
ness man, he possesses superior qualifications, and he bids fair to become 
one of the leading merchants of the city. He was married in Kokomo, 
February 7, 1883, to Miss Dora McBride, of Michigan City, Ind. 

ARMSTRONG, PICKETT & CO., the leading mercantile house 
of Howard County, wholesale and retail dealers in hardware, implements, 
stoves, etc. In the spring of 1856, Messrs. J. A. James, H. A. Arm- 
strong and A. F. Armstrong commenced business in the village of Ko- 
komo, in a building on the east side of the public square. They occu- 
pied this place two years, when they found their business assuming such 
proportions as compelled them to seek more commodious quarters. Ac- 
cordingly, they removed to the Bohan & Ashley corner, into a room 
16x80 feet, at that time the second largest room in the village. In 1862, 
their business demanding more room, they purchased a lot on the east 
side of the square and commenced the erection of a three-story structure; 
but before it was completed, it was destroyed' by a tornado, and in the 



308 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

downfall, carried with it the store occupied by the firm. The firm, how- 
ever, immediately began to rebuild, completing the new building the 
same year. In 1867, their block was destroyed by fire, and the same 
year rebuilt, with only a two-story structure. In 1867, Dr. James re- 
tired from business and was succeeded by Mr. Josiah Beeson, the firm 
name being Armstrong, Beeson & Co. The following year, Dr. H. A. 
Armstrong died, and his interest was purchased by Dr. E. A. Armstrong. 
Two years later, Mr. Beeson sold his interest to Messrs. Zimri Nixon 
and Isaac Ellis, when the firm became Armstrong, Nixon & Co. In 
1873, Mr. Nathan Pickett purchased the interest of Isaac Ellis, the firm 
name remaining the same. In 1874, another change was produced in the 
firm by the death of Mr. Nixon. The members composing the new firm 
were A. F. Armstrong, E. A. Armstrong, Nkthan Pickett and George 
W. Landon, under the firm title of Armstrong, Pickett & Co. In 1875, 
the new firm, to accommodate their increasing business, began the con- 
struction of a block on the southeast corner of the public square. It is 
four stories and basement, 44x132 feet, is complete in all its appoint- 
ments, and fire-proof. The basement is used for storing bulky goods, 
and the first floor,which is sixteen feet between joists, is the general sales- 
room. Upon the west side is a platform, 16x100 feet, suspended from the 
ceiling, used for storing woodenware. In the front of the room between 
the doors is the ofiice, elevated and surrounded by plate-glass, and is con- 
venient and commodious. The second floor in front is divided into oflices, 
and is now occupied by I. E. Kirk, attorney at law ; S. T. Kirk, dentist; 
Armstrong & Moulder, physicians. Back of these are the stove and tin- 
ware rooms. The third floor contains the general stock — stoves, 
plows, cultivators, grain drills, etc. Over the west side is another sus- 
pended platform, where doors, sash and blinds are kept, and in the rear 
of the room is the stove-fitting department and tinshop. In the loft are 
stored spokes, hubs, hand-rakes, shovels, etc. Fine broad stairways give 
access to all the floors, while there is also an elevator in the rear of the 
building. Their block is lighted by gas, and a cistern, containing 500 
barrels, is constructed within the building, to be used in case of fire. The 
building is of brick, upon stone foundation ; the walls are eighteen inches 
thick, and altogether it is one of the finest buildings in Northern Indi- 
ana. The members of the firm are live, energetic business men, gentle- 
manly and accommodating, and well worthy of the patronage they have 
80 meritoriously received from Howard and adjoining counties, and the 
business house which they have established is one of the most reliable 
and prosperous in the State. In 1876, Nathan Pickett transferred his 
interest to his son, J. C. Pickett, who has since taken an active interest 
in the business, the firm name remaining the same. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 



309 



PROF. JOHN W. BARNES, Superintendent of Schools of How- 
ard County, is a native of Highland County, Ohio, born in 1847. He 
is the son of William W. and Eliza J. (Littler) Barnes, natives respect- 
ively of Connecticut and Ohio. John W. received a good education, at- 
tending the common schools until 1864; when, a youth of sixteen, he en- 
listed In Company G, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteers, 
and served as a private four months, when he received an honorable dis- 
charge. With his regiment he participated in the battle of Monocacy 
Junction, Md. In the fall of 1864, his parents removed to Howard 
County, settling in a log cabin in Howard Township. Here, for two 
years, he was an assistant of his father in the saw mill and lumber busi- 
ness. He commenced teaching in Howard County in a log schoolhouse 
in Howard Township, and followed this occupation until the spring of 
1869, when he entered Asbury University, located at Greencastle, gradu- 
ating in the classical department in 1874. Upon his return to his home, 
his health being impaired, he assumed the management of his father's 
farm, conducting it two years. He then resumed teaching, having charge 
of a school in Ervin Township one term, subsequently becoming Princi- 
pal of the High School of Greentown. In May, 1878, he was elected 
Superintendent of Schools of the county, to fill the vacancy caused by 
the resignation of Milton Garrigus, who had been elected to the State 
Senate, and this position he has retained since, filling the office with abili- 
ty and to the satisfaction of the people. During his term of service, he 
has elevated the schools of the county to a superior grade ; has adopted 
the system of paying teachers according to the general average of the 
grade of license, "and has established a system of according diplomas of 
merit to proficient teachers. Prof. Barnes is one of the leading Repub- 
licans of the county, and has served as Chairman of the County Central 
Committee. He was one of the Board of Examiners, held at Marion, 
to select a cadet, for the cadetship at West Point. He is a Mason, and 
belongs to Uniform Rank, No. 6, K. of P. Prof. Barnes was united in 
marriage, January 10, 1879, with Miss Wyoma A. Brandon, daughter of 
C. C. and Nancy (Woods) Brandon, of Kokomo. Mrs. Barnes is a high- 
ly accomplished lady, and prior to her marriage was a teacher in the 
public schools of Kokomo. 

JOHN BATEMAN, a native of Washington County, Penn., was born 
February 26, 1811, and at the age of seven moved with his parents to 
Muskingum County, Ohio, where two years later his father died. The 
following year he worked for a farmer, after which he served an apprentice- 
ship at the tanner's trade for three years ; then he began boating, first on 
the Ohio, and later on the Mississippi River. He then served as Captain 
for fifteen years on the Ohio Canal, and the most of the time was owner 



310 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of his boat. For the next five years, he was contractor and builder on 
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, between Zanesville and Cambridge, Ohio, 
In 1833, he began to manufacture salt on the Muskingum River, con- 
tinuing three years, after which he engaged again in boating on the Ohio 
Canal. During the same time, he erected a water-power saw mill, which 
he ran for twelve years. In 1852, he bought 180 acres, which he farmed 
for twelve years, when he sold it at $60 per acre, in the spring of 1865, 
and came West, locating near Indianapolis, Ind. The following September, 
he bought a farm in Carroll County, Ind., on which he lived until 1874, 
when he sold out and located in Kokomo, where he is enjoying the fruits 
of a well-spent life. He started in life penniless, and only through in- 
dustry and economy has he been successful, having accumulated property 
worth about $30,000. During his youth, his education was neglected, 
but through his own efforts he has acquired a good practical education. 
He has filled the office of Justice of Peace for six years in Ohio, and six 
in Carroll County, Ind. In 1832, he cast his first vote for Henry Clay, 
and voted with the Whig party until the Republican party was organized. 
He was married, January 25, 1835, to Miss Ann Maria Grosh, who was 
born of German parents in Washington County, Md., in 1813. She be- 
came the mother of nine children, four of whom still live — Samuel, in the 
employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, at Zanesville, Ohio ; Sarah, 
the wife of William Bowers, of Kokomo; Ann, the wife of Henry White, 
of Howard County, farmer ; and John G., an engineer and sawyer in Ko- 
komo. Samuel was a soldier two years in the late war, joining the Sev- 
enty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry ; John G. was in the 100-day service. 
Mrs. Bateman, after having been a true, faithful wife and devoted mother for 
forty-seven years, died at the age of sixty-nine, a devout member of the 
Baptist Church. Mr. Bateman, since 1840, has been a member of the 
Baptist Church, and he is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. He is the son 
of John and Mary Bateman. His mother lived with him the last thirty 
years of her life, dying in 1872, at the age of ninety and one-half years. 
MILTON BELL was born in Clinton County, Ind., February 13, 
1835. His mother, Nancy (Endicott) Bell, was a native of Pennsylvania. 
His father, Nathaniel Bell, a former citizen of Kokomo (now deceased), 
was born in Ohio, and was a pioneer of Clinton County, Ind. The edu- 
cational facilities afforded Milton Bell in early life were at first meager, 
and ill health afterward thwarted his plans ; yet despite all, he moved 
steadily on to success. Having gained a knowledge of the common 
English branches in the district schools, by attendance only during the 
winter terms, he entered Antioch College in 1854, at the founding of that 
institution. Remaining but one year, because of failing health, he re- 
turned home, and became a salesman in his father's store in Clinton 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 311 

County, and also engaged in teaching a district school. In the fall of 
1856, his father removed to Cincinnati, and became a member of the silk 
and millinery firm of Doherty, Franklin & Bell, and Milton was employed 
as one of their salesmen. There he remained some two years, and in 1860 
returned to Clinton County, Ind., and entered into partnership with his 
father in the mercantile business. In this he was successfully engaged 
until August, 1862, when he raised a company and joined the Eighty- 
sixth Indiana Volunteers. This regiment went into camp at La Fayette, 
and was sent to the Army of the Cumberland. After taking part in the 
pursuit of Bragg and the battle of Stone River, Capt. Bell was compelled 
to resign, because exposure had brought on his old malady, hemoptysis, 
thus unfitting him for service. While teaching school, he had purchased 
a number of legal works, and some time after his return from the army 
he entered the office of McDonald & Roach, Indianapolis, as a student of 
law. On being admitted to the bar (in 1865), he commenced practicing 
in Kokomo. Events soon showed that he had found his true calling. 
Recognized as a promising young lawyer, he was, in 1867, elected City 
Attorney, and served in that capacity two years. Hard study and native 
talent wrought their unfailing results in an increase of clients and impor- 
tant cases. In 1873, in partnership with his brother, Arthur S. Bell 
(now deceased), H. H. Winslow and J. F. Henderson, he built Opera 
Hall, a fine structure costing ^40,000. Mr. Bell cast his first vote for 
Stephen A. Douglas, and has ever since been connected with the Demo- 
cratic party. With respect to his religious affiliations, he joined, in boy- 
hood, the old Christian Church, but his theological views are somewhat 
liberal, and he attends the various churches in Kokomo, without distinc- 
tion of creed. He was married, February 26, 1867, to Miss Belle Pur- 
dum, daughter of the late Nelson Purdum, a prominent lawyer of Kokomo, 
and the first Mayor of that city. Their only child, May, was born Janu- 
ary 5, 1868. His success as a lawyer is due in great measure to his can- 
dor with clients. He has ever made it an invariable rule never to tell a 
man he has a case, and lead him into litigation, unless the facts warrant 
such an action. He excels as a counselor, and in general is deemed one of 
the best attorneys in Howard County. He also has superior business 
abilities, as shown by the result of his investments. There is much in his 
character worthy of commendation, and he has attained a high place in the 
popular regard. 

JOSIAH BEESON was born in Guilford County, N. C, January 
28, 1818. His parents, Hezekiah and Merab (Reynolds) Beeson, also 
natives of North Carolina, moved to Wayne County, Ind., about 1823, 
and there Josiah was reared and there learned the saddler's trade. He 
worked as a journeyman at Economy and Hagerstosvn a few years, and 



312 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

then bought a house and lot at Economy and there worked at his trade 
three years, and then moved to Williamstown and manufactured on his 
own account for eight or nine years. In 1852, he came to Howard County 
and purchased 200 acres of wild land near Greentown, which he improved 
and worked thirteen years, and then came to Kokorao and engaged in the 
hardware trade, under the firm name of Armstrong, Beeson & Co. In 
1866, the firm were burned out, when Mr. B. sold his interest and pur- 
chased a farm in Monroe Township, which he worked until 1876, when 
he returned to Kokomo, purciiased an interest in the planing mill and 
lumber trade of Hunt Bros. & Co., which he retained two years, and 
then started his present business as dealer in furniture, etc., of which he 
carries a mammoth stock ; he is also prepared to do custom work and to 
fill orders for anything in his line. He was married, in Henry County, 
Ind., to Elizabeth Lamb, a native of North Carolina, who died in 1854; 
subsequently he married a native of this county. Charity Lamb, his present 
wife, who has borne him three children — Norvill, Luella and May. Mr. 
Beeson is a Freemason and votes the Republican ticket. 

JOHN BOHAN was born October 26, 1820, in Ireland, and was the 
elder of two children born to Patrick and Elizabeth (McGinnis) Bohan. 
They emigrated to America in 1823, locating in Westmoreland County, 
Penn., where they forged from the forest a good home, and reared their 
family. John Bohan was left an orphan at twelve, and consequently re- 
ceived less than three months' schooling, but through his own industry he 
has acquired a good practical education. In 1836, he came West to Mad- 
ison, Ind., where he began as a common laborer on a railroad; but he soon 
went to Indianapolis, where he was a stage-driver for three years. He 
then moved to Anderson, and in 1844 he moved to Kokomo, when the 
town consisted of three or four log cabins. He brought with him $300 worth 
of general merchandise, the first stock brought to the town, and continued 
in business with success until 1861, when he sold out and enlisted in the 
United States service. He was Quartermaster of the Thirty-ninth Reg- 
iment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but this regiment was re-organized into 
the Eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. One year after, he 
was placed on detached duty, serving as Quartermaster for Gen. R. W. 
Johnson, as one of the main staff, until he was honorably discharged in 
October, 1864. This regiment belonged to the First Division of the 
Fourteenth Army Corps. At the battle of Perryville, Ky., Mr. Bohan 
was taken prisoner, and was held about two hours, when he took shelter 
under an old mill, and when the army moved on, he came from his hiding 
place and made a rapid retreat. He had charge of the ammunition train 
at the battle of Chickamauga, where he was ordered to bring fifteen wagons 
of ammunition to the front. He acted promptly and here he was wounded 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 313 

in both hands in less than five minutes, but during his afiliction he was 
not oflF of duty a single day. In the fall of 1864, he returned home and 
engaged in the grocery business until 1876, when he sold out and retired 
from active business. Mr. Bohan served as County Auditor from 1845 
to 1856. In 1880, he was elected Justice of the Peace, which office he 
is now filling. He cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Harrison in 
1840, and has been a stanch supporter of Republican principles ever 
since. Mr. Bohan was married, in 1845, to Miss Mary E. Myers, of 
Madison County, Ind. She was born in 1828 in Ohio. Three children 
have blessed their union — Julia E., the wife of Stephen E. Ludlow ;, 
Patrick H., a carriage trimmer and painter; and Mary E., the wife of 
E. S Long. Mrs. Bohan is a member of the Christian Church, and Mr. 
Bohan is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has always 
been in the advance upon all public matters tending to the improvement 
of the county, and has aided all measures of charity and benevolence. 

JUDGE H. A. BROUSE, a native of Stark County, Ohio, was born 
January 1, 1820. He assisted his father on the farm until he was sev- 
enteen years old, when he began clerking in a dry goods store ih Lewis- 
burg, Preble County, where he attended night school. At twenty, he read 
law under Judge Crane for two years, when he removed to Wayne Coun- 
ty, Ind., where, in 1845, he was admitted to the bar ; subsequently, in 
1847, he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court. He 
practiced in Centreville until September, 1818, when he located in 
Howard County, one mile south of Kokomo where he lived two 
years. In 1849, he opened a law office in Kokomo, where he has 
been practicing ever since. He is a member of and assisted to organ- 
ize the Republican party in this county. In 1866, he was appointed 
Circuit Judge of this district, comprising Madison, Hamilton, Howard 
and Tipton Counties. He served three years, and then he resumed 
his practice of law. When Kokomo became a city, he was elected 
Town Councilman, and has served a number of terms in the City 
Council since. Mr. Brouse is a public-spirited man ; he took a large 
share of stock in the Kokomo Normal School building, and canvassed the 
county in its behalf, and has always taken an active part in all public en- 
terprises. He was married, in 1844, to Miss Elizabeth Leopold, of 
Montgomery County, Ohio. She is of French descent, and was born in 
February, 1825. This marriage has been blessed with nine children, 
seven of whom are still living — Rilla, wife of C. J. Becktel, of Muncie, 
Ind.; Laura L., wife of A. B. Southard, of Chicago; Emma; Lucy, wife 
of W. H. Davis, of Kokomo; Dora D., William 0. and Macy A. 
George C. and Charles P. are deceased. Judge Brouse and wife are now 
enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life. 



314 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

SAUL T. BUTCHER was born March 28, 1835, in Decatur, Ind., 
and is the sixth of thirteen children born to William Butcher, a native of 
Virginia, and of German descent, and Sarah (Love) Butcher, a native of 
Scotland. He and his father came to this county in the fall of 1853, 
and located in Ervin Township, in the forest. Mr. Butcher assisted his 
father on the farm until he was twenty years of age, and received a good 
education. His father rewarded him for his labors with eighty acres of 
land. He sold this some time since, and engaged in the general grocery 
business in Kokomo, where he has a trade of $6,000 annually. He en- 
listed in the service of his country in the fall of 1861, under Col. Steele, 
and was in the following hard-fought battles : Siege of New Madrid, 
siege of Island No. 10, siege of Vicksburg, and the battles of Champion 
Hills, and Jackson, Miss., and was mustered out in the fall of 1864. 
Mr. Butcher was married, February 15, 1855, to Miss Dorothy Shoe- 
maker, a native of Indiana, and the eldest of three children born to Elias 
and Elizabeth (Pruitt) Shoemaker, of German and Anglo-Saxon descent. 
Four children crowned this union — Ellis A. (deceased), born February 
20, 1858; Frank D., born March 16, 1860; Nola M., born September 
9, 1871, and one infant (deceased). Mr. Butcher has always voted the 
Republican ticket, and is one of its stanch advocates. He is an energetic, 
wide-awake business man ; is a member of the United Order of Honor, 
and the Masonic fraternity. 

JOHN W. COOPER, Clerk of the Circuit Court, was born in Rush 
County, Ind., July 18, 1837. He is the son of Stanley and Lucinda 
(Ward) Cooper, both natives of Kentucky. They are still residents of 
Rush County, living on the same farm. John W. was reared on the farm, 
and received a fair education in the common schools. He also studied 
three terms at an academy. When he left the farm, he read law with J. 
C. Green, of Shelbyville, Ind., for one year, and in 1859 he was admitted 
to the bar. The following year he remained at home and pursued the 
study of law. November 6, 1859, he was married to Miss Fannie M. 
Simmons, born October 14, 1840, daughter of Augustus Simmons, of 
Rush County. The result of this union has been one son — Horace M.; 
and two daughters — Flora H. and Linea A. Mr. Cooper began the prac- 
tice of law in Howard County, in October, 1860, and continued in active 
practice until 1875, when he took the office of Clerk of the Circuit Court, 
having been elected on the Republican ticket in 1874. He was re-elect- 
ed in 1878, and has served nearly eight years. He was Mayor of the 
city of Kokomo four years — from 1869 to 1873. He has been an active 
politician all his life, and has been Deputy Internal Revenue Collector. 
He came here with limited means, but, through strict attention to his pro- 
fession, he has accumulated good city property, and is in good circum- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 315 

Stances. He is a leader in all public enterprises and improvements, and 
belongs to the Masonic and I. 0. 0. F. fraternities. 

WILLIAM COOPER, M. D., is a son of James and Delilah (Baker) 
Cooper, who were both natives of Virginia, and pioneer settlers of Ohio. 
The subject of this sketch was born in Preble County, Ohio, August 21, 
1839. When fifteen years of age, his parents removed to Cass County, 
Ind. Mr. Cooper received a good education, and was a teacher for near- 
ly four years in Cass and Miami Counties. Deciding upon the medical 
profession as his life work, he entered the office of his brother. Dr. John 
Cooper, and began the study of this most important science ; under the 
tutelage and instruction of his brother, he remained nearly four years. 
He then entered the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati in 1866, and, 
in 1867, graduated from that institution. At Burlington, Ind., he com- 
menced business, and remained in active and successful practice ten 
years, extending his labors in the counties of Cass, Howard, Carroll and 
Clinton. In 1876, Dr. Cooper removed to Kokomo, intending to retire 
from practice; but the eminent reputation attained by him has forced 
him to continue, and he is now attending to a large and lucrative patron- 
age. As a physician, Dr. Cooper keeps up with the advancement of his 
profession; as a citizen, he is libei'al minded and public spirited; and 
socially is a cultivated and genial gentleman. He is a member of the 
A., F. & A. M. and I, 0. 0. F. fraternities, and a member of the Board 
of Health. Dr. Cooper was united in marriage with Miss Eliza A, New- 
comb, daughter of John and Emily (Bradenj Newcomb. Mrs. Cooper is 
a native of Ohio, born in Darke County in 1845. By this union there 
are four children — Sarah F., wife of Dr. Lovell, Anna L., Armintie A. 
and Ronoldes M. 

E. W. CONWELL, book-keeper for L. Snider, was born in Wayne 
County, Ind., April 20, 1857, and is the son of J. B. and Mary C. 
(Tharp) Conwell, both natives of Indiana. J. B. Conwell moved from 
Wayne County, Ind., just after the war, and lived in Indianapolis two 
years, when he came to Kokomo, where he still lives, and where Mrs. Con- 
well died in 1880. He has been making his home with his son, his only 
child, ever since. E. W. Conwell attended the common schools until he 
came to Kokomo with his parents, when he entered the hif^h school, 
graduating in the class of 1877. He taught school the following winter, 
and afterward clerked in a book store. July 1, 1880, he entered the 
office of L. Snider as book-keeper, where he has faithfully discharged his 
duty ever since. He was married, September 2, 1880, to Miss Ella H. 
Bowers, of Kokomo; she was born October 30, 1858, and is the daui'h- 
ter of William and Sarah Bowers, both natives of Ohio. Mr. Conwell 

is a member of the Congregational Church. 

s 



316 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

SHERIDAN COX, A. M., Superintendent of city schools at Ko- 
komo, was born in Harrison County, Ohio, December 20, 1833. He is 
the son of Elijah and Christina (Shepler) Cox, who were natives respect- 
ively of Maryland and Ohio. Elijah Cox was a millwright, but spent 
the latter part of his life upon a farm. Sheridan Cox, when quite young, 
was taken by his parents to Coshocton County, Ohio, where he worked on 
the farm during the summer and attended the district schools in the win- 
ter ; he commenced teaching in 1854 ; taught district schools four winters, 
attending preparatory schools during the summers, two of which were 
spent ac the McNuley Normal School of Ohio. He entered the Ohio 
Wesleyan University in 1858, from which he graduated in 1862. He 
was distinguished while in college for proficiency in mathematics, receiv- 
ing the degree of A. M. in 1865. He removed to Illinois in 1862, 
where he taught Latin and Greek one year in Marshall College ; in 
1863, he returned to Ohio and superintended the Roscoe Graded Schools; 
in 1864, he superintended the Canal Dover Union Schools ; he removed to 
Indiana in 1865, and taught the Winchester Seminary one year ; was Prin- 
cipal of the Logansport High Schools in 1866 ; in 1867, he was made 
Superintendent of all the Logansport Public Schools, which he organized 
and graded, and remained there seven years, during which period the 
number of teachers increased from eleven to twenty-three, and the num- 
ber of pupils from 500 to 1,600 ; in 1873, he took charge of the Kokomo 
Public Schools, where he is still meeting with eminent success. He was 
married at New Philadelphia, Ohio, October 11, 1866, to Mi3s Bessie 
Goodbarn. 

0. V. DARBY, merchant, has a complete line of dry goods and 
carpets, doing a good business of $45,000 to $50,000 per year, and is 
now one among the leading merchants of Kokomo. E. V. Darby was 
born in Jackson Township, Howard County, January 3, 1853, and 
assisted his father upon the farm until he was sixteen years of age, when 
his father died. Soon after, he entered Wabash College at Crawfordville, 
Ind., for one year. He then returned home and assisted his elder 
brother, J. K., on the farm for one year. Mr. Darby then entered a dry 
goods store in Logansport as a clerk, at a salary of $3 per week. This 
was shortly increased to $10. In eighteen months, he changed to the 
Bee-hive Store, where he remained four years. He then took charge of a 
stock of goods owned by William Dolan, of Logansport, for three years. 
Mr. Dolan then began business in Kokomo with a branch stock with Mr. 
Darby in charge. Three months later, Mr. Darby and his brother, J. K., 
purchased this stock of dry goods and groceries, occupying two rooms on 
Main street, where they did an extensive business under the firm name of 
0. V. Darby & Brother, until August 1, 1882, when J. K. Darby retired 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 317 

and 0. V. Darby became successor to the firm, and is now conducting a 
large and successful dry goods and carpet trade. Mr. Dai'by started in 
life a poor boy, being left an orphan when but seventeen years of aofe, 
but by being industrious and economical, starting on $3 per week, he has 
accumulated a fair competency and is now receiving a good income. He 
was married, in 1879, to Miss Eveline Vinnedge, of Kokomo. One daugh- 
ter, Anna E., blesses this union. Mrs. Darby is member of the Congre- 
gational Church. Mr. Darby is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and one of 
the enterprising public-spirited business men of Kokomo. 

Dr. JAMES M. DARNALL, President and book-keeper of the 
Kokomo Milling Company, was born in Jessamine County, Ky., June 28, 
1817. He was the eldest of eight children born to Zenas and x^o-nes 
(Bridges) Darnall, both of English descent. His perents were reared in 
Kentucky, and were married in 1816. In 1822, they moved North to 
Decatur County, Ind., where his father bought a partially improved farm. 
Here he lived a few years, when he sold his land and bought IGO acres 
near by. He afterward sold this and moved into Shelby County, 
thence into Boone County in 1854, where he purchased a farm, on 
which he lived until his death in 1857, at the age of sixty-nine years. 
His wife died in Decatur County, aged fifty-four years. Both were 
prominent members of the Christian Church. Dr. Darnall assisted his 
father on the farm until he was twenty years old, when he entered 
Hanover College, Avhich he attended at intervals for three years. He 
also taught school part of the time, after which he studied medicine 
for two years at Connersville, Ind., with Dr. Brown, teaching in 
the meantime. In the spring of 1812, he located at Burlington, Carroll 
County, where he began to practice medicine \^ith Dr. Anderson. Dr. 
Darnall remained at Burlington twenty- two years, twenty of which he 
had been practicing for himself. He met with good success, having a large 
practice. His health failed him and he was induced to come to Kokomo 
in 1864. He practiced here two years, when he entered the drug 
business with his brother and J. M. Scotton. The firm of Darnall, 
Scotton & Co. continued in business until 1873, when Simpson B. 
Darnall died, and the firm of Darnall & Scotton became successors, con- 
tinuing five years, when our subject retired from the drug trade, and 
soon after became owner of one-third of the stock in the Kokomo Mill- 
ing Company, and has been superintending since. He has been a 
lively, energetic business man, and has been eminently successful 
through life. Mr. Darnall was married, in 1845, to Miss Mary Gwinn, 
of Carroll County, Ind. She was tlie daughter of Samuel and Magdalene 
Gwinn, and was born in December, 1823. They have one adopted daugh- 
ter, Mary E. Mr. Darnall was in early life a Whig, and later a Repub- 



318 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

lican. He has been City Councilman and Mayor. In 1874, he was 
elected as Representative of Howard County. He is a member of the 
I. 0. 0. F. and he and wife are both members of the Christian 
Church. 

Dr. henry DAVIS is a native of Miami County, Ohio, and 
was born August 18, 1811. His father, John Davis, was a native of 
Georgia, and his mother, Lydia (Coate), was born in South Carolina. 
These were married in Ohio, and they reared a family of four sons and 
one daughter, the mother dying in 1826, and the father in 1852. Dr. 
Davis was reared on the farm and went three miles to the common school. 
He taught some during his youth, and upon reaching manhood began 
the study of medicine, after which he practiced for about eighteen years, 
when he became disgusted with his profession, and leaving a good prac- 
tice, he engaged in the mercantile business in West Milton, untilJanuary, 
1863, when he removed his stock of goods to Kokomo, where he, togeth- 
er with his sons, was among the leading merchants, doing a business of 
from ^75,000 to $150,000 per year. In 1875, he sold out to his sons 
and has since lived a retired life, except superintending a well-stocked 
farm near town. He is a strong temperance man and a member of the 
Republican party. In 1876, he was elected Township Trustee of Centre 
Towmhip. He cast his first Presidential vote for Henry Clay, in 1832. 
He was married, December 11, 1838, to Miss Eve H. Newman, of Mun- 
cie, Ind. She was born August 10, 1816. They had four sons — Or- 
lando M., Theodore A., Edwin L. and Omar N. Mrs. Davis was a true 
mother and loving companion. She was a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church from childhood, and was one of the prominent workers 
in the Orphans' Home Association, of which she was President for a 
number of years. She died January 3, 1883, aged sixty-six years. 

SAMUEL DAVIS, of the firm of S. Davis & Sons, was born 
August 2, 1813, in Miami County, Ohio. At the age of thirteen, being 
left an orphan, he began the battle of life for himself. He worked at 
whatever his hands found to do until 1829, when he secured a clerkship 
in a general store, working six months at $6 per month, after which he 
worked on the farm for a year, when he learned the blacksmith trade. 
He worked at this eighteen months at $6.50 per month, saving from his 
labors $102.50. With this money, he walked eighty miles, and made an 
entry of eighty acres of wild land in Miami County, Ohio, having but 
18 cents left on his return. Soon after, he commenced clerking in a dry 
goods store. Shortly after he traded his land, which was valued at $200, 
and gave bond for a deed when he became of age. He then clerked in 
Richmond one year, and in the spring of 1834 became a partner in a 
dry goods house, owning a one- third interest. He made numerous 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 319 

changes until 1839, when he began the study of law. In January, 1840, 
he was married to Miss Sarah McConnell, of Hamilton, Ohio, daughter 
of Jesse McConnell. Six children have blessed this union, the four old- 
est dying young (one daughter and three sons). Two sons — Henry 
C. and Walter H. — are still living. Mr. Davis taught school six months 
at $16 per month, and kept hotel in Milton, Ohio, for eighteen months. 
In 1844, he began the mercantile business again, continuing for a num- 
ber of years. In 1857-58, he built and took a one-third interest in a 
distillery, which he sold the same year, clearing $5,000 during this year's 
business. He was always enterprising and bought anything that came 
into market that he could handle, and in 1860 he was worth about 
$20,000. He removed to Tippecanoe City, Ohio, where he was elected 
Probate Judge of Miami County in 1860. The same year he located at 
Troy, where he took his seat in 1861. He was re-elected in 1863, and 
served six years. During his oflRcial life, he had a half-interest in the 
largest dry goods house of Troy, a half-interest in a boot and shoe store 
and a two-thirds interest in a warehouse. He was worth $75,000 when 
he came to Kokomo in 1872, and started a dry goods store. He has been 
an active merchant ever since, but the last few years he has depended 
upon his sons, Henry M. and Walter C, to conduct the business. Mr. 
Davis is one of the largest real estate owners in Kokomo, and is a stock- 
holder in the Howard National Bank, of which he is one of the Direct- 
ors. He was admitted to the bar in 1843, in Adams County, Ind., but 
he never practiced law. He is a Master Mason, and has occupied all the 
chairs in the I. 0. 0. F. Mrs. Davis is a member of the Presbyterian 
Church. Mr. Davis is a liberal supporter of all benevolent and business 
enterprises, and the firm of S. Davis k Sons is one of the leading busi- 
ness firms of Kokomo, and is represented by a capital of about $100,000, 
A. F. DAYHUFF, M. D., was born in Orange County, Ind., in 
1827. He is the son of Daniel and Rachel (Smith) Dayhuff, natives 
of Maryland and Pennsylvania. His father was one of the pioneers of 
Indiana, and settled in an early day in Paoli, Orange County, where he 
remained until his death, which occurred January 27, 1863. His motlier 
died in 1839, and subsequently his father married the second time. 
Daniel Dayhuff served as Sheriff of that county for twenty-one years, 
after which he kept a hotel. He was a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. The subject of this sketch was the second of a family of six 
children, and received a good common school education, after which he 
attended the State University at Bloomington, Ind. He then clerked 
in a mercantile store in New Albany nearly a year, but on account of 
his health, returned home. He began reading medicine with Dr. Will- 
iam Sherrod, of Paoli, remaining with him four years. Sebsequently 



820 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

he went to Chicago and took a full course of medicine and surgery in the 
Rush Medical College. In May, 1853, he came to Kokomo to obtain 
rest, was induced to begin practice here, and formed a partnership with 
Dr. James, with whom he remained about three years. He has been in 
active practice ever since, and has been in partnership with Drs. Savill, 
Richmond and Martin. He has always had a very extensive practice in 
the city and county; has also been one of the most extensive real estate 
dealers in the city, and was the originator of the Dayhuif, Sharp & Arm- 
strong Block. He has owned valuable farming lands, but through the 
panic he lost a large fortune which had been accumulated by years of 
labor. Dr. Dayhuff is a member of the State and County Medical So- 
cieties, and of the Kokomo Academy of Medicine. He was married, 
November 1, 1855, to Miss Addie Frazier, of New Albany, Ind., born 
in Lawrence County, Ind., January 26, 1834, This union has been 
blessed with six children — Sallie, wife of Byron Haskett; Daniel F., now 
in the Pension Office at Washington, D. C; Jessie F., Mollie P., Mattie 
(deceased), and Julia (deceased). Dr. Dayhuff is an active politician in 
the Republican ranks, and Avas appointed by the Government as Pension 
Examiner in March, 1881, in which position he is still serving. He 
ranks high among the enterprising and public-spirited citizens of Howard 
County, and is an esteemed and honored gentleman. 

JAMES W. DeHAVEN was born in Greene County, Ohio, March 
17, 1833, and is the second of the nine children born to John and Athal- 
iah DeHaven, natives of Virginia, who, about 1820, settled in Greene 
County, where the father followed milling for about twenty-five years. 
James W. learned the business of his father and at the age of eighteen 
years found ready employment at various points in Ohio, Indiana and 
Illinois. October 19, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Seventy-fourth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was soon appointed Sergeant; in the fall 
of 1862, he was discharged, and the following spring was commissioned 
Second Lieutenant in the State militia, which commission he resigned in 
July, 1863, and settled in Howard Township, this county, farming for 
two years ; for the ten years following, he was engaged at milling in various 
parts of the county. He next held the position of Tollmaster on the 
Kokomo, Greentown & Jerome pike, and in 1880 was elected Sherifl" 
of the county, which office he held one term. In Greene County, Ohio, 
April 17, 1863, he married Miss Mary V. Crouse, a native of 
Berkeley County, Va., who died July 8, 1880, the mother of four chil- 
dren — Charles A., Nora, John F. and Addie (the last deceased). During 
his shrievalty he was very unfortunate, losing his wife and child and con- 
siderable property. He is a Freemason, and a member of the G. A. 
R., and a Republican, and for twenty-five years has been a member of the 
^Icthodist Church. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 321 

ALEXANDER H. DUKE is of the firm of Duke Bros.' bakery and 
confectionery, which was established in 1860. He is a native of Ross 
County, Ohio ; was born September 15, 1840, and when but an infant 
his parents located at Delphi, Ind. His father, David D., was a native 
of Pennsylvania and of German descent. His mother, Jane Duke, was 
born in Kentucky, of Irish parents. They reared a family of nine chil- 
dren, Alexander H. being the eldest. D. D. Duke was a miller by trade, 
and has for the past twenty years been proprietor of a bakery and con- 
fectionery store, now located at Silver Lake, Ind. A. H. Duke acquired 
a good common school education. He assisted his father in the mill 
until he was twenty years of age, when he enlisted in 
Company C, Forty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
in the Thirteenth Army Corps and Fourth Division, Avhich formed 
a part of the Army of the Gulf He participated in the following 
hard-fought battles: St. Charles, Ark., Grand Gulf, Magnolia Hill, 
Raymond, Miss., Champion Hill, Vicksburg, Jackson, and then with 
Gen. Bank's division, and during this raid his regiment was defeated for 
the first time. He served for three years and four months, and was hon- 
orably discharged December 10, 1864. During the second year of his 
service, he was promoted as First Duty Sergeant. After he was discharged, 
he returned to his home in Kokomo and engaged in the business which 
he has since followed. He was elected City Marshal in 1868 and in 1878 
he was elected Sheriif of Howard County, serving one term. He is a 
Republican, and has been an active politician and a liberal supporter of 
of public enterprises. Mr. Duke was married, in 1869, to Miss Louisa 
Clattabuck, of Eaton, Ohio. They have two children. May and 
Georgia. Mr. Duke is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity. 

ROBERT DUNGAN is the fifth of six children born to William 
and Elizabeth (Dawson) Dungan, both natives of West Virginia and of 
English descent. His parents came to Indiana in an early day, locating 
in Fayette County, where Robert was born December 15, 1834. He re- 
mained with his parents until he was twenty-one years of age, working 
on the farm and attending the district schools. He began working at the 
plasterer's trade when he was fifteen years of age, and his first work was 
to plaster the Fayette County Court House. He came to Howard County 
in 1860 and located in the village of Tampico. Here he opened a gen- 
eral store, and in connection with this bought grain and wood. In the 
spring of 1871, he came to Kokomo and is at present working at his trade. 
Mr. Dungan was married in the spring of 1851, to Maria J. Halsey (de- 
ceased), a native of Ohio. Two children crowned this union, Laura and Alice, 
both deceased. He was married, April 13, 1857, to Sarah A. Halsey, 
a sister of his fii'st wife. They have had four children — Martha C. (de- 



322 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

ceased), born July 12, 1858 ; Sornitia B. (deceased), born October 28, 
1860; Robert E., born December 31, 1861, and one infant (deceased). He 
and his son Robert E. are both engaged working at the plasterer's trade, 
and are contracting very extensively. His son is also an* expert at his 
profession. Mr. Dungan cast his first vote for the Democratic party, but 
is now one of the most active workers in the Republican ranks. 

JAMES F. ELLIOTT is a native of Preble County, Ohio, was born 
May 6, 1840, and is the son of S. and Mary (Hornaday) Elliott, 
both natives of North Carolina, and of Irish descent. His parents moved 
to Grant County in 1848. Here the son worked on the farm until 1860, 
when he left home, and employed his time teaching and attending school 
at Logansport, Ind., until the fall of 1861, when he enlisted in Company 
I, Eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private. This reg- 
iment formed a part of the Army of the Southwest, and later of the 
Army of the Tennessee. The first battle he engaged in was at Pea 
Ridge, Ark., and afterward he participated at Magnolia Hill, Jackson, 
Miss., Champion Hill and lUack River Bridge. Finally, during the 
siege of Vicksburg, Mr. Elliott was shot through his right arm by a mus- 
ket ball, causing the amputation of his arm on the fifth day after he was 
wounded. He remained in the hospital at Evansville for two months, 
when he came home on a furlough. Late in the fall of 1863, he made an 
application for a discharge, which was granted him. He then began 
teaching — going to school at intervals — until the fall of 1865, when he 
entered the sophomore class in Asbury University, where he graduated 
in the classical course in 1868. He then began the study of law, and, 
during the winter of 1868-69, he attended the law school at Ann Arbor, 
Mich., and in the following April he came to Kokomo, and entered the 
law office of C. N. Pollard as a student, remaining the rest of the year, 
during which time he was admitted to the bar. In January, 1870. he 
began the practice of law in Howard County, and, being an active Re- 
publican, the next fall he was elected Prosecuting Attorney, and was re- 
elected in 1872. He has been actively engaged in his practice ever since 
in civil courts. He was married, in 1870, to Miss Sarah Conarroe, of 
West Elkton, Ohio, and daughter of Caleb and Anna (Carter) Conarroe. 
Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have two children — Mary D. and Earl C. Mr. El- 
liott is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and he and his wife are both 
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

ANDREW ELLIS was born in the village of Economy, Wayne Co., 
Ind., September 17, 1841. His father, Samuel Ellis, was of English, 
and his mother, Abigail Key, of English and German descent. Both 
were natives of East Tennessee. Soon after their marriage, they immi- 
grated to Indiana, and were among the early settlers of Wayne County, 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 323 

locating at Economy, where the father followed his trade — blacksmith! ng 
— until the year 1850, when, with his family, he removed to Union 
Township, Howard County, where he remained till his death, which oc- 
curred Septeifiber 1, 1866. During the ten years following their arrival 
in Howard County, A. Ellis, who was one of the younger members of 
the family, attended the common schools of the county, and assisted his 
older brothers in clearing up a farm, from what was then an almost un- 
broken wilderness. In 1861, he attended high school at New London, 
under Prof. Lewis Estes, and in 1862 the State Normal School at Koko- 
mo, under Prof. J. Baldwin. These completed his school studies. Feb- 
ruary 15, 1863, he was married to Miss Armina Jones, youngest daughter 
of Moses and Eunice Jones, who were pioneers of eastern Howard Coun- 
ty. During the same year, he built a house on his father's farm, and 
commenced housekeeping. Here, on May 11, 1864, was born Miss Belle 
Ellis, their only child. In the fall of 1865, he removed with his family 
to Livingston County, Mo., where he taught school during the winter of 
1865-66, and in May, 1866, returned to Indiana, stopping at Windfiill. 
During the three years following, he taught in the public schools of How- 
ard and Tipton Counties. In the summer of 1869, he turned his atten- 
tion to the study of telegraphy, and, upon the resignation of W. H. H. 
Lancaster, he was appointed agent for the P., C. & St. L. R. R., at Wind- 
fall, and took charge of the office November 1, 1869. December 15, 
1881, he was transferred to the agency of the same road at Kokomo, suc- 
ceeding Mr. John M. Ray. Mr. Ellis is thoroughly qualified for the po- 
sition, and is a favorite with the community. 

WILLIAM B. ELSON, proprietor of the Farmers' Hotel in Koko- 
mo, and a farmer, is a native of Marion County, Ind., and was born 
March 2, 1838. He is the son of Nicholas and Lucy (Orme) Elson, na- 
tives of Kentucky. His parents were married in Kentucky, and settled 
in Marion County, Ind., in an early day, and were among the pioneers 
of Indiana. They resided in Marion County until their deaths, that of 
the father occurring October 21, 1851, and the mother October 22, 1855. 
Mr. Elson, Sr., held the office of Sheriff of Lewis County, Ky., and was 
a soldier in the war of 1812. He held the rank of Fourth Sergeant un- 
der Capt. Logan, of the Kentucky militia. The subject of this sketch 
was the ninth son and youngest child. He was reared on a farm in his 
native county, where he remained until 1860, with the exception of two 
years, when he traveled as collection agent for an Indianapolis firm. In 
December, 1860, he came to Howard County, and located in Taylor 
Township, upon 111 acres of land, which he purchased. Here he re- 
mained until 1865, when he removed to Centre Township, upon a farm of 
100 acres. He, in 1880, returned to Taylor Township, and farmed until 



324 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

December, 1882, when he purchased the hotel of which he is the present 
proprietor. He also owns 100 acres of fine farming land in Taylor 
Township. Mr. Elson was married in December, 1862, to Miss Flor- 
ence Garr, a native of Kentucky, who lived in Howard County at the 
time of their marriage. This union has been blessed with four children 
— Charles 0., Belle, Otto and Pearl. Mr. Elson is a worthy citizen, and 
a prominent member of the. Masonic fraternity. 

LEWIS L. FELLOWS was born in Wells County, Ind., September 
29, 1853, and is the son of George C. and Mary J. (Hutchinson) Fel- 
lows, natives respectively of Vermont and Pennsylvania, and early settlers 
of Wells County, this State. About 1863, the family removed to Ver- 
million County, 111., where Lewis was educated and reared to ma- 
turity, when he removed to Fithian, III., learned telegraphy and was 
appointed ticket agent and operator for the Indianapolis, Bloomington & 
Western Railroad Company ; four years later, he was stationed at James- 
town, Ind., where for four years longer he filled the same position ; 
he next located at Kokomo, where he is now officiating as agent for the 
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company. He was married in 
Jamestown, Ind., October 15, 1879, to Miss Anna M. Piersol, who 
was born in Reading, Penn., October 19, 1858, and who is a daughter 
of John and Sarah (Hull) Piersol. Mr. Fellows is a member of the F. 
& A. M., and in politics is a Republican. 

DAVID FOSTER (deceased), one of the earliest pioneers of How- 
ard County, was born in Albemarle County, Va., July 30, 1808. At the 
age of nineteen, he settled in Johnson County, Ind., and learned the 
cabinet-making trade. After acquiring his trade, he went to Moores- 
ville, Morgan County, and was there married to Miss Elizabeth M. Grant, 
January 17, 1832. This union was blessed with eleven children. In 
1835, Mr. Foster moved to Burlington, Carroll County, and began to 
trade with the Indians. In March, 1840, he located in Ervin Township, 
this county, where he opened up a trading post, but in the fall of 1842, 
he removed to Center Township and took possession of the cabin 
erected by the Indiana chief, Kokomo. Here he opened a trading 
post, and for many years dealt largely with the Indians. Mr. Foster was 
an active factor in the organization of the county, and gave largely to 
public improvement and the advancement of religion and education. 
Before the location of the county seat, the Commissioners told Mr. 
Foster that they would locate the county seat here if he would donate 
forty acres and build a log court house 24x24 feet, put in puncheon 
floors and seat it with benches. This he agreed to do, and Kokomo, 
the county seat, was laid out. At this time, Mr. Foster was the only 
white resident in this locality. He also donated the ground for the 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 325 

Methodist Episcopal Church and parsonage, and Normal School build- 
ing. Mr. Foster died November 27, 1877, aged sixty-nine years, having 
survived his wife only a few years. Thus passed from earth another 
landmark, another pioneer, a man largely identified with the material 
progress of the county whose birth he had witnessed, and whose growth 
he had assisted and watched for thirty-three years. 

HON. MILTON GARRIGUS was bo'rn September 27, 1831, in 
Centre Township, Wayne County, Ind. His paternal ancestors were 
natives of France. His grandfather Garrigus was a soldier in the 
American Revolution, and his father, Timothy Lindley Garrigus, a native 
of New Jersey, served in the war of 1812, under Gen. Harrison. He 
became one of the leading pioneer ministers of Indiana, and was widely 
known for his power and earnestness. He was a prominent Abolitionist 
and Free-Soiler, nominated as such for Representative from Wayne 
County in 1844, and for Senator, from Howard County, in 1852, but as 
the third party was not then in the majority, he was not elected. He was 
in full sympathy and accord with the people, and when the memorable 
struggle between freedom and slavery occurred, in 1856, on the plains of 
Kansas, he promptly shouldered his Sharpe's rifle and hastened toward 
the scene of strife. On his way, he was fatally stricken with pneumonia 
at Omaha, and there he sleeps on the banks of the Missouri River. His 
son Milton inherited many of his traits. After alluding to his father's 
calling (the ministry) in that early day, from 1820 to 1849, it is super- 
fluous to add that Milton "enjoyed no royal road to learning," but by 
a natural aptitude and a great deal of painstaking industry he has de- 
veloped into a fair English scholar of a large and liberal reading. It 
is a treat and pleasure to gain access to his large and valuable law and 
private library, the law library being much the largest in Kokorao. Thus 
he has indulged his tastes and become very familiar with ancient, 
modern and current history, and evened up by teaching school for seven- 
teen terms, which was a mutual educational aflair for teacher and pupils. 
Since his twenty-first year, he has been a resident of Howard County, 
where he varied life by staking out a claim in the " Indian Reserve " 
February 23, 1847, and staying there, keeping " bachelor's hall " for nine 
months in a primitive log cabin until his father's family came from Wayne 
County. By virtue of his long experience as school teacher, he came to 
be regarded as a practical educator, and was School Examiner of his 
county in 1859, 1860 and 1861, and County Superintendent of Schools 
in 1875, 1876, 1877 and 1878, when he resigned to accept the position 
of State Senator for Howard and Miami Counties, to which position he 
was elected in October, 1878, by 433 majority over Mr. Bell, the most 
popular Democrat in the district ; and he received 194 majority over Mr. 



326 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Bell in Centre Township, in which Kokomo is situated, where they each 
then resided, and where they still are citizens in the legal profession. 
During his term as School Superintendent, teachers from far and near 
flocked to Howard County for examination. The examinations were more 
practical than technical, and a certificate or license signed by Milton 
Garrigus was everywhere received as the best pi-oof of the bearer's fitness 
for teaching. He was many years a member of the State Teachers' 
Association. He was a farmer until 1858, when he was appointed Post- 
master at Greentown and removed to that village and engaged in the 
study and -practice of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1859. In 
1870, he entered into partnership with the late Col. C. D, Murray, of 
the Eighty-ninth Indiana Volunteers. He was afterward senior of the 
law firm of Garrigus & Ingels, and for a term of about five years he 
•was associated with Judge James O'Brien until the fall of 1880, since 
which time he has had no law partner. He resided on his farm from 
1865 to 1870, when he removed to Kokomo, and devoted his time to his law 
practice. In August, 1861, he resigned the post office to enlist as a private 
in Company D, Thirty-ninth Indiana Infantry, afterward the Eighth 
Indiana Cavalry. At the special request of his Captain, he served as 
company clerk while in that company. With 400 others he was made 
prisoner at Perryville, Ky., in October, 1862, but was paroled by Gen. 
Kirby Smith, at Nicholasville, a few days later. In May, 1864, while 
at home with his regiment on veteran furlough, he, with Capt. B. Busby, 
recruited Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment In- 
diana Volunteers, for the 100 days' service, was at once commissioned 
Second Lieutenant, then First Lieutenant, and on May 25, 1864, at the 
organization of the regiment, he was chosen and commissioned Adjutant, 
serving as such until September 20, 1864, when the regiment was mustered 
out by reason of expiration of term of service, also serving much of said 
term as Post Adjutant, at Tullahoma, Tenn., and also for a time as A. 
A. A. G. of the brigade. He then enlisted a number of men for the 
One Hundred and Fortieth Indiana Regiment, and also Company I, One 
Hundred and Forty-second Indiana Volunteers, and continued on the up- 
grade by becoming its Captain; mustered as such November 3, 1864; they 
hurried forward to Nashville, Tenn., to oppose the northward march of 
Gen. Hood. After the battle of Nashville, from December, 1864, to July 
26, 1865, he served as Inspector of the Second Brigade, Fourth Division, 
Twentieth Army Corps, having been selected to the position through com- 
petitive examination by an officer of the regular army. This promotion 
assigned him to the staff of Gen. E. C. Mason, a graduate of West Point, 
and formerly Inspector in the Army of the Potomac. At the close of 
his army service near the 1st of August, 1865, he received many flatter- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 327 

ing testimonials from the officers of his brigade, including the General 

commanding, a portion of which we are permitted to copy : 

Nashville, Tena., August '2, 1865. 
Catt. Milton Garrigus (late) Assistant Inspector General : 

Sir : '" * ■•' * * i can now say what it would not have been proper for 
me to say while we were together — that is — that I always considered you an officer of 
rare ability. I have known many officers in the Inspector's Department. You were the 
most active, correct and faithful, in short — the best inspector I have ever known There 
was not an officer on my staff I held in higher esteem, and whose services I will feel the 
need of more in my new field of duty. ***** it will give me much pleasure 
to hear from you often. If at any (ime you think I can promote your interest in any 
way, command me. lam, Captain, very truly and respectfully your friend, 

E. C. Mason, Brigadier General. 

While on parole in the winter of 1862-63, he organized the Union 
League in the eastern part of Howard County, made war speeches and 
exposed the Knights of the Golden Circle, which made him bitter enemies, 
some of whom have never forgiven him. While in the army, he was war 
correspondent for several newspapers. Soon after the war, he became 
Commander of a Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. December, 
1881, he was elected Commander of Thomas J. Harrison Post, No. 30, 
G. A. R., Department of Indiana, for the year 1882, and has now, April 
1883, been re chosen for the year 1883. Jones Military Lodge, U. D., 
of Freemasons, was organized in and accompanied the Thirty-ninth In- 
diana Regiment during most of its service, and he was its Secretary for 
more than two years. In 1859, he was commissioned D. D. G. W. C. T. 
of the order of Good Templars, and employed to canvass the northern 
half of Indiana in the interests of that order and the temperance cause. 
He entered on his work zealously and successfully, but the breaking-out 
of the civil war prevented its entire execution. In 1877, he was elected 
as Councilman in the Second Ward of the city of Kokomo, and served 
two years. In the Legislature of 1879, he was a member of the follow- 
ing Senate committees : Public Buildings, Congressional Apportion- 
ment, Ditches and Swamp Lands. In the Legislature of 1881, he was 
chairman of the Senate Committee on Corporations, and a member of the 
Committee on Railroads. He has long been an Odd Fellow, and for the 
last twelve years a member of the Christian Church, as are also his wife 
and two daughters. He contributed over $1,100 toward the erection of 
their new church building in Kokomo. His mother, Elizabeth Alison 
Garrigus, was a Virginian, and expert with the rifle. For sixty years 
she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died at the 
house of her son Milton, with whom she lived, November, 1878, aged 
near seventy-nine years. Milton Garrigus was married to Susan M. 
Whiteneck, in Greentown, on the 24th day of February, 1853. Nine 
children have been born to them, six of whom — Louisa A., Ada A., Ed- 



328 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

win J., Allen C, Victor L. and Myrtle M. — are now living. Capt. 
Garrigus was early a director and life member of the Howard County 
Agricultural Society. At the Centennial Celebration, July 4, 1876, he 
was chosen Orator of the Day, and addressed a gathering of near 15,000 
people at the fair grounds near Kokomo, numerous organizations attend- 
ing. His eifort was highly spoken of, and the occasion will long be re- 
membered with pleasure by all who participated. Mr. Garrigus is a 
stalwart Republican of long experience. He is an affirmative man on all 
subjects and occasions. He has opinions and expresses them. His first 
Presidential vote was cast for Gen. Scott in 1852, then he voted for 
Fremont in 1856, and for every Republican President chosen since. He 
has been a central committeraan ever since the Republican party was or- 
ganized, except only while he was in the army. He was chairman of 
the County Central Committee in the campaigns of 1874, 1876, 1880 
and 1882, and having given probably more time and money in that direction 
than any man in the county, he by his enthusiasm and power of organ- 
ization has done much to make and maintain the large and increasing 
Republican majorities in his county. He has burned the midnight oil — 
helped to clear three heavily timbered farms for his father and one for 
himself — is public spirited in all things and has contributed hundreds of 
dollars, by subscription, to help build railroads through Howard County. 
He helped organize and build the Kokomo, Greentown & Jerome Gravel 
road and was for years its Secretary. In 1883, he was nominated by 
President Arthur as Collector of Internal Revenue for the Eleventh 
District of Indiana, and although recommended by the Governor, the 
State and his County Central Committee, the city officers of Kokomo 
and many of its business men, most of the county officers, the Judges 
of the Circuit and also of the United States Courts, the leading: men of 
nearly every county in the district, and numerous representative men from 
different portions of the State, by every Republican member of the 
Legislature, many Democrats uniting, yet by one of the uncertainties 
and mutations of political life, no action was taken on his nomination by 
the sub-committee, to whom it was referred, and finding that no report 
would be made in the closing days of the session of 1883, he withdrew 
his name, presenting and supporting the name of T. M. Kirkpatrick, of 
Howard County, who was appointed and confirmed. In the campaign of 
1882, the State Central Committee sent him forth through the State to 
make Republican speeches, although he was and is chairman of the 
committee in his own county. There have been numerous bolters and 
some difficult campaigns while he has been at the head of his party in 
Howard County, but he has invariably organized victory instead of de- 
feat, and has thus received the plaudits again and again of the Repub- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 329 

licans of Indiana, and especially of Howard and surrounding counties. 
He is still hale and in the prime of his powers, undaunted in the battle 
of life, and bids fair to add many years of future usefulness to those al- 
ready past. 

A. N. GRANT was born in Butler County, Ohio, August 27, 
1848, and was one of nine children. His father, John M,, was a native 
of Ohio and of Scotch descent ; his mother, Catharine Grant, came from 
Pennsylvania, and was of German parentage. John M. Grant moved to 
Carroll County, Ind., in 1851, locating in the dense forest, where not a 
tree had been cut, and there erected his cabin home. He experienced 
many of the privations of the early settler. His farm is located near 
Burlington, on which he has resided ever since, having cleared 400 acres 
of heavy timber ; he now owns over 700 acres of well-improved land, 
and is one of the leading farmers in his county, A. N. Grant assisted 
his father in clearing the land, going to school during the winters until he 
was fourteen years of age, when he joined the patriotic boys and enlisted 
in the spring of 1864, in Company D, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private. He was honorably 
discharged in August, 1865. When he returned home, he worked on 
the farm and attended school during 1865-66, and each successive winter 
taught and attended school for nine years. In 1874-75, he was Super- 
intendent of the Camden High School. In the winter of 1875-76, he 
attended the law school at Ann Arbor, where he graduated in the follow- 
ing spring. He was admitted to the bar in Carroll County and com- 
menced the practice of law in Howard County, in the fall of 1876, 
when he became a resident of Kokomo. During 1880-81, he was 
in partnership with B. F. Harness, in law practice, and in an abstract 
office. He is an active member of the Republican party, and a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Grant is an enterprising citi- 
zen, and has been identified with all public enterprises of the city since 
he became a resident of it. He was married September 28, 1876, to Miss 
Mary L. Darnell, of Greencastle, Ind. One daughter — Fern Etta — blesses 
this union. He is a member of the Grand Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F., of 
the Masonic Order in the Blue Lodge, of the Knights of Pythias, of 
the United Order of Honor and Grand Army of the Republic. 

R. T. GROVES is the son cf James A. Groves, a native of Ken- 
tucky, and Mary (McCarty) Groves, born in Maryland. His parents 
came to Indiana in an early day and settled at Indianapolis. Mr. Groves 
was a brick and stone mason by trade, and built the old State House at 
Indianapolis, and the Madison Depot, the first in that city. He was a 
pioneer at La Fayette, and helped clear the ground that the public square 
now occupies. He made and laid the first brick in the city of Craw- 



330 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

fordsville, Ind., and contracted and made the Government improvements 
for the Godfrey tribe of Indians in Miami County. He took an active 
part in developing the early railroads centering into Indianapolis, and 
took large contracts in many of the internal improvements of this State. 
After a long and useful life, he quietly passed away on April 12, 1876, 
aged seventy-seven years. Robert T. Groves, was born in La Fayette, 
Ind., January 24, 1833, and six years later removed with his parents to 
Rushville, Ind., and in a short time was taken to Noblesville, where he 
received the benefits of the schools until seventeen years of age. He 
then removed with his parents to Lebanon, Ind., where he finished his 
education, after which he was employed by his father on the Indianapolis 
& Cincinnati Railroad. Later, he engaged in the live-stock trade, after 
which he followed pork-packing five years at Cincinnati, and one year at 
La Fayette. In 1874, he came to Kokomo, where he has since been en- 
gaged in the livery and sale stable business. He was married in Kokomo 
in July, 1878, to Miss Rebecca Luillin, of Kentucky. By this union 
they have two children — Franklin E. and William D. Mr. Groves is 
one of Kokomo's leading citizens ; he has served as City Councilman, and 
is an active member of the Republican party. 

DR. J. F. HENDERSON, a native of Pennsylvania, was born near 
Lancaster November 23, 1820. of English-Irish parents. He was the 
second of a family of seven children, and passed his early life on a farm. 
In 1833, the family moved to Indiana, coming through in wagons, and 
camping one night near the site of the old State house. They located in 
Tippecanoe County, and for many years his father kept a wayside inn; he 
paid some attention to farming, and successfully conducted a cooper shop, 
in which all his sons worked. Dr. Henderson worked in the shop, 
and attended the common schools. As soon as he was able, he began 
teaching, and, through economy, he was soon enabled to pursue the high- 
er branches in the academ}'^ at Jeffersonville. At the age of twenty-two, 
he was married to Cynthia Ann Whitson. They had seven children, five 
of whom are living He began the study of medicine at the age of nine- 
teen, and in 1847 he began to practice in New London, where he also 
conducted a dry goods and drug store. In 1855, he graduated from the 
Ohio Medical College with the honors of his class. His thesis on that 
occasion was subsequently largely quoted in "King's Work on Obstet- 
rics." He helped to found the Pioneer, the first newspaper established 
in the county. He was a Democrat, and in slavery days a Free-Soiler. 
His influence and labors are thought to have elected Hon. J. E. McDon- 
ald to the Lower House over Hon. H. S. Lane, the Whig candidate. In 
1860, Dr. .Henderson was sent by the Democracy to the National Con- 
vention at Baltimore, when Stephen A. Douglas was nominated for the 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 331 

Presidency. In 1861, he removed his family to Kokomo, and when the 
war broke out, he volunteered his services. He was elected Surgeon of 
the Eighty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and lor several 
years was Acting Brigade Surgeon of Fort Pickering, Memphis, Tenn. 
On his return from the war, he founded the City Book and Drug Store, 
which he conducted until 18t58, when he sold out to besin the erection of 
the Clinton Hotel, in which Jay, Russell & Dolman took a half-interest. 
Dr. Henderson was the founder and for a few years the editor of the Ko- 
komo Dispatch, and, in 1872, ambitious to build a permanent home for 
the newspaper, conceived the idea of erecting the Opera House. In con- 
junction with M. Bell and H. H. Winslow, the building was completed 
and opened to the public in September, 1873. • Dr. Henderson now lives 
on his farm in Monroe Township, having retired from politics and active 
business. He has made many improvements in the city of Kokomo. 
He was Postmaster at New London under President Polk, and for two 
terms served as a member of the Common Council of the city of Koko- 
mo from the First Ward. Dr. Henderson is truly a self-made man, and his 
monument is the improvements he has made to the community in which 
he was for nearly half a century so active a factor. 

JOHN 0. HENDERSON, the senior editor of the Kokomo Dispatch, 
was born on the 1st day of September, 1847, in the town of New Lon- 
don, this county. His father and mother are both living, to rejoice in 
the success of their son. His father, John F. Henderson, is one of the 
old settlers of this county and a pioneer physician of much more than 
ordinary ability. His mother's maiden name was Cynthia A. Whitson. 
New London is noted for its good schools. Here the youthful editor 
of the Dispatch received much more than ordinary advantages in 
education. In 1861, he removed to Kokomo with his parents, where 
he has ever since resided. He attended the city schools from 1861 
until 1865, when he commenced clerking in his father's drug store, 
where he remained until 1868. He taught two terms of district 
school, between 1865 and 1868, and is thus a member of that grand 
army of men who began a successful career in life by starting as " a 
common school teacher." In the fall of 1868, he entered Asbury 
University, then under the Presidency of Bishop Bowman, where he was 
graduated in 1872. In the summer of 1873, he purchased an interest in 
the Kokomo Democrat, a little sheet founded by his father, as the organ 
of the Democratic party of Howard County. The paper was struggling 
for an existence on the journalistic sea. There was a party majority 
against the paper of 1,200. The Tribune, at that time, was at the zenith 
of its power, edited by T. C. Philips, one of the brightest, most trenchant 
and powerful writers ever upon the Indiana press. Here, our youthful 



332 ' BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

editor had to contend for success or failure, with a foeman worthy of any 
man's steel. He could not have had a better schooling. It was 
soon seen that he had made no mistake in his choice of a pro- 
fession. The paper at once began to show signs of improvement. In 
August, 1875, the paper was greatly enlarged and its name changed 
to the Kokomo Dispatch. From the time that J. 0. Henderson's 
name appeared as one of the editors, he has been the chief writer 
for the paper. The office and job rooms are all well supplied with 
best materials, and the facilities for first-class work are the best. To- 
day, no list of leading weekly papers would be made without plac- 
ino- the Kokomo Dispatch near the top of the list. Mr. Henderson 
is everywhere recognized as one of the most polished and brilliant 
of the young editors of the State. In the campaign of 1876, he 
made his paper felt as a power upon the Democratic side of that fierce 
contest. In each campaign since that, the Dispatch has been regarded 
as the leading political paper of this Congressional district. During the 
last campaign, the Dispatch articles written against L. P. Milligan, in the 
Huntington-Wells Senatorial district, were widely copied. Oscar Hen- 
derson is a thorough newspaper man, popular with the craft. As a 
writer, he is vigorous and powerful. He has the humorous strongly 
developed in his nature, and he has the faculty of hitting oflF an oppo- 
nent in a few humorous sentences, which prove more effective than a 
labored article would be. He recognizes the duty he owes to jour- 
nalism, and no man is more thoroughly discriminative in his duties 
as an editor, and his relations as a friend. He never allows his social or 
business relations to interfere with his duties as a journalist. One thing 
can be said of him, that he is no trimmer, and no stickler for the favor of 
public opinion. Some of the best known writers of Indiana journalism 
commenced their careers as authors in the columns of the Dispatch. In 
May, 1879, he was married to Miss Mary George, daughter of William 
W. George, who resides a few miles west of this city, and is a prominent 
farmer of Clay Township. One boy, about one year old, has come to 
brighten their home. 

HOWARD EUGENE HENDERSON, the junior editor of the Ko- 
komo Dispatch, has long been recognized as the financial man of the firm. 
To Howard E. Henderson, more than to any and all other persons, is due 
the credit of making the paper what it is in a financial point of view. He 
became a half-owner of the paper, then the Kokomo Democrat, in 1874. 
The paper has since been owned by J. 0. k H. E. Henderson, who are 
its editors and publishers. Howard found a small paper, poorly equipped 
facilities, few subscribers, and loaded down with debts. As soon as he 
became an owner of the paper, he became its local editor and financial 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 333 

manager. Order was soon evolved out of chaos. It was the determina- 
tion of its financial manager that the paper should be made to pay. The 
subscription list was low, advertising rates low, and job work not plenti- 
ful. At once subscriptions were solicited, new type was added to the fa- 
cilities, and all was changed. As early as 1876, the Dispatch became 
known as a wide-awake, sprightly Democratic paper. Soon the debt was 
paid off, the paper was enlarged, and a new Baxter engine was added, so 
that the old hand presses were thrown aside, and the paper has since been 
run by steam. Since the campaign of 1876, the Diapatch has taken an 
active part each year. Howard E. Henderson was born in the town of New 
London, Howard Co., Ind., on the 22d day of December, 1849. Here he 
spent the first twelve years of his life, moving to Kokomo with his par- 
ents in 1861. Here he attended the city schools until 1869, when he 
entered Asbury University, remaining two years, but did not graduate. 
He was foreman of his father's lumber yard for six years. In 1873, he 
was married to Miss Belle Williams, of Alto, Ind., daughter of Rev. 
Thomas Williams. He is the father of two children — the elder, Frank, 
and the younger, Eva, He has been for some time the manager of the 
Kokomo Opera House, and has shown himself, here as elsewhere, a com- 
petent business man. He has elevated the standard of our amusements 
until Kokomo is recognized abroad as a town where people know what 
good acting is. During the last year we have had some of the best com- 
panies ever before the footlights. 

DAVID HEXTER, son of Levi and Barbara Hexter, was born in 
Germany February 24, 1844, and came with his parents to Cleveland, 
Ohio, in 1849, At the age of thirteen, he went to Pittsburgli, Penn., 
where he learned butchering, and then went into business for himself. In 
1861, he enlisted in Company B, Second West Virginia Infantry, and 
was three years in active service, taking part in the engagements at Phil- 
ippi, Garrett's Ford, Rich Mountain, Monterey^ Cross Keys, Cedar 
Mouiitain, second Bull Run, Antietam, Flat Rock, Rocky Gap, Lynch- 
burg, etc; he was discharged in August, 1864, when he returned to 
Pittsburgh, In 1870, he came to Kokomo and engaged in the grocery 
and butcher business; he now carries a stock valued at .^2,000, and his 
transactions in 1882 amounted to $28,000, May 23, 1867, he married 
Miss Barbara Mayer, also a native of Germany, and to their union four 
children have been born — Isador, Max F,, Hattie and Samuel J, Mr, 
and Mrs. H. are members of the Hebrew Church, and he is also an Odd 
Fellow. Politically, he is identified with the Democratic party. 

WALTER HOOPER was born in England, November 29, 1829, 
and is the son of Thomas and Jane (Mitcheld) Hooper. Thomas 
Hooper came to America in 1832. He, in a few years, went back to 



334 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Enirland, but crossed over to America and settled in New York. Here 
Walter grew to manhood, receiving a common school education. He 
worked at intervals for his grandfather, Thomas Chappell, an engineer. 
At the age of twenty-one, he came west, stopping in Porter County, Ind. 
Having some knowledge of the blacksmith trade, he soon found employ- 
ment in Valparaiso, but in a few months he went to Aurora, 111., where 
he remained until 1858. He then went to Montgomery, Ala., and 
worked at his trade until the fall of 1860, when he located at Troy, N. Y. 
On the day that saw the beginning of the civil war, he came to Indian- 
apolis, Ind., and in 1865 located at Kokomo. He was then worth $6,- 
000. He bought property here and erected a small blacksmith shop and 
began to make buggies. During his first year's business, he sold $1,665 
worth of new work, and, eight years later, $14,516. He manufactures 
a full line of buggies, carriages and spring wagons, and his work is all 
first-class. In 1869, he built a livery stable, cost $3,000 ; in 1870, a 
business room, for $3,000; in 1872, two brick business rooms, for $6,- 
000; in 1874, a brick residence, cost $7,000, and in 1882, one brick bus- 
iness room, at a cost of $25,000. Mr, Hooper owns what is known as 
Hooper's Block. He employs seven workmen and is doing a good busi- 
ness. He is a supporter of all public improvements, and has done as 
much as any one man in the building up of Kokomo. He has been 
Treasurer of the Agricultural Society for six years. He has been an 
Odd Fellow for twenty years, and Treasurer of the Wildman Lodge 
twelve years in succession. Mr. Hooper was married in the fall of 1860 
to Miss Christiana England, a native of Germany, but whose parents 
brought her to this country in her youth. Mr. and Mrs. Hooper are 
members of the Congregational Church. 

HON, MILTON B. HOPKINS (deceased), late Superintendent of 
Public Instruction of Indiana, was born in Nicholas County, Ky., April 
4, 1821. His father, Joseph Hopkins, was a talented lawyer of that day. 
After his father's death, his mother married a farmer and came with her 
husband and son to Indiana and settled on a farm in Rush County. At 
the age of fifteen, feeling an innate and strong desire for knowledge, he 
appealed to his step-father for assistance. This being refused, he left 
home, determined to work his own way and procure an education. He 
worked in a livery stable and spent all his earnings going to school. As 
soon as he was competent, he began to teach, with marked success, in the 
country schools. He studied Greek and Latin in private. At the age 
of twenty, he began to preach the Gospel and advocate Christianity, lo- 
cating in Milroy, Rush county; thence he moved to Frankfort, Ind., and 
six years later to Noblesville. Here, from his anxiety to understand the 
legal profession, he abandoned the ministry and studied and entered upon 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 335 

the practice of law. He was fast gaining the reputation of a hiwyer of 
more than ordinary efficiency when, being persuaded to return to the 
ministry, he established a superior reputation as a preacher. After living 
there about five years, he was induced to unite with Benjamin Franklin, 
of Cincinnati, Ohio, editor of the American Christian Mevieiv, in the 
publication of that paper. He moved to Cincinnati and entered upon the 
work, preaching at the same time in Cincinnati, Louisville and Covington. 
But his health failed and he was obliged to return to farming. In 1858, 
he located in Chilton County, Ind., and founded Farmers' Academy, 
which soon wielded a powerful influence in the community and attracted 
a patronage from adjoining counties. While living there, he was nomi- 
nated by the Democratic party for Superintendent of Public Instruction, 
but he declined the nomination. After remaining there about four years, 
he moved to Boone County and took charge of the Lebanon High School. 
Desiring still greater opportunities for the exercise of his educational 
powers, he made arrangements to take charge of Ladoga Academy, in- 
tending ultimately to convert it into a college. This institution soon 
gained a wide reputation and commanded a patronage from other States. 
After teaching there, and preaching at the same time in various parts of 
the State, for about six years, and finding better encouragement and fa- 
cilities in Kokomo, Howard County, for the establishment of a college, he 
moved to this place and, in connection witli his sons, the eldest two of 
whom had finished their course of study in the Kentucky University, he 
founded Howard College, under his own Presidency. This institution 
soon attracted a patronage that compared fiivorably with other colleges in 
the State, when his nomination by the Democratic party in 1870 for the 
office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, and his subsequent elec- 
tion, prevented him from being more than a nominal president of the col- 
lege and thus checked its progress. He now devoted all his energies and 
abilities to the duties of his office, and with such success that in 1872 he 
was re-elected by a handsome majority. Upon entering his second term, 
he abandoned Howard College. But a few months before the expiration 
of his second term, the whole State was shocked at the announcement of 
his sudden death, which occurred at his residence in Kokomo August 16, 
1874, at the age of fifty-three. The obsequies were attended by the of- 
ficers of State. At the funeral discourse, Gov. Hendricks said: "No 
man ever died in the State who received the honors this man will receive." 
" Happy will it be with his fellow-officers," said Lieut. Gov. Sexton, "if, 
when they are called upon to render their accounts, it shall be as svell 
with them as it is to-day with Milton B. Hopkins." In 1842, Mr. Hop- 
kins was married to Jaalah Rebecca Stallard, daughter of James Stallard, 
a pious, pioneer Methodist preacher. They had five children — Alexan- 



336 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

(ler C, Professor in the Danville, 111., College ; John 0. (deceased), late 
Professor of Greek in Butler University ; James I., Principal of the Kirk- 
lin Schools ; M. Jennie, wife of Prof. A. J. Youngblood, of Eureka, 111.; 
and Mary Belle, wife of P. 0. Updegraff, of Kokomo. Mr. Hopkins and 
family were members of the Christian Church. As a preacher, he ranked 
among the ablest of his church. As a teacher, he gradually rose from 
the district schools of Rush County to Superintendent of Public Instruc- 
tion. " He gave the school system of Indiana," says Gov. Hendricks, 
"a national reputation." At the close of his first term, Indiana had a 
larger school fund, by $2,000,000, than any other' State in the Union. 
Mr. Hopkins was a close student all his life. He was a true lover of his 
country, and was greatly devoted to the great State in which he lived. 

LOllA C. HOSS, editor and proprietor of the Kokomo Gazette^ was 
born in Marion County, Ind., January 16, 1859. His parents, Peter E. 
and Sarah (Ringer) Hoss, were of German descent. His mother died 
before he was two years old, and he was reared by his father's parents. 
They removed to Howard County, and located near Fairfield in 1865. 
Here L. C. attended the country school during the winter, and assisted 
his grandfather on the farm during the summer months. In 1874, he 
entered Butler University at Irvington, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis. 
He attended college three years, after which he spent one year in Kan- 
sas, where in the summer he assisted his cousin in breaking prairie sod, 
and during the winter months taught a common school in the country. 
In 1878, he returned home, and again entered Butler University, gradu- 
ating with honors in 1881, in the regular classical course. He then came 
to Kokomo, and July 25 took a half-interest in the G-azette. He is now 
sole proprietor of this paper. He has enlarged it and built it up, until 
now it is one of the best local papers in the State, and has an increasing 
circulation. Mr. Hoss is a stanch Republican, and has done much to 
build up the party in this county, through the columns of his worthy pa- 
per. He is an active member of the Christian Church, of the Knights 
of Pythias, and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. 

E. S. HUNT, of the firm of E. S. Hunt & Co., was born December 
13, 1841, in Henry County, Ind., and was one of nine children born to 
Nathan and Caroline (Hosier) Hunt. His father was a native of North 
Carolina, and his mother was born in this State. The parents moved to 
New Lebanon, Monroe Township, this county, when their son was but 
three years of age. His father was a carpenter. Witli- the aid of his 
sons, he improved forty acres of timber land. E. S. Hunt was taught 
the use of tools while young, and, when he was thirteen years old, he ac- 
companied his father at carpentering, and at eighteen was a competent 
mechanic, and at this age he built the largest barn then in Howard Coun- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 337 

ty. This barn contained 111 sticks of square timber, which was scored 
and hewed from the tree. He continued at his trade until August, 
1862, when he enlisted in Company G, Eighty-ninth Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry. He served as a private in this regiment one year, 
when he was transferred and promoted as Quartermaster Sergeant of 
the Third United States Colored Heavy Artillery. A few months later, 
he was promoted to First Lieutenant, and later he was transferred to the 
First Tennessee Colored Militia. He was Captain of this company dur- 
ing the remainder of the war. After serving faithfully for over three 
years, he was honorably discharged. On reaching home, he worked at 
his trade for a short time, when he bought an engine and threshing ma- 
chine, and engaged in this business for seven successive seasons. In the 
meantime, he and his brother were running a planing-mill at New Lon- 
don. They continued this business until 1875, when they moved their 
machinery to Russiaville, where they operated with marked success for 
one year. They exchanged this for the furniture factory owned by A. 
Kline, to which they added new machinery, making a planing mill, and 
sash and door factory, at a cost of about $16,000. The company of H. 
& E. S. Hunt added a lumber yard to their mill, and continued in busi- 
ness until February, 1882, when E. S. exchanged his interest in the fac- 
tory for H. Hunt's interest in the lumber yard. Mr. E. S. Hunt has 
since given his attention to the wholesale and retail trade of hard and 
soft wood lumber. Their yard is well filled, they having $50,000 in- 
vested in stock. Mr. Hunt started in life a poor boy, and by hard work 
and economy he now owns 201 acres of well-improved land in Howard 
Township, worth $12,000, besides good city property, and a fourth inter- 
est in the lumber yard of E. S. Hunt & Co., of which he is manager. He 
has never been an aspirant to oifice, but he has served two terms as Jus- 
tice of the Peace in Monroe Township, and has been one of the City 
Councilmen of Kokomo for four years. He is a live, energetic business 
man, and is a Republican in principle. He was married in May, 1861, 
to Miss Mahala Ratcliffe, of Howard County. She was born September 
11, 1841, and was the daughter of William and Mary A. Ratcliffe. The 
result of this union is eight children — Elzir, Mary C, E. Delia, William 
M., Emma F., Lillie, Exie Elmore and Glen G. 

NORMAN HURD was born October 80, 1820, in New Hampshire. 
He is the son of Stephen and Naby (Wilcox) Hurd, both natives of New 
Hampshire, and of English descent. In 1837, this family moved into 
Western New York, where they lived until 1813, when they moved west 
into Peoria County, 111., and four years later into Marshall County, where 
the parents lived during the remainder of their lives. Nohman lived at 
home, going to school until he was thirteen years old, and working on the 



338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

farm. His education was limited, but by his own efforts he has acquired a 
good practical education. In the fall of 1864, he enlisted in Company F, 
Forty-second Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was honorably 
discharged June 15, 1865. He participated in the battles of Spring Hill, 
Franklin and Nashville. He was fortunately not wounded, but when he 
returned to his ftither's farm in Marshall County, Ohio, he was broken 
down in health from exposure and over-exertion. In 1867, he was com- 
pelled to leave the farm, so he located at Walton, Cass Co., Ind., where 
he engaged in the lumber business. He engaged in this business seven 
years, when he returned to Marshall County, 111., where he improved a 
farm and tilled it for three years. In the spring of 1877, he came to 
Kokomo and engaged in the manufacture of hardwood lumber, car, bridge 
and wagon timber. He is doing a good business of $40,000 per annum, 
employing thirty-five hands. He located his mill and lumber yard near 
the Junction. Mr. Hurd started in life a poor boy, but through his own 
effort, with economy, he has accumulated good property. He is a Repub- 
lican in politics. July 12, 1843, Mr. Hurd was married to Miss L. D. 
Hurd, who was born in New Hampshire, April 19, 1821. She was the 
daughter of Permenius and Sophia (Dean) Hurd, both natives of New 
Hampshire, of English descent. Three children have been born — 
Oliver S., Dexter N., of the firm of Hurd & Co., and Mariam A. Mr. 
and Mrs. Hurd are members of the Congregational Church, and are ac- 
tive workers and liberal supporters of their church. 

AUSTIN JAY, dealer and shipper of butter, eggs and poultry, came 
to Kokomo in 1870 and was employed by Jay & Jay, in the grocery and 
produce business, for three year^. He then went to Grant County, Ind., 
and embarked in the grocery and bakery business, which he conducted 
two years. He then engaged in the produce business there, buying, and 
dealing in butter, eggs and poultry ; this he followed until 1878, when he 
returned to Kokomo and transferred his business here. He has established 
a large and lucrative trade and is an extensive shipper of produce to New 
York and Chicago. Our subject is a native of Grant County, Ind., 
where he was born in 1854. His parents were Samuel and Mari s (Ev- 
ans) Jay ; his father was a merchant, and died in 1878 ; his mother is living 
with her son in Kokomo. Mr. Jay is a member of the K. of P., and 
in politics is a Republican. 

DR. I. C. JOHNSON was born in Indianapolis, Ind., September 26, 
1829. He is the son of Isaac Johnson, a native of Vermont, and Bar- 
shebah (Helvey) Johnson, born in North Carolina. His parents were 
married in Indianapolis, and his father died at the age of thirty. In 1835, 
our subject was sent to live with his uncle, Joel Helvey, in Huntington 
County, Ind., where he remained until he was eighteen years of age, at- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 339 

tending the common schools of that district. He was sent to learn the 
millwright's trade in Wabash County, and in 1846 went with his brother- 
in-law to Grant County and engaged in the milling business. In the fall of 
1855, he commenced the study of medicine in the office of Drs. W. & C. 
Lomax, of Marion, Grant County. After remaining there one year, he 
read two years with Dr. D. W. Taylor, in Grant County. He attended 
lectures during the winter of 1860-61 at the Rusli Medical College at 
Chicago, and in 1863 again entered that institution, graduating the fol- 
lowing spring. He commenced practice in Kokomo in May, 1863, and in 
the spring of 1864 he entered the army as Contract Surgeon in a hospital 
in Nashville, and the following February received the commission of Acting 
Assistant Surgeon in the One Hundred and Fifty-third Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, and served in that capacity until the close of the war, 
when he returned to Kokomo and resumed his active practice. In 1874 
he was elected County Treasurer, serving two terms. His administra- 
tion was eminently satisfactory, and was characterized by dignity, effi- 
ciency and perfect integrity. Since the close of the term of office, he has 
been actively engaged in his extensive practice, and ranks as one of the 
leading physicians in the county. He has served as President of the Ko- 
komo Academy of Medicine, and is now President of the Howard County 
Medical Association. He is a prominent member of the I. 0. 0. F., 
and has passed all the chairs in that lodge. Dr. Johnson was married in 
1857, to Miss Adelaide Swope, a native of Wayne County, Ind. This 
union has been blessed with four children, only one of whom is living — 
Minnie. Dr. Johnson is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and his political principles are those of the Republican party, with 
which he has been connected since its organization. He has been 
active in promoting the prosperity of Kokomo, and takes a leading part 
in whatever promises to benefit the city and county. Dr. Johnson has 
been a student all of his life, and keeps pace with the advancement 
of his profession. He is a man of solid worth, courteous, temperate, 
upright, and possesses superior business and social attributes. 

BENJAMIN B. JOHNSON, Treasurer of Howard County, is a na- 
tive of Ohio, and was born in Stark County September 2, 1852. He is 
the fifth of nine children born to Jesse and Martha (Butler) Johnson, 
both natives of Virginia, and of English and Welsh descent. His parents 
removed to this county in September, 1866, and located in the city of 
Kokomo. Mr. Jesse Johnson was a farmer during his early life, but 
when he came to this county he entered into mercantile pursuits, which 
he followed for a few years. He then retired from business, and was an 
invalid for years before his death, in March, 1879. The subject of this 
sketch spent his early boyhood days on a farm, having access to the com- 



340 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

mon schools, and finished his education in the Kokomo High School. At 
the age of sixteen years, he began clerking in the news stand, and in 
March, 1868, became Deputy Postmaster. He held this office until 
November, 1871, when he became book-keeper in the First National Bank, 
where he remained until January, 1877. He then accepted a position 
as clerk in the Legislature, during a regular and special session. After 
this Mr. Johnson opened an abstract and loan office, in company with Mr. 
L. 0. Moroland, continuing until November, 1878, at which time he en- 
tered the Treasurer's office as Deputy. He was elected County Treasur- 
er on the Republican ticket in November, 1882. He is a live, energetic 
business man, and has taken an active part in the political circle. Mr. 
Johnson was married, July 4, 1875, to Miss Clara C. Albaugh, of Ko- 
komo. She was born September 8, 1855, and is the daughter of Aaron 
and Susanna Albaugh, of Kokomo. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had 
three children, two of whom are living — Edna and Fred. 

JAMES D. JOHNSON is a son of Jesse and Martha (Butler) 
Johnson, the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Ohio. He was 
born in Stark County, Ohio, January 18, 1860, where he was reared un- 
til six years old. His parents then removed to Kokomo, Ind., where 
James D. was brought up and educated. He clerked at intervals during 
his school-boy days, and completed his studies in 1877, in the High 
School of Kokomo. He accepted a position with Moreland & Johnson, 
dealers in real estate, loans, and abstracts of titles, which he filled with 
competency until 1878. At the death of Mr. Moreland, he, with his 
brother, purchased an interest in the concern. The business was con- 
ducted under the firm of B. B. Johnson & Co. It was successfully car- 
ried on till 1881, when he purchased his brother's interest. He is now 
prosperously conducting a general loan, abstracts of title and insurance 
business. In the insurance line, he represents the "Franklin" of Phil- 
adelphia, "Lancashire" of England, "Connecticut" of Hartford, and 
the "Fireman's Fund" of California. In 1881, he was appointed agent 
for the "Adams" and "American" Express Companies, which position 
he still fills. In 1882, he was qualified Fire Warden of Ward No. 3, 
where he is faithfully discharging his duty. Mr. Johnson was married 
in Kokomo, Ind., October 20, 1881, to Miss Maud A. Anderson, of Ko- 
komo. She was born January 15, 1863, and is a daughter of Joseph 
and Sarah J. (Richmond) Anderson. By this union they have one 
child — Edith. Mr. Johnson is a polite and genial gentleman, and bids 
fair to become one of Kokorao's prominent business men. His political 
sympathies are with the Republican party. 

JOHN W. KERN, one of the first lawyers of this Eleventh Congress- 
nal District, and one of the most brilliant lawyers of his age in the 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 341 

State, was born at Alto, Howard County. He was born on the 
20th day of December, 1849. When he was still very young, his 
parents moved to Warren County, Iowa, where John lived the life of 
many another farmer's lad, who afterward achieved success and fame 
in his chosen calling in after life. Here John attended his first 
term of school, in a schoolhouse alike in all things to the average 
schoolhouse of the pioneer period. He attended school in the winter 
and aided upon the farm in the summer. When he was fourteen years of 
age, his parents returned to Alto, and since that time Mr. Kern has al- 
ways been a resident of this county. About this time, John became fired 
with an ambition, always pleasant to see ; he determined to become ed- 
ucated. For two years, he attended the school in this city, coming from 
his home each raornincj, and back ao-ain in the eveninoj, on horseback. 
When but fifteen years of age, he taught his first term of school, at the 
home schoolhouse in Alto. His second and last term of school was 
taught at the Dyar Schoolhouse in the winter of 1866 and 1867. It has 
been said that poets are born, not made by study ; whether true or not, 
it is true that the subject of this sketch was a lawyer by nature. We do 
not mean by this that he did not prepare himself thoroughly for the 
success he has since obtained, but we mean that he naturally drifted into 
the legal profession. He entered the University of Michigan in the spring 
of 1867, and took a special course of study ; in the fall of the same year, 
he entered the law department of the same university as a junior, and 
was graduated therefrom in the spring of 1869. In May of the same year, 
before he was twenty years of age, he opened an office in this city and 
commenced the practice of his profession. While young in years, he 
offset any disadvantage because of his youth by superior diligence and 
energy in his practice, and he soon commanded a large business and 
took a leading place in his profession, which he has ever since maintained. 
While he is an antagonist to be feared in any cause in which he embarks, 
it is as a "criminal lawyer" that he especially excels ; kind and sympa- 
thetic by nature, his heart goes out to those in trouble. He seems to 
divine by intuition the strong points of a defense, and this, together with 
his matchless oratory, makes him a redoubtable antagonist in the defense of 
persons charged with crime. Soon after he commenced practice, he was 
engaged toassist in the, prosecution of Dougherty, who was indicted for kill- 
ing Van Horn. The case was tried at Tipton. Col. Charles D. Murray, 
Col. N. P. Richmond and Charles E. Hendry were also employed in the 
prosecution. All were men of ability and experience. The defendant 
was represented by one of the most able corps of attorneys ever engaged 
in the defense of any man, Gov. Thomas A. Hendricks, Maj. Jonathan 
W. Gordon, of Indianapolis, Judge Linsday, of Kokomo, and Hon. N, 



342 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

R. Overman, of Tipton. The defendant was acquitted, but the trial of 
this case showed, despite his youth, that Mr. Kern could cope successfully 
with the best men in his profession. From the time of that trial to the 
present. Gov. Hendricks has always been Mr. Kern's warm friend and 
admirer. Soon after this, Mr. Kern defended one Jones, for the killing 
of Miles Slyter ; he was acquitted. He assisted in the defense of Garr' 
and Pratt for the killing of Warnick ; both were acquitted. In the winter 
of 1880, he was employed to prosecute Doles for the killing of Perry 
White. The first trial came off in March, 1881, and the jury stood eleven 
for conviction and one for acquittal ; thus they were discharged ; the 
second trial took place in March, 1882, and Doles was sentenced to twenty- 
one years in the penitentiary. Mr Kern's closing argument for the 
State was one of the most powerful arguments ever delivered before a 
Tipton County jury. When closing his argument, he summed up all the 
evidence against the defendant and closed with one of the most thundering 
perorations ever heard in a court of justice. Many otlier cases of im- 
portance in which Mr. Kern was employed might be given, but they would 
be superfluous. In 1871, Mr. Kern was elected City Attorney, by a 
Republican Council, and subsequently re-elected twice, thus serving until 
1877, when he refused longer to fill the office ; he was elected at the last 
election. May, 1883i, to till the office of City Attorney of Kokomo two 
years. Each of these elections was by a Republican Council. In politics, 
Mr. Kern is a Democrat of the most pronounced character, but he is not 
an ultra partisan, and in local elections remembers his friends. In the 
fall of 1870, the Democrats nominated him for the Legislature, and he 
was beaten by less than 250 votes, when the county went Republican by 
1,000 ; his opponent was Captain Kirkpatrick, then as now a strong man 
in his party. In 1874, Mr. Kern was defeated for Prosecutor by 234 
votes, and in 1880 he was defeated by 505, when Garfield carried the 
county by 1,200 maj ority. It is very safe to say that the political life of Jolin 
W. Kern has just commenced. Mr. Kern married Miss Annie Hazzard, 
m 1870. They have but one child, Fred. He is a member of the Meth- 
odist Church and is a Freemason and Odd Fellow. His mother died in 
1859. His father, Dr. Jacob H. Kern, resides near Botetourt Springs, 
Va. Mr. Kern is the only son. He has a sister, who also resides in 
Virginia. 

LEWIS KERN, M. D., is a native of Botetourt County, Va. ; was born 
in 1831, and is the son of Jacob Kern, a native of Pennsylvania, and 
Delpha A. (Stanley) Kern, born in Virginia. His fiither was a black- 
smith, and removed in 1839 to Shelby County, Ind., with his family, 
and resided there until his death in 1842. His mother died in 1836, 
leaving five children, our subject being the youngest. Dr. Lewis Kern 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 343 

received common school advantages, working on a farm and in a saw-mill 
until about fourteen years of age, when he went to Warren County, Ohio, 
and attended school six months. The ensuing winter, he taught school in 
Shelby County, Ind., and in 1845 came with his brother. Dr. J. H. 
Kern, to Howard County — then Richardville County — and located where 
Alto now is. In 1846, he returned to Shelby County, where he taught 
school one term, and in 1849 ao-ain located in this countv and commenced 
the study of medicine with his brother, Dr. J. H. Kern. After having 
been under his tutorage three years, he commenced to practice with his 
brother at Alto. In 1853, his brother went to Iowa, and our subject went 
to New London, where he practiced one year. He then returned to 
Alto, where he soon attained a large practice, and in 1879 he came to 
Kokomo with his son and entered the drug trade, at the same time con- 
tinuing his practice. After two years, he sold out, and with his son en- 
gaged in the practice of medicine. In December, 1882, this partnership 
was dissolved, and he is now practicing alone. Dr. Kern has a large 
practice, and ranks as one of the eminent physicians of the county. Dr. 
Kern is a graduate of the Indiana Medical College, is a member of the 
Howard County Medical Association, and has been President two terms 
of the Academy of Medicine of Kokomo. He is a member of the State 
Medical Association, and is an honorary member of the Grant County and 
Tipton County Medical Societies. He is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 
and Masonic fraternity, and has served as City Councilman from the 
First Ward of Kokomo. Dr. Kern was married, in 1853, to Vii-ginia C 
Pitzer, who was born in 1833 in Fayette County, Ohio. By this union 
they have one child, Theodore. Dr. Kern is one of the oldest physi- 
cians in active practice in the county. He is an old settler in Harrison 
Township, and has assisted in the development and has been identified 
with the progressive interests of his township, county and State. He is 
one of the best-qualified physicians in the county, and has had a wide 
experience. He is ever ready to assist in benevolent enterprises, and he 
and wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in good 
standing. 

THEODORE KERN, M. D., one of the rising young physicians of 
the State, is a native of Indiana, and was born in Howard County 
in 1855. He is the only child of Lewis and Virginia C. (Pitzer) 
Kern. He received good educational advantages, and in 1873 
commenced the study of medicine with his father. He graduated 
in 1876 at the Indiana Medical College, taking ad eundem degree in 
1877. He then returned to his home and entered into practice with 
his father at Alto, Harrison Township, remaining there one year. 
He then went to Fairfield and commenced practice alone, remaining there 



344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

fifteen months, when he came to Kokomo and in connection with his 
father was engaged two years in the drug trade. He then, in partnership 
with his father, engaged in the practice of medicine until December, 1882, 
when he resumed practice alone. Dr. Kern is a member of the Indiana 
State Medical Association, of the Howard County Association, and Ko- 
komo Academy of Medicine. He was married, in 1876, to Miss Viga 
Sharp, of Sharpsville, Tipton County., by which union they have one 
child, Nettie. Dr. Kern is a hard student and well read in his profession. 
He has established a good practice and holds a high rank among the 
successful practitioners of Howard County. 

DR. S. T. KIRK, dentist, was born in 1838 in Union County, Ind., 
and is the son of Israel Kirk, a native of Pennsylvania, and Sarah (Test) 
Kirk, born in New Jersey. His parents were married in Ohio, and had three 
children, our subject being the second. His father was a miller, and died in 
1842, and his mother was subsequently married to William Beard, who soon 
after died. His mother is still living in Kokorao. Dr. Kirk learned 
the carpenter's trade in Richmond, Ind., and worked at that four years. 
He taught writing school two years, and then began the study of his 
profession. At the death of his step- father he had to go upon the farm 
in Hendricks County, where he remained until 1864. He studied dentistry 
while on the farm, and later, while on a trip to Minnesota, continued 
his studies. He then came to Thorntown, Ind., and studied under 
Dr. Mendenhall nearly a year, and in the spring of 1867 came to 
Kokomo, where he commenced his practice. Here he has since re- 
mained and has established a large and successful practice. He has all 
the appliances to do any kind of dental work, and is a genial and ex- 
cellent artist in his profession. He is one of the trustees of the Indiana 
Dental College, and is a member of the Indiana State Dental Associa- 
tion. Dr. Kirk was married, in 1869, to Miss Loretta Macy, of Kokomo. 
She died in October, 1874, and in 1876 Dr. Kirk was married to 
Sarah F. Sullivan, who was then teaching school at Kokomo. This 
union has been blessed with two children — Wilfred D. and Maud A. 
Dr. Kirk is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and wife are 
both members of the Society of Friends. 

CAPT. THOMAS M. KIRKPATRICK, Collector of Internal Reve- 
nue for the Eleventh District, is one of the representative pioneers of Indi- 
ana. He is a native of Ohio, where he was born in Brown County May 2, 
1820. His father, James Kirkpatrick, was a native of West Virginia. His 
grandfather, Andrew Kirkpatrick, was born in Scotland, and, emigrating 
to America, with two brothers, before the Revolution, participated in the 
struggle for independence, one of the brothers (David) being killed at the 
battle of Bunker Hill. Andrew married, in Maryland, Elizabeth Bowen^ 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 345 

and removed to West Virginia, subsequently becoming a pioneer of Ohio. 
Here, in the war of 1812, James, with several brothers, enlisted, and 
served in the campaign on the Ohio border. James subsequently was 
married to Mary Kincaid, the daughter of another Ohio pioneer, and re- 
mained a resident of Brown County until his death in 1828. In 1834, the 
mother of Thomas, with six children, emigrated to Indiana, Montgomery 
County, where lived Absalom Kirkpatrick, a brother of James. Thomas 
received educational advantages, such as the pioneer times afforded, and as- 
sisted his uncle in farming. After spending several years in various 
occupations, chiefly farming, he was married, April 1, 1841, to Miss Mar- 
garet J. Baldwin, who was born January 27, 1824, her parents being 
William A. and Amy (Crooks) Baldwin. In August, 1843, our subject 
came to explore the "Reserve," and after a thorough examination he 
decided to fix his claim upon the land upon which he now lives. Here 
he built a log cabin, and on the 13th of November of the same year, 
he brought his young wife. Upon this land he has resided up to the 
present time, clearing up a large farm, which he has improved, 
until to-day it is one of the most valuable in Howard County. Capt. 
Kirkpatrick has assisted in the development and improvement of the 
county, as much as any man living within its borders. He took a lead- 
ing interest in the organization of Pete's Run Gravel road, and has acted 
as Secretary of this association since its organization, and is at the pres- 
ent time its heaviest stockholder. He subscribed $500 for the first rail- 
road enterprise, when heavily involved for his land, and was a contractor 
upon this road, clearing the timber for the track. Having been for the 
greater portion of his life engaged in agricultural pursuits, he has 
taken active interest in the County Agricultural Society, and advocates 
progressive ideas upon this most important of all industries. Until 1874, 
his farm was included in Clay Township, but upon petition, he was set ofi* 
into Centre Township. While a resident of Clay Township, he served in 
various offices of trust, being Trustee several terms. Capt. Kirkpatrick 
has been a Republican in politics since the organization of that party, 
and has been honored by many offices by his fellow-citizens. In 1852, 
he was elected Sherifi" of the county, and in 1865 and 1866 he 
served as County Commissioner, and for three terms has represented 
Howard County in the State Legislature, from 1870 to 1874, during 
which the re-districting of the State was defeated by the Republicans, and 
he also supported the resolution in regard to the amendment of the constitu- 
tion, prohibiting future legislation concerning the bonds of the "Wabash 
& Erie Canal;" this was passed by the House, and subsequently by 
the vote of the people was carried. In 1878, he was again elected, and 
served one term. In 1883, Capt. Kirkpatrick was appointed by President 



346 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Arthur as Collector of Internal Revenue for the Eleventh District, and 
was promptly confirmed by the United States Senate. He entered upon 
the duties of this office the 31st of March, 1883. In all of the instances 
when his name has been mentioned for public offices, it has been done un- 
solicited by him, and his 'success is due to the fact that through the long 
years of his residence in the county, he has been true to the highest 
principles of honest integrity. Capt. Kirkpatrick resides upon his pleas- 
ant farm, with his faithful wife, who has ably assisted him in all the 
struggles and trials of his life. Nothing can be more appropriate to 
close this sketch than a brief outline of the gallant service of Capt. Kirk- 
patrick during the late war. Before the outbreak of the rebellion, 
Thomas J. Harrison, Barnabas Busby and himself had met at Kokomo 
and mutually pledged each other that, if the threatened cloud of war 
should break, they would each go together, regardless of pay or position. 
Upon learning of the fall of Fort Sumter, Capt. Kirkpatrick hastened 
to Kokomo, but found that Harrison had already surrounded himself with 
150 men. Kirkpatrick and Busby would have been equally prompt, but 
being busy upon their farms, did not receive the intelligence as soon as 
Harrison. Capt. Kirkpatrick and Busby went with Harrison to Indi- 
anapolis, and there being too many men in the latter's company, it was 
divided, and Harrison and Kirkpatrick elected Captains. Associated with 
the latter was Busby as First Lieutenant, and N. P. Richmond as Sec- 
ond Lieutenant. Capt. Kirkpatrick received his commission to date 
from April 23, 1861, and May 12 his company (C) was assigned to 
the Twelfth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. In order to enter the three 
years' service, he was, by permission of Gov. Morton, transferred to the 
Thirteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, fifty-five of his men following 
him ; they were formed, with recruits, as Company E, June 18, being 101 
strong, and were mustered in for three years' service. Space will not 
permit us to relate of the many battles and engagements of this regi- 
ment, but througli this long period Capt. Kirkpatrick led his company 
gallantly, often having command. He participated in all of the engage- 
ments of his regiment, which has a record that the pages of history will 
forever perpetuate. At the close of his service, he returned to his home, 
receiving an honorable discharge. Soon after, in April, 1865, he was 
asked by Congressman Stillwell to organize the One Hundred and Fifty- 
third Indiana Volunteer Infantry from this district (Eleventh), as Colonel; 
this he hastened to do, but upon arriving at Indianapolis the sur- 
render of Lee prevented the fruition of this plan, and Capt. Kirkpatrick 
returned to his home, rejoicing, as did every true American, at the close 
of this gigantic struggle. Capt. Kirkpatrick had, early in the spring of 
1865, been appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the One Hundred and Forty- 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 34 7 

seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which he declined. To the im- 
portant office which he has now been appointed, Capt Kirkpatrick takes 
the entire confidence of his fellow-citizens. All honor to the brave sol- 
dier and the man who has been true to all public and private trusts. 

LEX J. KIRKPATRICK was born in Rush County, Ind., Sep- 
tember 6, 1853, and when but four months old, his parents, Stephen and 
Rebecca (Jackson) Kirkpatrick, who are both natives of Rush County, 
Ind., removed to this county, locating near Greentown. Five years 
later, they removed into Taylor Township, where the son assisted his 
father upon the farm until fifteen years of age, when he entered Oska- 
loosa (Iowa) College for one year. The family then moved to Kokomo, 
and in January, 1871, L. J. entered Howard College, remaining until 
June, 1873, Avhen he became a law student in the office of Hendry & 
Elliott. The following winter, he taught school six months, in How- 
ard Township. He then studied law in the same office until October, 
1874, when he entered the Central Law School at Indianapolis, graduat- 
ing from that institution in June, 1875. He and Mr. Thomas, of Rush- 
ville, represented the class at this commencement. He then returned 
home, was admitted to the bar, and soon after formed a partnership with 
James F. Elliott, of Kokomo, and has since been practicing law in How- 
ard and adjoining counties. In the fall of 1881, he was appointed Master 
Commissioner, by Judge N. R. Overman, of the Thirty-sixth Judicial 
Circuit, which position he is filling now. He is Secretary of the Demo- 
ocratic Central Committee, and he is also a member of the I. 
0. 0. F. September 22, 1881, he was married to Miss Emma M. 
Palmer, of Adrian, Mich., the daughter of Stephen and Lucretia (Sa- 
ville) Palmer. Stephen Palmer was a native of New York State, and 
his wife of Indiana. Both were of Scotch descent. Mr. Kirkpatrick 
has been an active member of the bar each term of the Circuit Court 
since he commenced practice. He has been a member ot the Christian 
Church since January, 1868, and was an active worker in the Young 
Men's Christian Association for a number of years. 

A. B. KIRKPATRICK, attorney, is the second in a family of five 
children born to William and Sarah (Walker) Kirkpatrick, the former a 
native of Union County, Ind., the latter of North Carolina, and of Eng- 
lish and Scotch extraction. Mr. A. B. Kirkpatrick was born in Hen- 
dricks County, Ind., March 17, 1855, and was reared upon the farm. 
He graduated at Butler University in the summer of 1878, and in the 
spring of 1880 received his diploma in the Central Law School of Indi- 
ana. He began the practice of his profession in Kokomo, Ind., where 
he is still located. He is also one of the editors of the Kokomo Qazette. 



348 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

JOHN M. LEACH is a son of Elijah C. and Annis (Bird) Leach, 
and was born in Litchfield County, Conn., June 19, 1844. When quite 
young, he removed with his parents to Highland County, Ohio, where 
his father was employed by the Cincinnati & Marietta Railroad Company, 
for about two years. In 1854, the family came to Indiana, and settled 
in Kokomo, where John M. matured to manhood, and was educated. 
Upon the breaking-out of the war, he was appointed Veterinary Sur- 
geon, by E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War. He served in that capacity 
until the close of the rebellion, being discharged at Fort Leavenworth, 
Kan., in 18G5. He returned to Kokomo and engaged in the livery and 
brick trades with H. J. Owings. They continued business about 
seven years and then dissolved partnership. Mr. Leach became asso- 
ciated with another partner, under the firm of Hinton & Leach, in the 
livery, brick and ice trades, continuing for two years, when the firm dis- 
solved. Since that time, Mr. Leach has been carrying on the brick and 
ice business alone. He is doing a prosperous trade, and is one of the 
progressive business men of Kokomo. He has served upon the City 
Council for two years. Mr. Leach was married in Kokomo, Ind., De- 
cember 9, 1867, to Miss Mary E. Pitner, of Pennsylvania. She died 
March 25, 1875, leaving two children — Nettie R. and Howard H. Mr. 
Leach is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., and politically he is a Democrat. 

TENCE LINDLEY, Ditch Commissioner, was born in Clinton Coun- 
ty, Ohio, June 11, 1809. His parents, James and Susanah (Stout) Lind- 
ley, natives of North Carolina, were of German descent. A few years 
after their marriage they came to Ohio, and in 1811 located in Wayne 
County, Ind., finally locating on Green Fork Creek, where they entered 
land. This Mr. Lindley sold, and entered land on West River, where 
he was the only settler, having no neighbors for miles around. In the 
spring of 1847, he removed to this county and again began a pioneer life. 
He died in 1857, at the age of seventy-two years. His wife survived 
only a short time, dying within two or three years. Tence Lind- 
ley was reared on the frontier, receiving a limited education from the 
pioneer schools. He assisted his father on the fiirm until he was married 
in 1829, to Miss Martha Baltimore, of W^ayne County, Ind., but a native 
of Ohio, when he moved into a log cabin on a farm of forty-six acres. 
He remained there twelve years, when he sold and located in Henry 
County, where he tilled the soil until 1845 ; in February, he moved with 
his family six miles east of Kokomo, purchased a claim of 145 acres for 
$120, and experienced most of the privations of a new country. He in- 
creased his farm to 200 acres, having 100 improved. Later, he sold and 
located six miles west of Kokomo, on what is known as the Twin Spring 
Farm, and four years later, renting his farm, he removed to Kokomo, 



CITY OF KOKOMO. Md 

where he has since lived. For years after this, he was proprietor of a 
livery and sale stable. During the war, he did an extensive business, 
after which he retired from this business and since has been dealing in 
real estate. In 1849, he was elected County Commissioner, serving six 
years. He was elected the third time, but resigned. He has been Citv 
Commissioner for years. In May, 1882, he was appointed Ditch Com- 
missioner by the court, which position he is now holding. Mrs. Martha 
Lindley died in 1851, leaving four children — Ashbury, a farmer of St. 
Joseph County, Ind., Susanna, the wife of Snyder White, of Kokomo, 
Mary J. and Joseph, both deceased. Mr. Lindley was next married in 
1852, to Mrs. Margaret Honey, of Kentucky. She died in two years, 
leaving one son, John F., who was killed near La Porte by the cars, while 
employed as brakeman. His third marriage was to Mrs. Electa Living- 
ston, who died in 1874, after which he married his present wife, Mrs. 
Harriet Comstock, of Kokomo. 

JUDGE N. R. LINSDAY was born March 4, 1815, in Ononda^ra 
County, N. Y., and when but four years old, his parents moved to Law- 
renceburg, Ind., and one year later his father settled on Government 
land in Madison County, where he lived until his death in 1823. His 
mother then settled in Dearborn County, where she reared her family of 
six children. Judge Linsday, when but twelve years old, went to Madi- 
son County and lived with his grandfather, Nathaniel Richmond, an old 
Revolutionary soldier and pensioner. Here Mr. Linsday worked on the 
farm in the summer and went to school during the winter until he was 
eighteen years of age. In 1833, he learned the plasterer's trade, and 
worked at this and farming a number of years. March 10, 183G, he was 
married to Miss Rachel Shaul, daughter of Aaron and Anne Shaul, of 
Madison County, Ind. In 1839, Mr. Linsday was elected Justice of the 
Peace of Fall Creek Township, Madison County, which office he held 
until 1843, Avhen he resigned, and accepted the nomination by the Whig 
party for Representative of Madison County, but was defeated by the 
Democratic candidate in a Democratic county. During these last years, 
he had studied law and taught a few terras of school. In 1842, he pur- 
chased his first law books, four volumes of Blackstone. In the fall of 
1844, he came to this county on horseback, and while here attended 
the first court of Howard County, held six miles west of Kokomo, at the 
residence of Thomas H. Harrison. Long and Ervin were the Judt^es. 
He returned home, but soon came back in company with Dr. Richmond 
and Dr. James Barrett. They purchased a few lots in Kokomo and built 
three log cabins, finishing them on the last day of December. The fol- 
lowing May, Mr. Linsday moved his family to Kokomo. He wrote the 
first deed ever given east of the boundary line. In 1845. he opened a 



350 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

law office, and in the May term of court, he acquitted himself well, win- 
ning for himself a wide reputation. He gained each suit in his first 
court, and soon became the leading lawyer of Howard County. After 
the county was surveyed, he pre-empted 130 acres of land, which now 
forms a part of the city of Kokomo. In 1851, he was elected by the 
Whig party as Representative of Howard and Tipton Counties, and 
served in the first session six months, under the present constitution. In 
1852, he was nominated for Senator from Howard, Cass and Pulaski 
Counties, but was defeated. In 1856, he was elected by the Republican 
party as Circuit Judge of Howard, Tipton and Hamilton Counties, and 
was re-elected in 1864, but soon after resigned. His wife, Rachel, died 
in 1856, having been the mother of eight children, four of whom are still 
living — Lovisa E., widow of Col. Thomas Harrison ; Martha C, wife of 
Moses Childs, of Kokomo; Harry A., now a soldier in the regular army 
at Washington, having served three years in the late war; and Electa E., 
wife of Thomas A. Deland. In December, 1856, Mr. Linsday was mar- 
ried to Mrs. Julia A. Foudray, of Indianapolis, Ind. She died in 1869, 
and January 2, 1876, Mr. L. was married to his present wife, Mrs. Mal- 
vina F. Fowler, of Kokomo. Mr. L. practiced law until 1880, when he 
was elected to the State Legislature by the Republican party. He intro- 
duced fourteen bills before the House, eleven of which became laws. Mr. 
L. is now living west of the city, on forty acres of land, having retired 
from business. 

J. N. LOOP, son of Joseph M. and Margaret Loop, was born in 
Preble County, Ohio, September 25, 1845. He lived in his native county 
on a farm until he was eight years old, when he removed with his parents 
to Howard County, and located on a farm near Greentown, where his 
father still resides. He early learned the hardships of a life in the wilder- 
ness, but he availed himself of all the educational advantages of his time. 
He was a student in the common schools, in the Kokomo High School, 
and in the Northwestern College at Naperville, 111. He was an earnest 
seeker for knowledge, and having acquired a good education, began life as a 
teacher in the common schools of Howard County in 1866. He has taught 
successfully seventeen terms of school, and ranks among the oldest and best 
teachers of the county. He early learned from his father the trade of 
making grain measures. This business he has folloAved during almost 
every summer season for twenty years. He is now engaged extensively 
in this business at Kokomo, and is sole proprietor and manufacturer of 
the Hoosier Brand of Measures. During the years of 1873 and 1874, 
he traveled all over the West for the Western Publishing House of Chicago. 
Mr. Loop was married, May 30, 1878, to Miss Emma A. Johnson, daugh- 
ter of Dr. H. Johnson, of Howard County. He has always been a strong 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 351 

Republican, and he and his wife are active members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

JACOB MAAS is a native of Bavaria, Germany. He emigrated 
to America in 1853, and soon after located at Council Bluffs, Iowa, where 
he sold goods. He then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where for eleven years 
he was engaged in merchandising. In 1866, he located in Kokorao, 
where he has since resided. Mr. Maas first engaged in butchering, which 
business he continued nine years. He then carried on farming, together 
with the nursery business, in Centre Township, at which he was engaged 
nearly four years. He then returned to Kokomo and entered in the liquor 
business, wholesale and retail, which he is still running, Mr. Maas has 
in connection with his business a summer garden, in which he has a fine 
collection of rare birds and animals, embracing deer, alligators, and the 
largest bear in the State. Mr. Maas owns sixty acres of land in Union 
Township, and is one of the enterprising citizens of Kokomo. In 1866, 
he was united in marriage with Miss Jette Stern ; they have one child, 
Rosa. 

LUTHER McREYNOLDS, Sheriff of Howard County, was born 
at New Castle, Ind., September 12, 1855, and is the son of Samuel and 
Maria (Deffenbaugh) McReynolds, natives of Ohio. His parents returned 
to Ohio when our subject was but a small boy, and in 1866 the family 
came to Howard County, locating in Kokomo. Here Mr. McReynolds 
entered the high school, where i)e studied until he was twenty years of 
age. He then entered the Sheriff's office as Deputy under John E. Terrill, 
and later served as Deputy for David 0. Freeman. The third term he 
was Duputy under Alexander H. Duke, and in the spring of 1882 was 
nominated as a candidate for the office of Sheriff by the Republican par- 
ty, and was elected after a hard struggle. Mr. McReynolds is undoubt- 
edly the youngest Sheriff in the State. He is an active politician in the 
Republican party, and is an energetic young man, full of ambition, and 
ever ready to assist in all public enterprises. He is a worthy citizen in 
this community, and is a prominent member of the Good Intent Lodge, 
No. 29, Knights of Pythias. 

WILLIAM F. MANN, County Surveyor, is the younger of two 
children born to John Mann, a native of Monroe County, W. Va., and 
Barbara (Fattic) Mann, a native of Shenandoah County, Va. His parents 
came to this county in 1849, and located a half mile north of Jerome, 
where they now reside. William F, Mann was born in this county July 
16, 1852, and spent his boyhood days working on the farm and attending 
the district schools. At the age of twenty, he entered the academy at 
Spiceland, where he attended school three years, graduating in the class 
of 1877. He taught five terms of six months school, teaching in the 



352 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

winter, and studying law in the summer under Judge O'Brien and Milton 
Garrigus. This he continued for about fifteen months, after which he 
attended the Michigan University at Ann Arbor, graduating in the class 
of 1882, after which he came home and was nominated for County Sur- 
veyor on the Republican ticket ; he was elected in the following fall by a 
good mnjority. Mr. Mann is a proficient officer, a worthy citizen, and an 
active member of the Republican party. 

J. M. MATER is a son of John C. and Abalunie (Winkler) Mater, 
and was born in Germany August 2, 1833. He was educated in his na- 
tive country. He learned the tailor's trade, which he followed until 1853. 
Hoping to better his fortune, he came to America and first located in 
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked at his trade one year. He then re- 
moved to Winchester, Ind., and followed his trade one year. He returned 
to Cincinnati and worked at his trade ten years. He then came to Koko- 
mo, Ind., and became a partner with D. Friday, conducting merchant 
tailoring and gents' furnishing goods for four years. He sold his interest 
and was employed by Friday as cutter and salesman for thirteen years. 
In February, 1883, after thirty years' experience, he opened his present 
establishment, where his tables are filled with the finest fabrics, con- 
sisting of all the latest styles in French, English and American goods. 
Mr. Mater is skilled in the art and his work is guaranteed. He was mar- 
ried in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1857, to Miss Eliza Herman, a native of 
Germany. They have had eight children — Christia H., George H., Eliza, 
Annie, Clara, Ida, Nora and Nellie. Mr. M, is a member of the I. 0. 0. 
F. Politically, he is independent in his views, voting for the man, not the 
party. 

J. B. MICHENER, proprietor of the Star Machine Works, was born 
July 20, 1838, in Columbiana County, Ohio, and was the seventh of 
eight children born to James and Eliza (Rakestraw) Michener, both na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. J. B. Michener went to the common schools and 
worked on the farm until he was fifteen years old, when he began 
to learn the machinist trade, working as an apprentice three years. In 
the fall of 1859, he came to Howard County and started a saw mill. In 
1861, he enlisted in Company G, Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Vol- 
unteer Infantry, as a private. His regiment wintered in Kentucky, and 
in the spring he was honorably discharged on account of disability, when 
he came home to recruit. In the spring of 1865, he assisted in recruit- 
ing Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-second Regiment Ohio Volun- 
teer Infantry, and went out as Captain with Col. E. Ball in charge. He 
was one who received a meritorious letter from President Lincoln. He 
served until the close of the war, when he returned to Canton, Ohio, and 
the following fall came back to Kokomo, and engaged in the machine 



OITV OF KOKOMO. ^^° 



business, until 1870, when he went to Anderson and was one of the 
p! ties that established the Michener Machine Wovks. In 1874 he 
returned to Kokomo and established his present busmess in which he 
now employs twelve hands and does a business of |25 000 per annun. 
Mr. Mi!hener was married, in 1851., to Miss Mary Dunbar, of Stark 
County, Ohio. She was born January 12, 1841. Th,s un.on has been 
blessed with nine children, three of whom are living-Mol .e, F orence 
and Aceneth. Mr. and Mrs. Michener are members oft'-^Un.ed Order 
orHonor, and Mr. Michener is a memberof the I. 0. 0. ^. and Kn.ghts 
of Honor He had always been a Republican, until after Hayes elect.on 
when he joined the National party. In 1882, he was cand.date on th.s 
Ticket for County Clerk, and was defeated by 247 votes, agamst the usual 
majority of 1,000 or 1,300. Mr. Michener is one of the enterpr.smg 
bu iness men of Central Indiana, and is building up an extended trade. 

dTotEL W. MOORE was born March 7, 1836, in Bartholomew 
County Ind. He is the son of 8. H. Moore, a native of Kentucky 
and Pemilia H. (Gaines) Moore, a native of Virginia, both of English 
descent D W. Moore moved with his parents to this county, April, 
1846, where his father entered land in Centre Township. Here the son 
worked until his fathers death, in 1855, when he took charge of the farm 
until the fall of 1862. He had, during his youth, had access to the com- 
mon schools held in the pioneer schoolhouse, and by close app .cation to 
his books, he was able to teach school, beginning in the year 1857, and 
continued Bve winters, attending to the farm in the summer. He assisted 
in clearing 160 acres of land. The family suflered many of the priva- 
tions of pLeer life. The family consisted of four e^ldren thre^ sons 
and one daughter, Daniel W. being the eldest. In August 18t,2 George 
and Edwin A. enlisted in the Fifth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, and shortly 
after D W., with his mother and sister, moved to Kokomo, where Mr. 
, Moore engaged in the furniture business with R. H. Porter, and later 
with P Downs and H. Bowman, continuing in this busmess fo. three 
years when he sold out and went into the boot and shoe business. In 
May 1867, he purchased the marble works of John Welch, where he has 
been doing a business of $5,000 to $6,000 a year ever since, having steady 
employment for five men. He is the only marble man in the county, and 
his work is seen in all the border counties. He has served as Township 
Assessor two years, and Township Trustee two terms. ■ He has been one 
of the leading men in public enterprises, and an active member of the 
Republican party. Mr. Moore was married. September 8, 1863, to Miss 
Mary E. Terrell, daughter of Richard Terrell, one of the pioneer farmers 
of this county, and now seventy-three years of age. T^e result of his 
union was five children-Eva B., Cora A.. Maide M.. <>-«-/,. and 
Rollie W. Mr. and Mrs. Moore are members of the Christian Church. 



354 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

HENRY L. MORELAND, County Auditor, was born in Franklin 
County, Penn., August 8, 1824. His parents, David and Isabella (Lang) 
Moreland, were both natives of Pennsylvania. Henry L, went to school, 
and helped his father on the farm, until he was twenty-three years old, 
when he moved west to Xenia, Ohio, where he learned the cooper's trade, 
and worked for eighteen months. He then located in Middletown, Henry 
County, Ind., and worked seven years at his trade. In ]851, he moved 
to Grant County, Ind., and two years later located in Howard Township, 
this county, where he followed farming until 18ti4, when he bought eighty 
acres of land in Ervin Township. This he improved and farmed until 
1872, when he sold it, and purchased property in Kokomo. He bought 
A. J. Norton's cooper shop, employed a number of workmen, and began 
to work again at his trade. He has been interested in this business ever 
since. In the spring of 1866, he was appointed to fill a vacancy as County 
Commissioner. He was elected in the fall to fill the unexpired term. 
He was re-elected in 1877, and served four and a half years, during 
which time the present court house was built, and many other county im- 
provements were made. He was elected in 1874, and re-elected in 1878, 
to the office of County Auditor, where he has given perfect satisfaction , 
and has proved an able and efficient officer. He is a liberal supporter of 
all public enterprises, an active member of the Republican party, and a 
member of the I. 0. 0. F. and Masonic fraternity. In May, 1849, 
Mr. Moreland was married to Miss Almira J. Burr, daughter of C. H. 
Burr, of Middletown, Ind. Mrs. Moreland died in 1870, leaving five 
children, two of whom are now living — Addie E. and Henry L. In Sep- 
tember, 1870, Mr. Moreland married his second wife, Mrs. Mary M. 
Neil, of this county. Four children bless this union, two of whom are 
now living — Olive L. and Willie M. 

DR. J. R. MORGAN, dentist, was born in 1856, in Monroe County, 
Ind., and is the son of Lewis R. and Lu A. (Boyd) Morgan, both natives of 
Indiana. His father was a merchant and resident of Monroe County 
until his death, in 1857. His mother is living in Kokomo, and Dr. Mor- 
gan is the only child. He received a good academic education, and was 
engaged in mercantile pursuits until he was twenty years of age, when he 
commenced the study of dentistry at Bedford, Lawrence Co., Ind., with 
Driscoll & Glover. He continued two years as a student, since which 
time he has been engaged in the practice of his profession in Bedford, Ind., 
Bellefontaine, Ohio, and in 1882 came to Kokomo. He purchased the 
dental office of Frank Andrews, where he has since been doing a large 
and increasing business. Dr. Morgan is well versed in his profession, and 
is an exemplary young man and a worthy member of the Christian 
Church. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 355 

RICHARD NIXON was born in North Carolina September 1, 1820, 
and was the seventh of a family of eight children born to Jacob and Je- 
mima (Walker) Nixon, both natives of South Carolina. They were reared 
in North Carolina, and there were married in 1804. They lived there 
until 1830, when they moved to Wayne County, Ind., and the following 
fall located in Henry County. Of the family of eight children, only two 
are living — Richard, and Jesse, a druggist of New Castle. Jacob Nixon 
spent the last ten years of his life with his son Richard. He died April 
21, 1874, at the age of ninety-two. His wife died July 25, 1844, aged 
fifty-eighf. They lived consistent Christian lives. Richard Nixon worked 
on his father's farm and attended the common schools until he was nine- 
teen, when he taught a terra of three months. He was married, Septem- 
ber 23, 1841, to Miss Asenath H. Wickersham, of Henry County. She 
was born in Wayne County January 2, 1821. Two children blessed 
this union — Louisa, and Mary E., wife of John A. Ellis, of Kokomo. Mr. 
Nixon farmed in Henry County until September, 1845, when he located 
at New London, Howard County, where he erected a business room, 18x44, 
in which he placed a general stock of goods, worth §64.00. He contin- 
ued increasing his stock and remained in business until 1861, increasing 
his business to over $10,000 per year. Afterward he lived in Richmond 
one year, and in 1865 located in Kokomo, engaging in the dry goods 
business in company with his brother, under the firm name of R. Nixon 
& Co., with a stock of $17,000. In 1869, Richard Nixon became suc- 
cessor to this firm, with a stock of $24,000, where he continued until 
1871, when he sold out and then purchased a $12,800 farm, one mile 
east of Kokomo. He afterward engaged in the boot and shoe business 
for two years, with his son-in-law, and in 1873 retired from business, and 
took charcre of his brother's estate, as administrator. He is now a stockholder 
in the Howard National Bank, and has 240 acres of good farm land, together 
with good city property. He is worth $30,000. He was County Commis- 
sioner of Howard County one term, and has been Trustee of the Kokomo 
City Schools eleven yeax's. He is Vice President of the Howard National 
Bank and a Director of the same. He cast his first vote for Gen. Harrison, 
in 1840. He is a Republican, and he and his family are members of the 
Friends' Church, and his daughter Emily is a recorded minister in this 
church. Mrs. Nixon is the daughter of J. and Mary Wickersham, both 
natives of North Carolina. This family located in Wayne County, Ind., 
in 1816, and in 1823 moved to Henry County, where Mr. Wickersham 
died. His wife spent the latter part of her life in Howard County, and 
died in 1855. They reared a family of five children, four of whom are 
yet living. 

HON. JAMES O'BRIEN was born in Brown County, Ohio, in 1828, 
and assisted upon the farm until he became a man. He was the son 



^56 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of John and Eleanor (McClugen) O'Brien, natives of Virginia and Penn- 
sylvania, and of Scoth descent. James had access to the schools 
in the country, and received a good common school education. At 
the age of eighteen, he began teaching, which profession he followed 
at intervals for six years. In 1849, while teaching, he began the study 
of law, and three years later he was admitted to the bar in Madison 
County. His parents moved to Hancock County, when he was but a 
child, and in 1830 they removed into Marion County, near Indianapolis. 
Jiimes began the practice of law in Madison County, in 1852, and in 
the same year removed to Hamilton County, where he remained for nine- 
teen years, practicing all the time, except during the four years from 1855 
to 1859, when he filled the ofiice of Clerk of the Court, having been 
elected on the Republican ticket. In 1871, he located in Kokomo, hav- 
ing been appointed to fill the vacancy of Judge Davis, of Anderson, in 
February, 1871, and served as Circuit Judge for three years, after which 
he resumed the practice of law. He has been one of the leading attor- 
neys of Howard County ever since. He pleaded for the defense on two 
of the prominent murder trials of this county. He was a member of the 
State Legislature in 1863, from Hamilton and Tipton Counties. In 1880, 
he was one of the State Electors, that cast a vote for James A. Garfield. 
He has been an active politician all his life, casting his first Presidential 
vote for John C. Fremont. He was married. May 8, 1854, to Miss 
Charlotte L. Lindsey of Noblesville, Ind. Six children have blessed 
this union — Lucy, the wife of Dr. Moulder; John L., book-keeper and 
painter, at Santa Fe, Kan.; Jessie, deceased ; William Grant, civil 
engineer ; Margaret E. and James A. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien are mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. O'Brien is a Royal 
Arch Mason. 

THEOPHILUS C. PHILIPS (deceased), one of Indiana's leading 
journalists, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, February 5, 1827, and 
was the fourth of eleven children born to farmer parents. He received 
a good common school education, which was supplemented by a college 
course at Delaware, Ohio, where he graduated when scarcely out of 
his teens. In 1848, he settled in Hamilton County, Ohio, where he 
engaged in the drug business. He was married in Hamilton July 
81, 1849, to Miss Frances Julia Freeman, and in 1852, with his 
family, removed to Wayne County, where for one year he was engaged at 
farming. He then returned to Hamilton and traveled for a Cincinnati 
house for about one year. In 1854, Mr. Philips removed to Howard 
County, and established a grocery store in Kokomo, which he conducted 
until 1856, when he was elected Justice of the Peace. In 1857, he em- 
barked upon his journalistic career, which he never relinquished until his 



CITY OF KOKOMO. ^'-^' 

dying hour, and in which he attained a fame which extended all over the 
adjacent States. January 14, 1857, the first "-^er of the ff.»..^ 
cLm Tribune was issued, with Mr. Phd.ps as sole ed.tor Th„ pape 
soon became a power in directing the affairs of the town of Kokomo and 
Howard County, and subsequently was admitted to be one of the lead ng 
iournals of the State. It was from time to time enlarged, and all the 
Lee and vigor of its editor were expended upon its columns madvocat.ng 
all public enterprises calculated to promote the growth and develop the 
county and State in which he had made his home. The he.ght to wh.ch 
Mr Philips attained was in some degree remarkable, and was only ob- 
tained by unwearying attention and devotion to his chosen profess.on He 
Ira stron. partisan, but retained and commanded the respect of h>s 
political adversaries. In 1861, Mr. Philips was appointed Postmaster of 
Kokomo by President Lincoln, which ofBee he held untd 18bb, when he 
e tn™ to'accept the Special Mail Agency of the State o Ind.ana, wh.ch 
position was tendered him by Postmaster General Randall. Th,s pos.t^n 
he filled until 1868, when he resigned. Daring these yea«, he was st.ll 
interested in the Tribune, and a constant writer for ,ts columns. A a 
politician, he enjoyed a deservedly high reputat.on and «- »- » f; 
eaders of the Republican party in the county and State. At the t,me ot 
his death he was one of the oldest editors in continuous serv.ee m U e 
State and his ability was everywhere recognized and respected Mi. 
Philips, in personal address, was genial, courteous and unvaryingly con- 
siderate He was a member of both the Masonic and Odd Fellow fVa- 
ternities, but not ,an active worker during his later years. Atnong the 
n y ar icles from his pen, those entitled " Town Talk "By the Way- 
"de" and "What shall we do with the Girls," gave h„n a wme reputa- 
tion, and were extensively copied by the press of Indiana and other Staes. 
It is but justice, right and truth to say that every ™F°™7"Y.f , "' 
educatiomd interest. reUgious and charitable undertakmg, fo^d " ^'» 
a constant and true champion, and that h,s ah, it.es were capable of 
assuming the chief editorial chair of any metropolitan daily ne»spape. 
in the c^untrv. Jlay 25, 1875, Mr. Philips was stricken w,th paralysis 
but his vigor^s constitution baffled death, and he soon recuperated He 
re.«raedWs editorial work, which was foithfuUy continued untd July 4 
1878, when he was again attacked and passed quietly »"'' P^:><=^f" •' 
awav. His wife died December 4, 1876. Mr. and ^I-- P'""?' l-J 
four' children-A. F., Mary, Cl.arles H. (deceased) and William R. 

A F PHILIPS of the Kokomo Satwdaij Tribune, is a native ot 
Ohio,' where he was born in 1850. He received his early education in 
the common schools, and later entered his fiither's printing office in Koko- 
mo wliere he learned the practical duties of the " art preservative, soon be- 



358 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

coming an assistant editor. In 1866, he was appointed in the railroad 
mail service as route agent from Indianapolis to Peru, which position he 
held for two years. In 1870, ho was admitted and became assistant 
editor of the Tribune. In 1871, he received the appointment of Post- 
master of the city of Kokomo, retaining this office for six years, when 
he resigned and accepted an appointment as special agent of the Post 
Office Department; this position he held until 1878, when he resigned, 
on account of the health of his father, and with his brother, C. H. Philips 
devoted his time to the exclusive management of the Tribune. His 
brother dying in 1881, Mr. Philips became sole editor and proprietor, 
and conducted the paper alone until December, 1882, when he admitted 
his brother, W. R. Philips, and the business has since been conducted 
under the firm name of A. F. & VV. R. Philips. Mr. Philips is a fluent 
and ready writer, and under his management the Tribune has flourished 
and retained the prominence attained for it by his father. He is a lead- 
ing member of the Republican party, and belongs to the Masonic and 
K. of P. fraternities. Mr. Philips was married in 1870 to Miss Irena 
Bailey, daughter of James L. Bailey, of Kokomo ; they have four children 
living — Grace, Jessie, Julia and Maggie — and one deceased — Freddie. 

CHARLES PIOWARD PHILIPS, whose brilliant life went out in 
its morning, was born in Kokomo June 6, 1856. He received a good 
education, and inheriting a taste for journalism from his father, he entered 
the printing office in his childhood. When but thirteen years of age, he 
began editing and publishing The Junior, which lie continued until 1871, 
when he became a partner with his father, and junior editor of the 
Tribune, which position he retained until his death. During the Con- 
gress of 1874-75, he was appointed clerk of the Senate Committee on 
Pensions, and held this position during the term. He was a journalist 
of more than ordinary force, and in many respects a reflex of his father, 
his individuality being strongly marked, and in his love for his profession 
giving his whole soul to its requirements. His views were broad and he 
gave an impetus to State literature that will not soon be forgotten. The 
"Home Department" of the Tribune was established by him, and 
through his earnest efforts many of the leading writers of the day became 
contributors. He was a brilliant Avriter, and that he would have attaine 
to the foremost rank in journalism and literature, the high position 
accorded him full well attests. His desire to retain the high character, 
established by his father, of the Tribune, led him to confine himself too 
closely, and his constitution soon became weakened. In July, 1880, he 
was prostrated by fever, from the eff'ects of which he never recovered. 
October 17, 1878, he was united in marriage with Miss Kate Kennedy, 
a lovely and accomplished young lady, daughter of Peter B. Kennedy, 



CITY OF KOKO.MO. 359 

one of the pioneers of Howard County. This union was a most happy 
one, and there lives were passed in perfect trust. In the fill of 1880, 
our subject, with his wife, went to Florida, thinking the climate might 
prove beneficial. Here a child was born to them, but at the fearful sacri- 
fice of the mother's life, who died March 9, 1881. With this terrible 
shadow upon his life, he returned to his home with his child, and on May 
31, 1881, the child rejoined its mother. Under his bereavements he 
bore up bravely, but consumption had fastened upon his weakened system 
and November 5, 1881, a life went out that was beautiful with all the 
graces that adorn manhood. 

CAPT. W. W. PEARCE is a son of John P. and Maria (Noon) 
Pearce, the former of Cornwall, England, the latter of South Wales. 
They came to America, in 1819, and settled in Vermont; from thence 
they went to Ohio, and finally to Indiana in 1852. Capt. Pearce was 
born in Vermont September 26, 1819, where he was reared till twelve 
years old, when he removed with his parents to Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 
He completed his studies at Newburg, in 1838, after which he was a 
sailor on Lake Erie for one year. He was then employed as mate on the 
Ohio River for two years, running from Louisville, Ky., to New Orleans. 
He then purchased and ran a canal boat on the Wabash & Erie Canal 
for about fifteen years. He sold out and located at Peru, Ind., and en- 
gaged in the liquor trade for about ten years. In 1875, he came to 
Kokomo, and has since been carrying on the liquor business. He is also 
engaged in farming. His estate lies four miles south of Kokomo, and 
contains 101 acres of fine improved land. He was married at Attica, 
Ind., January 15, 1855, to Miss Eliza Holbrook, of New York, She 
died October 17, 1878. He married his present wife, Miss Maggie E. 
Petley, October 30, 1879. Capt. Pearce is a stanch Republican, and is 
a member of the F. & A. M. 

COL. ELIJAH W. PENNY, one of Indiana's gallant soldiers, was 
born April 21, 1840, in Carroll County, Ind., and was the fourth of 
seven children born to John T. Penny, a native of South Carolina, and 
Deborah (Westfall) Penny, born in Ohio. His father came to Ohio in 
1816, when be Avas only eight years old, and in 1838 located in Indiana. 
He is a carpenter by trade, and now lives in Calhoun County, Iowa. Col. 
Penny came to Howard County in the fall of 1840. He lived on the 
farm until he was sixteen years of age, when he learned and worked at 
the carpenter's trade in this county. He traveled through the United States 
during 1859 and 1860, after which he returned to Howard, and 
enlisted in the Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a private. 
He served three months in West Virginia, when he re-enlisted in Company 
D, Thirty-ninth Regiment, August 2, 1861, serving three years as 



360 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Sergeant. He raised Company A, One Hundred and Thirtieth Regiment, 
in the fall of 1863 ; was chosen First Lieutenant October, 1863 ; Captain 
January 20, 1864 ; Major, June 28, 1864 ; and Lieutenant Colonel, 
September 14, 1864. He served in the Department of the Cumberland, 
Twenty-third Army Corps, Army of the Ohio. He was wounded six times 
during the war ; four flesh wounds, and August 6, 1864, while on the 
right of Atlanta, Ga., in a charge, lost his right arm near the shoulder, 
and was wounded through the right side, the ball passing through the 
muscles of the back, fracturing one rib and the spine. Col. Penny was 
out of the field but sixty days with both wounds, when he returned to his 
regiment and served in front until the close of the war. He was present 
at the surrender of Joseph E. Johnston, at Greensboro, N. C, and 
commanded a post at Charlotte, N. C, after the surrender. He was in 
every battle and skirmish his regiment engaged in, and was discharged 
with his regiment, December 14, 1865. He was the only soldier from 
Indiana that kept the field with such severe wounds, for which the Gen- 
eral Assembly voted him thanks. He was in the following battles: Philippi, 
Laurel Hill, Cheat River, Munfordsville, Potato Hill, Buzzard Roost, 
Tunnel Hill, Dalton, Resaca, Smoky Creek Gap, Altoona Mountain, 
Cassville, Ga., Big Shanty, Burnt Hickory, Marietta, Decatur, siege 
of Atlanta, Stone Mount, Waverly, Centerville, Pine Creek, Nashville, 
and Kingston, N. C. Mr. Penny was married January 25, 1866, to 
Sarah J. Williams, daughter of John W. and Elizabeth Williams, His 
wife was born in Fulton County, Ind., March 20, 1848. He engaged in 
the livery business at Kentland, Ind., and in February, 1866, soldout and 
moved to Galveston, Cass County, where he carried on the tobacco trade. 
In 1872, he moved on a farm in Howard County, and in 1876 he located 
in Kokomo, where he has since been engaged in selling marble. Mr. and 
Mrs. Penny have two children — Edwin A., born January 17, 1867, and 
Rosella 0., born May 18, 1873. 

NATHAN PICKETT, President of the Howard National Bank, 
was born in Chatham County, N. C, October 26, 1818. When he was 
ten years of age, he removed with his parents to Parke County, Ind., 
where he was reared and educated. Later he was employed as clerk at 
Annapolis, Parke County, about five years, after which he turned his 
attention to farming. This he followed for about six years, when he 
opened a general merchandise store at Annapolis, and continued in busi- 
ness there for fifteen years. Mr. Pickett was a successful merchant, and 
did a thriving business. He again returned to farming, having purchased 
his father's place, and in 1875 was elected President of the First National 
Bank at Rockford, Ind., holding the position one year. In 1878, he 
located in Kokomo, and in July, 1878, the Howard National Bank was 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 361 

organized, with a capital stock of $100,000. Mr. Pickett was chosen as 
President of this bank, which position he has held since, proving himself 
an efficient officer. He was married in Parke County, Ind., November 
18, 1841, to Miss Harriet E. Carter, of North Carolina. By this 
union they have eight children. Mr. Pickett is the wealthiest citizen of 
Kokomo. He has accumulated a fine estate, owning a fine farm near 
Annapolis, also a farm in Morgan County, this State, besides his 
property in Kokomo. He is an old and worthy citizen, is a liberal con- 
tributor to all public improvements and benevolent enterprises, and is 
one of the most prominent members of the Society of Friends. 

J. C. PICKETT, of the firm of Armstrong, Pickett & Co., was 
born in Parke County, Ind., January 24, 1852. His father, Nathan 
Pickett, a banker and a capitalist of Kokomo, and his mother, Harriet 
(Carter) Pickett, are both natives of North Carolina. Mr. J. C. Pickett 
passed his early years in his native county, attending the schools of Parke 
County, subsequently completing his studies at Bloomingdale Academy, 
in 1870. After two years passed at agricultural pursuits, he, in 1872, 
came to Kokomo, and became a partner of the firm of Armstrong, Nixon 
& Co., now Armstrong, Pickett & Co., one of the leading hardware firms 
of Indiana. To this institution, Mr. Pickett has since devoted his en- 
ergies and business qualifications. He possesses superior business attri- 
butes, and is a valued member of the firm. Mr. Pickett was united in 
marriage, October 18, 1878, to Miss Louisa Lindley, daughter of Charles 
and Rhoda (Dyke) Lindley. They have one child — Emma. Mr. Pickett 
is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and K. of P., and in politics a Repub- 
lican. 

M. M. PREBLE is a native of Kentucky, and was born February 
7, 1805. He was the second of eight children born to Benjamin B. and 
Lucretia (Marshall) Preble, both natives of Maryland, and of English 
descent. His parents were married in Kentucky, in 1800, and in 1807 
removed north into Piqua County, Ohio, and ten years later moved to 
Preble County, Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their days. 
Benjamin B. died October, 1837, and his wife in 1826. M. M. Preble 
spent his boyhood days working on his father's farm, and going to the 
common schools. May 8, 1823, he was married to Miss Hannah 
Marshall, of Preble County, Ohio. She was born December 23, 1807, 
in Kentucky. Five children have blessed this union — Debora, Philip M., 
Benjamin B., Jr., Elizabeth and Magaret A. Soon after Mr. Preble 
was man-ied, he began farming on rented land, but two years later he 
purchased fifty-three acres of timber land, on which he erected a log 
cabin. Through industry this farm was improved and enlarged to 119 
acres, on which was erected a good brick house and barn. In 1853, he 



362 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

sold this land, and moved westward, again locating on wild land in Cen- 
tre Township, Howard County, Ind. This farm is now part of the city 
of Kokorao. This was his second start in life as a pioneer, and he was 
successful. He soon had a farm of eighty acres here, and 120 else- 
where. He has since sold both farms, and is now enjoying a quiet life at 
his home on West Washington street in this city. Mrs. Hannah Preble 
died in 1858, at the age of fifty-one. Mr. Preble was again married in 
1861, to Mrs. Hhoda E. (Collins) Gordon, who was born August 19, 
1818, in Preble County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Preble are both prominent 
members of the Christian Church. Mr. Preble was first a Whig, and 
afterward joined the Republican party. He is a liberal supporter of all 
public enterprises and improvements. His first purchase of land cost him 
^15, and twenty years after he sold it for $186 per acre. 

JOHN L. PUCKETT, editor of the Christian Indicator, was born 
January 22, 1847, in Howard County, Ind. He was the third son of six 
children born to Henry L. and Elizabeth Puckett, both natives of Ohio, 
and of English descent. H. L. Puckett was married in Henry County, 
Ind., and in 1846 located near Russiaville, this county, where he worked 
at blacksmithing and farming. In 1864, he went West; spent two years 
in Iowa, then he located in Richland County, Wis., where he still lives 
and works at his trade. John L. Puckett assisted his father on the farm 
and in the blacksmith shop, going to school in the winter until he was 
thirteen years old, when he enlisted in Company E, Fortieth Regi- 
ment Indiajia Volunteer Infantry, at La Fayette, Ind., as a drummer 
boy, and later as a regular soldier. He participated in the battles of 
Shiloh and Perryville, and with the Army of the Cumberland ; he was in 
the battles of Stone River, Mission Ridge, Chattanooga, and at Kenesaw 
Mountain he was wounded by a gunshot. In 1865, he again joined his 
regiment at Iluntsville, Ala., when they went into Texas, where they re- 
mained until December, and in January, 1866, he was honorably dis- 
charged at Indianapolis, Ind.; upon his return home, he went to Tampico, 
Ind., and worked at brick-making in the summer and studied medicine in 
the winter. He, in 1872, entered the Indiana Medical College, and the 
following spring began to practice in Cassville, this county, establishing 
a good practice. In 1875, he went back to his medical college and com- 
pleted the course, graduating in the spring of 1876, when he again re- 
turned to his practice. Mr. Puckett has for the last ten years been pas- 
tor of the Christian Church at Cassville, with which denomination he 
has been connected for many years. Since December 1, 1881, he has 
been editing the Christian Indicator. This paper is published in the 
interest of the old Christian Church, and now has a circulation of 2,000 
copies. Mr. Puckett was married in 1866 to Miss Mary J. Golding, of 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 363 

Howard County. She was born December 6, 1849. Four children have 
been born to them — William 0., Cora May, Charles C, and Omer, de- 
ceased. I\Ir. Puckett is a Master Mason, a member of the Grand Army 
of the Republic, and one of the leading men of the county. 

W, B. RAY was born in Wabash, Ind., October 6, 1847, and is the 
son of Joseph H. and Mary P. (Myers) Ray, natives of Ohio, and early 
settlers of Wabash, where they still live. After a preparatory course in 
his native town, W. B. Ray entered college at Crawfordsville, where he 
completed his studies in 1866. He then for a year engaged in the book 
and stationery business at Wabash, but disposed of his stock and was soon 
after appointed Deputy County Auditor ; eighteen months later, he was 
appointed Deputy Recorder, and two years thereafter filled the position 
of Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court, one term, and then, because of ill 
health, retired from active business for some time. In June, 1877, he 
located at Kokomo, where he has compiled a full set of abstract books, 
and now possesses the only complete set in the county. In February, 
1864, he enlisted in the Fourteenth Indiana Light Artillery and took 
part in engagements at Baldwin's Cross Roads (where he was wounded in 
the right temple) and Ripley, Miss.; ait Nashville, Franklin and Colum- 
bia, Tenn., and at Fort Blakeley and Spanish Fort, Ala. He was mar- 
ried at Wabash, Ind., to Louisa Phillips, of Ohio, daughter of Robert 
and Elizabeth (Medburg) Phillips, the former a native of Pennsylvania, 
and the latter of the Buckeye State. He has had born to him four chil- 
dren — Charles M., Clara M., JohnF. and Maud. Mr. Ray has taken an 
active part in developing the public highways of Howard County, and 
has made preliminary surveys of all its gravel roads ; he is a Republican, 
and is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and of the G. A. R. 

LEVI P. RICH, County Recorder, was born September 27, 1848, 
in Hamilton County, Ind. He is the son of Thomas H. and Betsey 
D. (Peacock) Rich, both natives of North Carolina, and of English de- 
scent. Thomas Rich came to Hamilton County with his parents in 1833, 
where he lived until 1849, when he located in Monroe Township, Howard 
County. Here he cleared 120 acres of land, and reared a family of six 
children, Levi P. being the only son. In October, 1869, he moved to 
Kokomo, where he lived until his death, April 18, 1873. His wife (aged 
sixty-seven) still lives in this city. Levi P. Rich worked on the farm 
until he was twenty-one, when he had the misfortune to lose his left arm 
while working in Hunt Brothers' planing'mill, in New London. He had 
in his youth acquired a good common school education, and after he was 
crippled, he went to Earlham College at Richmond, Ind., intending to 
complete the course, but after a year's study he was called home by the 
failing health of his father. He then began to manufacture brooms, in 



364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

which business he continued until 1878, when he was elected County Re- 
corder by the Republican party, with a majority of 896. Mr. Rich was 
married, December 30, 1873, to Miss S. Josie Heston, of Wabash, Ind., 
and daughter of George and Mary (Jackson) Heston, natives of Wayne 
County, Ind. Mr. Rich is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and Knights of 
Pythias, and a member of the Society of Friends. He started in life a 
poor boy, but through labor, economy and temperate habits he has ac- 
quired a good home. Mrs. Rich acquired a good education when young, 
and at the age of sixteen began to support herself by teaching school, 
which she followed for several years. Mr. Rich has discharged the du- 
ties of the important office which he is now filling ably and acceptably 
and without any assistance, and has the confidence of the general public. 
CORYDON RICHMOND, retired physician and surgeon of Ko- 
komo, was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., November 22, 1808, and is 
the son of John L. and Lorana (Patchin) Richmond. His parents emi- 
grated to Ohio in 1817, locating fifty miles from Cincinnati, and the fol- 
lowing year at Newtown, ten miles east of that city. Dr. Richmond re- 
ceived but a meager education in the common schools, but this was in 
part supplemented by home instruction and influence, for his father was 
a physician and clergyman, and his mother possessed superior traits of 
character. He began the study of medicine in his father's office, and at- 
tended lectures in the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, during the 
session of 1831 to 1832, and at their close began practice in Pendleton, 
Madison Co., Ind., where he remained till 1838, and then removed 
to Indianapolis and entered the office of his father and Dr. G. W. Mears, 
who were in partnership. In 1844, he and N. R. Lindsay visited the 
Indian Reserve, as Howard County was then called, and after examining 
the country, both decided to settle there. Late in the season, they re- 
turned and built their cabins, and the next spring removed thither, where 
Dr. R. has since resided. In 1847, he was chosen to represent Howard 
and Cass Counties in the Legislature. He has been a member of the 
Masonic fraternity since 1844, and was the first AVorshipful Master of 
Kokomo Lodge, and has taken the order of High Priesthood. In 1863, 
he became Assistant Surgeon in Military Hospital No 3, Nashville, Tenn., 
and remained until failing health compelled him to return home. In 
March, 1865, he again repaired to Nashville and helped to care for the 
wounded, and to fit up the hospital for the colored troops. In 1867, he 
was elected Mayor of the city of Kokomo and served two years. In 
politics, he was formerly a Whig, and is now a Republican. Dr. Rich- 
mond was married, February 16, 1830, to Nancy Page Stockton, who died 
in September, 1833. He was next married October 6, 1836, to Fran- 
ces Hawkins, with whom he lived thirty-five years, when the union was 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 365 

broken by death October 5, 1871. He was united to his present wife, 
Mrs. Lydia E. Saxton, September 9, 1873. He has had four daughters, 
the result of the second marriage — Louisa W., wife of J. M. Leeds ; 
Sarah Jane, wife of Joseph Anderson (deceased); and Lucinda and Mar- 
garet, each of whom died at the age of six years. Dr. Richmond has 
shared the burdens, and in some degree, the success, of the people of 
Howard County from an early day, witnessing the gradual transforma- 
tion of the country from a forest to its present cultivated state, and un- 
dergoing all the privations of a pioneer physician. He established a large 
and extensive practice in Kokomo and the vicinity while in active busi- 
ness, and has always been a diligent, honest, charitable and useful citizen, 
respected in all his relations, both private and public. Dr. Richmond 
was appointed Justice of the Peace in 1880, and in 1882 elected, which 
office he is still holding. He is now retired from active business and en- 
joying well-earned leisure after a busy life. The chapter pertaining to the 
early history and organization of Howai-d County in this book is the 
work of his hands, and will descend to posterity, keeping for many gene- 
rations the memory green of the noble band of pioneers who were as- 
sociated with him in developing the material wealth of the now prosper- 
ous county of Howard. 

E. W. SAWYER, M. D. (Homoeopathic school), is a native of 
Maine, and was born in 1836. His parents, William and Fidelia (Hill) 
Sawyer, were also natives of the same State. His father was a prominent 
farmer and merchant, and occupied various public offices of trust, and is still 
living in his native State. His mother died when our subject was, an in- 
fant. He received good educational advantages, and until sixteen years 
of age was reared upon a farm, after which he traveled through several 
States, engaged in various occupations. Learning dentistry in Lawrence, 
Mass., he pursued this business in Boston, New York, Chicago, and for 
seven years in Memphis, Tenn. During his career as a dentist, he had 
been applying himself to the study of medicine, and in the winter of 1868 
and 1869 he entered Hahnemann Homoeopathic College, located at St. 
Louis, and attended one course. After leaving Memphis, he went to Se- 
dalia. Mo., and was in practice and study for several months, under the 
tutelage of a brother-in-law. He then went to Chicago with the intention 
of attending college, and in the disastrous fire of 1871 he lost all the prop- 
erty he had accumulated by years of labor. Daring the winter of 
1871-72, he attended college in Chicago, and in March, 1872, came to 
Kokomo, where he located and began practice, and where he has estab- 
lished a very successful business. In the spring of 1882, he graduated at 
the College of Homoeopathy of Chicago, after taking special courses. 
Dr. Sawyer makes a specialty in his practice of all chronic and blood 



366 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

diseases, and has successfully treated and cured many cases of cancer by 
his constitutional treatment, not calling into service the art of surgery. 
Dr. Sawyer is a member of the State Homoeopathic Society, and is a 
Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity. He was united in marriage 
in 1869 with Miss Antoinette M. Smith, of Batavia, N. Y. She was a 
lady of much culture and intelligence. She died in 1878, leaving 
two children — Eugene W. and Antoinette. In May, 1882, Dr. Sawyer 
was united with his present wife, Miss Laura A. Bettes, of Kokomo, and 
a native of Howard County. 

WILLIAM SCOTT, M. D,, is a native of Greene County, Ohio, and 
was born in 1831. He is the eldest of a family of nine children born to 
Charles and Sarah (Bloxsom) Scott, who were natives respectively of Penn- 
sylvania and Virginia ; they were married in Ohio, where they were 
pioneer settlers. Charles Scott was a school teacher, and remained in 
Ohio until about the year 1840, when with his family he emigrated to 
Indiana, locating in Jay County, where he engaged in farming and stock- 
dealincr. He subsequently removed to Grant County, and later to Stark 
County, where he engaged in stock-dealing, and resided until his death in 
1859. The mother is still living and residing in Howard County. Our 
subject received a common school education until, when about eighteen, he, 
attended a seminary and high schools for four years, teaching in the mean- 
time. He then studied civil engineering and followed it for about one year, 
upon the Pan Handle Railroad. In 1852, he entered the office of Dr. Lo- 
max, of Marion, and commenced the study of medicine, remaining under his 
instruction two years. He removed to Greentown, Howard County, in 1856 
and commenced practice with Dr. Morgan, remaining with him two years; 
in 1857-58, attended the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, one course. 
He graduated from the Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1862. In 
1863, he entered the service, and for one year was Contract Surgeon of 
Hospital No. 14, at Nashville, Tenn. Returning home, he was appointed 
Examining Surgeon of drafted men, but soon entered the field again, 
receiving an appointment as Assistant Surgeon of the Eighty-Ninth 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and in three months was promoted to Sur- 
geon. He remained with his regiment until they returned home in 
August, 1865. They were in the Army of the Cumberland and Tennes- 
see. Upon his return. Dr. Scott located in Kokomo, and has been in 
constant and successful practice there up to the present writing. In 1870, 
he entered the Bellevue Medical College of New York and graduated 
therefrom. Dr. Scott is one of the progressive physicians of the day ; 
he has had years of valuable experience and has availed himself of all 
means to add to his store of knowledge. He is a member of the How- 
ard County Society, of which he has been President, and also of the 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 367 

Kokomo Academy of Medicine ; he is a member of the State Medical 
Society, and is now Vice President of the Eleventh Congressional Dis- 
trict Medical Association. He is one of the Faculty of the Ft. Wayne 
Medical College, as Professor of Diseases of the Throat and Respiratory 
Organs. Dr. Scott is a Chapter Mason, Medical Director of the G. A. 
R. of Indiana, and Surgeon of the Wabash and T., C. & St. Louis Rail- 
roads. Dr. Scott was united in marriage, in 1854, to Miss Sarah R. 
Tharp, of Grant County, Ind. ; she died in 1869. Three of their chil- 
dren are now living — James A., a graduate of the Indiana Medical Col- 
lege, and Charles A., who has also been a student of medicine, both now 
engaged in the drug trade in Kokomo ; Amanda Etta, a student of Glen- 
dale, Ohio. Dr. Scott was married to his present wife, Miss Jennie 
Snorf, a native of Ohio, in 1871. They have three children — Georgie 
A., William I. and Julia A. Dr. Scott and wife are both members of 
the Methodist Church. Dr. Scott has been considerably interested in 
real estate in Kokomo, having laid out one addition to the city, and built 
the Commercial Block. He has always aided the advancement of public 
measures of improvement, and is a public spirited and respected citizen. 

C. C. SHIRLEY, District Attorney, was born at Russiaville, this 
county, November 28, 1859, and is the son of Dr. D. J. and Waitzell 
(Seaward) Shirley, natives of Kentucky and Ohio respectively. The fam- 
ily moved to New London when our subject was still a youth, and there 
he was reared. He was educated at the common schools of that town, at 
the high school of Kokomo, and at Asbury University, Greencastle, Ind. 
In 1879, he entered the law department of Ann Arbor (Mich.) Uni- 
versity, from which he graduated in 1881, when he settled in Kokomo, 
and was soon after admitted to the bar. He is now associated in prac- 
tice with Judge James O'Brien, an eminent lawver of Kokomo. Mr. 
Shirley was elected to his present office of District Attorney in 1882, and 
is the youngest man ever elected in the county to fill that position. He 
is an active leader in the Republican party, and is a member of the 
K. of P. 

R. H. SMITH, M. D., a native of Howard County, is th'e fifth of 
eight children born to William B. Smith, a native of Ohio, and Sarah 
E. Smith, of Kentucky. His father came to Howard County about 
the year 1844, being one of its pioneer settlers. He first located in Clay 
Township, on land which he entered, and has followed farming since. He 
has improved over 600 acres of land, and is now living a retired life on 
a farm in Centre Township. He now owns over 600 acres of good farm 
land. He and his wife are both members of the Baptist Church, in good 
standing. The subject of this sketch was born in 1846, and received a 
common school education, supplemented with an academic course. He 



368 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

first clerked in a dry goods and grocery store, and then went into the 
drug trade at Galveston, Cass County, where he remained two years. He 
then came to Kokomo an<l started the drug store now owned by Wood & 
Harbster. He continued in business there ten years, and during that 
time was in partnership with Dr. James, Dr. I. C. Johnson and Dr. J. 
W. Wherrett ; he had commenced the study of medicine about 1860, 
studying with Dr. DayhufF about eighteen months. While he was in the 
drug store, he studied under Dr. James and Dr. Johnson, and after ending 
this business, he went to Montgomery County, Ind., where he practiced 
one year. He then returned to Kokomo and entered the Medical College 
of Indiana, from which institution he graduated in 1880. He returned 
to Kokomo and formed a partnership with Dr. Ross, which continued six 
months ; since then he has practiced alone. He is a member of the State 
Medical Association, the Kokomo Academy of Medicine, and is Treas- 
urer of the Howard County Association. He has been a member of the 
Board of Health, and is the Clay Township Physician. He was elected 
Coroner in 1882, which office he is now filling; he is also a member of 
the I. 0. 0. F. Dr. Smith was married, in 1867, to Miss Miranda A. 
Freeman, a native of Indiana. This union has been blessed with six 
children — Lillie, Byron K., Mary P., Freeman, Fred and Gussie. 

L. SNIDER, manufacturer of heading and staves. His factory 
was established in 1878, and the first year turned out $10,000 worth of 
work, and in 1882 $75,000. He employs about seventy-five men, and 
ships nearly all the heading and staves to New York and Philadelphia. 
He now ships the timber that he works from the adjoining counties. He 
uses all the improved machinery, and has a heading saw in Hamilton 
County which does a good business. Mr. Snider was born in Mont- 
gomery County, Ohio, December 25, 1851. He was the fifth of twelve 
children born to A. B. and Martha (Lowe) Snider, both of German 
descent. They still reside upon their farm in Montgomery County, 
Ohio, enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life. Our subject had a limi4;ed 
education in the common schools, and at the age of sixteen began to work 
out with his brother, for wages, in a stave factory. In 1878, he came 
West, with limited means, and engaged in his present business, expending 
$3,500 in building. He has been adding nearly every year since, and now 
has buildings and machinery to the amount of $8,000. He has $18,000 
worth of stock on hand, and is the leading manufacturer of Howard 
County. Mr. Snider was married, April, 1875, to Miss Clara A. Constan- 
tine, of Madison County, Ind. She was born in Illinois April 2, 1857. 
They have two children — Maggie E. and Martin A. Mr. Snider is a 
Republican in principle, but quite liberal in his views. His wife is a 
member of the Christian Church. 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 369 

DAVID 'C. SPRAKER is the son of Daniel and Martha (Miller) 
Spraker, and was born February 15, 1848, in Decatur County, Ind., 
where he attended school until 1860, when he came to Howard County, 
lived with his uncle, John Miller, attended school five years, and then 
entered the high school at New London. ,His first business experience 
was had in that town, where he clerked for some time, and then engaged 
in the drug business on his own account. In 1877, he sold out, and in 
the spring of 1878 was nominated, and in the fall elected, County Treas- 
urer, and re-elected in 1880, on the Republican ticket. He served both 
terms with credit to himself and to the county. He has taken a leading 
part in politics, and has served as delegate to the State Conventions. He 
is a member of the F. & A. M., I. 0. 0. F,, and K. of P. fraternities, 
and is a Director of the Howard National Bank. He is the owner of 
two farms, comprising 183 acres of finely improved land, and also owns 
a half-interest in a tile factory, but leads a comparatively retired life. 

WILLIAM STYER, of the Spring Mills, was born in Delaware 
County, Ohio, November 25, 1832, and is the son of Joseph C. and 
Rachel Styer. Joseph C. was a native of Pennsylvania, and his 
wife of New Jersey. William Styer worked on the farm, and went 
to school in the winter until he was sixteen, when he began to teach 
school at $13| per month, boarding around. He taught at intervals for 
ten years, until 1856, when he and his brother Henry engaged in the 
grocery business in Kokomo, continuing for two years, when William 
took charge of Russell & Dolman's elevator for three years. In 1862, 
he was commissioned Second Lieutenant of Company D, Eighty-ninth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Indianapo- 
lis, when they went South, and engaged in battle at Munfordsville. In 
December, 1863, Mr. Styer resigned his commission on account of dis- 
ability. He engaged in the sale of maps and charts throughout Indiana 
for a year, when he clerked awhile in a grocery, and then quarried stone, 
and took contracts for stone work two years. He was then interested in 
the grain and hardware business for three years, and in 1872 he and his 
brother Henry established the City Book Store, which is doing a business 
of $15,000 per annum. Mr. Styer gave his entire attention to the book 
store until 1881, when he took charge of the Spring Mills, owning one- 
half interest, and leasing the other half. The mill property is worth 
$9,000, has five sets of buhrs, two sets of rolls, and a capacity of 200 
bushels of wheat and 100 bushels of corn per day. This business he 
has since successfully managed. Mr. Styer was School Trustee and Town 
Clerk for a number of terms. He is an active member of the Repub- 
lican party. He was married, in 1857, to Miss Susannah Deffenbaugh, 
of Howard County. She was born November 25, 1836, in Madison 



370 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

County, Ohio. They have two children — Charles A., clerk in the book 
store, and Carrie M. Mr. and Mrs. Styer are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and Mr. Styer is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and 
G. A. R. 

W. H. SUMPTION is a son of John and Mary (Ward) Sumption, 
and was born in Randolph County, Ind., October 12, 1840. His mother 
died when he was very young, and when he was but ten years of age he 
lost his father, when he was placed under the guardianship of his uncle, 
Thomas Ward. After receiving a few months' schooling, he was appren- 
ticed to a harness-maker ; he next worked a year at carriage trimming, 
and then engaged in various pursuits until the spring of 1862, when he 
entered Company F, Fifty-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as Orderly 
Sergeant, and served until September of the same year. He then en- 
gaged in the harness trade in Kokomo until October, 1863, when, being 
commissioned Recruiting Ofiicer, he assisted in raising Company E, Eleventh 
Indiana Cavalry. He was soon after commissioned First Lieutenant of 
this company, and in May, 1864, was promoted to the Captaincy, which 
position he held until mustered out at Indianapolis, with honors, in 
September, 1865. He then engaged in business at different points for 
two or three years, when he returned to Kokomo and resumed harness- 
making, continuing until 1870, when he engaged in his present business 
of manufacturing carriages, buggies and spring wagons. Since 1881, the 
firm name has been W. H. Sumption & Son. The firm have a large 
trade and keep constantly at work ten men. Mr. Sumption was married 
at Kokomo, June 30, 1863, to Elmira Welch, of Pennsylvania, and to 
this union have been born three children — William, J. Ward and John 
F. Mr. Sumption is a member of the A., F. & A. M. and the G. A. 
R., and in politics is a Republican. 

GEORGE D. TATE, wholesale dealer in walnut, ash, poplar, oak and 
cherry lumber, was born at Lawrenceburg, Ind., January 11, 1838. His 
father, William Tate, was a native of Massachusetts and of Scotch de- 
scent. His mother, Anna (Kincaid) Tate, was a native of New York 
and of English descent. George D. Tate had access to the common 
schools of Lawrenceburg, attended College at Cincinnati, acted as book- 
keeper at intervals for his father, who was a lumber dealer, and also 
clerked in a dry goods store. When seventeen years of age, he learned 
the blacksmith's trade, at which he worked three years. He then enlisted 
in Company F, Thirty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
as a private, in the fall of 1861, and was soon marched into Kentucky, 
thence into Tennessee, participating in a number of skirmishes. After 
being in the service one year, he was commissioned Quartermaster of the 
Eighty-third Regiment of the Fifteenth Army Corps, which formed a 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 371 

part of the Army of the Tennessee. He accompanied Gen. Sherman on 
his march to the sea, and around to Washington, where Mr. Tate was 
discharged, after which he returned to Dillsboro, Ind., where he en- 
gaged in farming for one year. The fall of 1867, he removed to Koko- 
mo, where he soon after engaged in the lumber trade, having but two 
loads of lumber in his yard to begin with. Now he handles upward of 
four million feet per year. He started in life a poor boy, but by living 
within his means, and being attentive to his business, and of late years 
dealing in real estate, has acquired a large amount of property, having 
city property in Indianapolis worth $50,000, besides city property in Ko- 
mo and 260 acres of good farm land in Howard County. In the 
summer of 1882, he raised on one 180-acre farm, 1,300 bushels of wheat, 
2,000 bushels of corn and sixty tons of hay. He has this farm well- 
stocked and uses all the improved machinery. He has been one of the 
leading and active politicians in the Democratic ranks, serving as Ghaii'- 
man of the Central Committee for years. Though a Democrat he has 
been elected in a Republican ward successively for the last ten years as 
a member of the City Council. He is now worth about $100,000. He 
was married in May, 1863, to Miss Helen Kincaid, of Ripley County, 
Ind., daughter of Warren Kincaid, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Tate 
have had three children, two of whom are now living, Henry F. and 
Anna. 

RAWSON VAILE, attorney at law, was born May 28, 1812, in 
Bennington County, Vt. He worked on the farm and went to school 
until he was grown, when, in 1834, he entered Amherst College, and 
worked his own way through, by teaching school, until he graduated with 
honors in 1839. The following spring he came to Wayne County, Ind., 
and taught two years, when he was employed in the County Seminary at 
Centerville, Ind., until 1848. In the meantime, he had taken up the 
study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1844. In 1848, he was in- 
duced to enter the editor's sanctum in Centerville, and published the 
Free Territory Sentinel. He was a Free-Soiler and anti-slavery man, ad- 
vocating the free homestead law. In 1852, he edited the Free Democrat 
in Indianapolis ; in 1854, when this paper united with the Journal, 
Mr. Vaile continued as one of the editors. The Free Democrat was 
the only Free-Soil paper that survived, although many were established. 
This paper continued until 1854, when the Free-Soilers joined the Repub- 
lican party. In 1855, through failing health, he abandoned the editorial 
profession, and the next year began to practice law. In 1857, he removed 
his family to Kokomo, and opened a law office, and has been for years a 
leading practitioner of this county. In 1867, he was elected School Ex- 
aminer, and served until 1872. He served as Town Trustee one term, 



372 BIOGRAPFIICAL SKETCHES: 

and was one of the primf movers in establishing the free school system, 
and much was done by him in behalf of the Kokomo Normal School, as he 
was a stockholder, as well as one of the leaders in prosecuting the work. 
Mr. Vaile was married April 16, 1840, to Miss Anna E. Pope, of Spencer, 
Mass., who bore him five children — William P., cashier of Howard Na- 
tional Bank, Kokomo; Sarah L., deceased ; Joel Fred, a graduate of Ober- 
lin College, and attorney at law, Denver, Colo.; Joseph E., book-keeper 
and insurance agent; and Charles S., a graduate of Oberlin College, and 
a Con<zre£cational minister at Santa Barbara, Cal. Mrs. Anna Vaile 
died January 11, 1852, and Mr. Vaile married his second wife, Mrs. 
Rebecca G. Robinson, of Indianapolis, in April, 1854. She gave birth to 
two children, Emma and George R. In 1876, Mrs. R. G. Vaile died, 
and December 12, 1882, Mr. Vaile married his present wife, Mrs. Minerva 
Montgomery, of Howard County. 

WILLIAM P. VAILE, cashier of the Howard National Bank, is a 
son of Rawson and Anna E. (Pope) Vaile. He was born December 27, 
1840, in Richmond, Ind. When young, his parents moved to Center- 
ville, Wayne County, where his education was commenced. In 1853, he 
attended school at Indianapolis, and upon coming to Kokomo, in 1859, 
finished his studies in the schools of the city. In 1862, he was appointed 
Deputy Auditor, which position he held about four years. He then ac- 
cepted a situation as book-keeper in the First National Bank, and subse- 
quently became cashier of that institution. The latter position he held 
until 1877, when he engaged in the loan and insurance business, contin- 
uing one year. In 1878, he accepted the position of cashier of the How- 
ard National Bank, which position he has held up to the present writing. 
Mr. Vaile possesses splendid business qualifications, and is one of the 
leading citizens of Kokomo in all matters of progress. He is a member 
of the I. 0. 0. F. and K. of P., and in politics a Republican. In 1864, 
he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, and served until October, 1865. Mr. Vaile was 
united in marriage with Miss Julia M. Andrews, July 3, 1872. She is a 
native of New York, and a daughter of Moses R. Andrews, Esq., of 
Kokomo. 

DANIEL A. WOODS is a native of Preble County, Ohio, where he 
was born September 24, 1854. His parents, Josiah and Sarah (Miller) 
Woods, removed with a family of five children to Howard County, in 
September, 1859. Daniel A. received a good education, commencing in 
the country schools of Howard County, and subsequently attending the 
educational institutions of Lebanon, Ohio. He commenced the study of 
law with O'Brien & Garrigus, of Kokomo, and subsequently graduated 
from the law school of Ann Arbor, Mich. In the fall of 1878, he began 



CITY OF KOKOMO. 



373 



to practice in Kokomo, and has succeeded in establishing a prominent 
position among the attorneys of Howard County. He is now in practice 
in association with Charles E. Hendry. In politics, he is a Democrat, 
is an active worker, and takes a leading interest in all the political ques- 
tions of the day. Mr. Woods is a close student and a great reader. He 
has accumulated a large and valuable library of choice books, and is still 
adding to it many new publications. He is a fluent and polished writer, 
and in this field we predict for him a brilliant future. July 9, 1877, he 
was united in marriage with Miss Sarah R. Fagley. They have one child, 
Roxy June, born May 9, 1880. 

JAMES H. WATSON is a native of Darke County, Ohio, where he 
was born January 1, 1841. His parents, James H. and Sarah (Menden- 
hall) Watson, were natives of Pennsylvania, and followed farming in Ohio. 
His father died in 1843 ; his mother subsequently re-married and came to 
Indiana, where she died in 1854. James H. was reared upon a farm, 
and at the age of fifteen he learned the cooper's trade in Grant County, 
Ind., which occupation he followed for three years. In the spring of 
1862, he came to Kokomo, and engaged in the lumber trade, representing 
H. Morgan, of Cincinnati, buying lumber for this firm for five years. He 
then ent°ered the lumber yard of Dr. Henderson, conducting his business 
for two years, and also with Tate & Henderson one year as foreman. He 
then embarked in business for himself, buying a saw-mill in Clay 
Township, and contracted to saw 3,000,000 feet of lumber. This, with 
other business in the line, occupied him two years, achieving remarkable 
financial success. He then accepted a situation as foreman in the lumber 
yards of George Tate, with whom he remained until August, 1882. He 
then was engaged for a few months as bridge contractor. February 1, 
1883, he bought the Clinton House saloon, which he has enlarged and 
refitted, and has now the finest rooms in the city. Mr. Watson keeps a 
strictly first-class place, and deals in the best and purest articles in his 
line. He owns eighty acres of improved land in Centre Township, and 
valuable town property. He is a Mason, and in politics a Democrat ; 
has served upon the City Council two years, during which period the 
streets were improved. Mr. Watson was married, March 27, 1861, to 
Miss Melinda C. Nelson, a native of Clinton County, Ohio. They have 
three children — Ida, Thornton and Guy. 



374 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 

JOHN ALBRIGHT is the third of twelve children born to William 
and Elizabeth (Snoderly) Albright, natives respectively of North Caro- 
lina and Tennessee. His parents came to Howard County in 1847 and 
located in Taylor Township, Our subject was born May 18, 1822, in 
Anderson County, Tenn., and removed with his parents to Preble County, 
Ohio, when but twelve years of age. He attended the public schools and 
worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-one. He then formed a 
partnership with his father in the stone and brick laying business, and in 
1845 came to this county and took a claim in Taylor Township. He 
remained there until the spring of 1883, when he sold his farm for 
$16,600, and removed to Centre Township, where he at present resides. 
He is one of the leading farmers of the county and for several years has 
been overseeing his farm and working at his trade with his brother, 
William B. Mr. Albright was married, June 30, 1847, to Jemima 
Thatcher, a native of Indiana. They had eleven children — William A. 
(deceased), Daniel A., Nancy J., Ephraim T. (deceased), Henry B., 
Charity T., James T., Elmer E., Maggie 0., Dolly A. and Perry 0. 
Mrs. Albright died January 21, 1871, and December 15, 1873, Mr. 
A. married Nancy Elston Huifman, a native of Kentucky. One child 
blessed this union — Foster A. Mr. Albright lost his second wife January 
6, 1877, and was next married to Anna E. Hammel, a native of Penn- 
sylvania, January 1, 1878. He has been a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church for about forty-nine years, and is at present an active 
member of the Sons of Temperance. He is a Democrat in politics, and 
is at present sole proprietor of a tile factory located on his farm. 

COL. WILLIS BLANCHE was born in Ross County, Ohio, 
May ,24, 1825, and is the son of John and Catherine (Osborn) Blanche. 
His father was a native of the Isle of Guernsey, near the coast of France. 
He was a scholar, and in early life acquired the knowledge of seven 
languages. At the age of twenty-five, he came to America, and later 
served in the border wars under Gen. Wayne. Mr. Blanche, with a lim- 
ited education, at the age of seventeen left home and came into Howard 
County, where he worked as a laboring hand. At the end of two years, 
he purchased a few acres of land, and in February, 1847, was married 
to Miss Mary Morrow, who died two months later. In October of the 
same year, he married Miss Anna Shaul, his present wife. In 1850, he, 
with his brother-in-law, J. T. McClintock, set out for California over- 
land, with a company of forty-four men, Mr. B. acting as leader. At 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 375 

Sacramento, he and Mr. McClintock bought a load of provisions and started 
for the Nevada mines, but at Grass Yalley their team was stolen, but it 
was soon recovered and they I'emained in the village and opened a pro- 
vision store. In December, 1851, Mr. Blanche returned home 
and purchased the homestead near Kokomo, on which he now 
resides. This is naturally one of the best farms in the county, 
and is also one of the best improved. In 1861, he raised a company in 
Kokomo, and joined the Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, leaving his wife to assume the management of the farm 
and the care of four children — Marinda C, Mary Frances, Julia 
B. and Charles Willis. He was on the march to Nashville, in the 
siege of Corinth, the campaign in Tennessee, the retreat to Louisville, 
the second advance through Kentucky, the struggle at Perryville, the 
Murfreesboro campaign, battles of Stone River, Wartrace, Chattanooga, 
Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge, the march to 
Atlanta, battles of Resaca, Pine Mountain, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw, 
Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville. His Captain's commission dates Oc- 
tober 30, 1861, and he was commissioned Major February 12, 1863, 
upon the resignation of Maj. Jordan. His promotion to the rank of 
Lieutenant Colonel occurred July 28, 1863, and to Colonel, June 24, 
1864, upon the death of Col. Leonard. Col. Blanche was wounded at 
Mission Ridge and also at Nashville, where he fought with distinguished 
valor, leading his shattered regiment in a successful charge upon the 
enemy's intrenchments at the Franklin Pike. When he had partially 
recovered from his wound, he returned home on a furlough, and when he 
recovered his health he rejoined his regiment, but there being no more 
important service, resigned. In 1866, he was elected on the Republican 
ticket to represent Howard County in the Legislature, and in 1868 was 
elected by the Legislature a Director of the Northern Prison at Michigan 
City. He remained in this position two years. In 1872, he was chosen 
Sheriff of Howard County and served one term. Col. Blanche is a man 
of great courage, executive ability, power of comprehension, and capacity 
for untiring eflFort, and these are the characteristics that have enabled 
him to perform the duties of both military and civil offices in the most 
efficient manner. 

EDMOND CAIN, son of Arnold and Nancy (Allen) Cain, natives 
of Virginia and Kentucky, who came to this State in an early day, was 
born October 9, 1817, in Washington County, Ind. He remained with 
his parents until he was twenty-two, and during this time they removed 
to Boone County. He received a common education in the pioneer 
schools, and was married, June 27, 1839, to Rebecca Reed, born March 
14, 1820, and a native of Ross County, Ohio. After his marriage, he 



376 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

lived on the farm with his father two years, when he purchased forty 
acres, cleared it, and lived on it about six years. He then sold out, and 
in the fall of 1847 came to this county, locating in Centre Township. 
He built a pre-emption cabin and secured his claim. He returned to 
Boone County, by the request of his father, and remained two years. He 
then, on account of his wife's ill health, returned to Howard County, 
where he has since resided, and cleared 100 acres on his farm. Mr. and 
Mrs. Cain have reared two orphan children, taking Harrison Murphy 
when but seven years of age, who is now living in Tipton County, and 
Amanda C. Poison, when but five years old, and reared her to woman- 
hood. She was married to John F. Stann (now deceased), and since his 
death, has returned home with two small children. Ida jM. Donson, 
another orphan, is now living with them. Mr. and Mrs. Cain are both 
noted for their kindness to the poor and unfortunate. Mrs. Cain has 
been identified with the Baptist Church since 1838. Mr. Cain was 
Trustee of the Grange organization, and has always voted the Democratic 
ticket, until Peter Cooper was nominated for President, since when he 
has voted the Independent ticket. 

CALVIN G. CULBERTSON was born in Wayne County, Ind., in 
1838, and located in Howard County in 1861. He was married in 
Howard County to Miss Martha E. Woods, in 1864. The fruits of this 
union were six children — Clara B., Martin C, Frank S., Harriet E., 
Oma D. and Arthur B. Mr. Culberston has always led a farmer's life, 
except when he w^as in the army. He enlisted in April, 1861, iji the three 
months' service, and re-enlisted in September, 1861. He was taken sick 
at New Madrid, Mo., and was given a furlough, after which he went back 
and was discharged September 15, 1862. He went back again in Sep- 
tember, 1864, and was discharged in September, 1865. He is a member 
of the G. A. R., and is a Corporal in the State militia at the present 
time. He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, at the age of eight- 
een. He has held some of the minor ofiices of his township, such aa 
Constable, and is a worthy citizen in his community. His father, David- 
son Culbertson, was a native of Kentucky, where he followed farming, 
and has since held the office of County Treasurer in Grant County. 

JOSEPH DeLON, the eldest of three children born to Mark A. 
and Mary (Prichard) DeLon, was born in Pasquotank County, N. C, 
March 17, 1826. His parents died when he was quite young, and he 
was taken an orphan to Newport,. Wayne Co., Ind., where he re- 
mained two years. He then removed to Washington County, remained 
about the same period, and thence to Orange, where he was bound out 
until he became of age. Having served his time, he located on a farm 
and followed agricultural pursuits in Orange County, until 1850, when 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 

he moved to Howard County, on a rented farm. Two years later, he lo- 
cated at New London, where he engaged in the harness, saddlery and 
grocery business. After remaining there five years, he sold out and lo- 
cated on a partially improved farm. In 1863, he moved on his present 
place, where he has since resided. His estate is conveniently located to 
New London, and shows that Mr. DeLon has spent much time and honest 
toil in making the present improvements. He has served two terms as 
Supervisor, and has given general satisfaction. Mr. DeLon was married 
in Orange County, Ind., September 20, 1848, to Rebecca King, a native 
of Maryland, born April 22, 1829. By this union they have eight chil- 
dren — Benjamin, Mary P., John A., Aubrey, Austin, Richenda, Francis 
and Julia Emugene. Mr. DeLon is a member of the Republican party, 
and he and his wife are active members of the Society of Friends. 

RUSSELL B. ELLIS was born in West Virginia in 1810, and emi- 
grated with his father to Kentucky in 1812, locating within six miles of 
Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1860, he moved to Clermont County, Ohio, where 
he remained four years, when he removed with his family to Howard 
County. He left Kentucky on account of his anti-slavery views, and 
had two sons in the Union army. Mr. Ellis has always been a strong 
temperance man, and now is enjoying the best of health. His mother 
lived to be ninety-nine years old, and was then quite vigorous, but took 
the small-pox and died. Mr. Ellis was married, April 17, 1837, to Miss 
Phebe Griffin, of Kentucky. They have five children— Mary J., 
Andrew R., Vandake, Sarah M. and Arthur G. (deceased). Mr. Ellis 
has been a member of the Christian Church and the Masonic fraternity 
for over forty years. He was Justice of the Peace for eight years in 
Kentucky, and never had an appeal taken from his court. He is a 
worthy citizen, and a man higly respected by all who know him. He is 
now in comfortable circumstances, owning 180 acres of good farm land, 
well improved. 

THOMAS R. HITE is the fifth of thirteen children born to Alex- 
ander Hite,a native of Virginia, and Mary A. (Lowrey) Hite, a native 
of Kentucky. He was born March 30, 1837, in Rush County, Ind., 
and was reared on a farm, attending school during the winter. He came 
to this county in 1856, worked on a farm about one year and then re- 
turned home ; then shortly came again to this county, and July 30, 
1858, was married to Lydia A. Willis, a native of Indiana. She was 
the daughter of David Willis, a native of Tennesee, and Lydia (Cog- 
shell) Willis, a native of North Carolina. Her parents came to this coun- 
ty in 1851 and made for themselves a good home in Centre Township. 
Mr. and Mrs. Hite have had nine children — David A., born June 19, 
1859 ; Edgar L., born April 13, 1862; James E., bora January 6, 1865 ; 



378 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Elmer E., born March 7, 18G8 : Liew E., born November 25, 1870 ; 
Elizabeth, born August 25, 1873; Roily and his twin brother (deceased), 
born June 19, 1876 ; and Susan B., born October 8, 1880 (deceased). 
Mr. Hite resided for several years in Union Township, but is at pres- 
ent living on a good farm of forty acres in Centre Township. He has 
always voted the Republican ticket, and is an active worker in his party. 
He is a friend to education and takes a pride in trying to educate his 
children. 

WILLIAM JACKSON was born in Chester County, Penn., in 1803, 
and was the son of William and Mary (Keech) Jackson. In 1834, our 
subject moved to Muskingum County, Ohio, and in 1850 he came to this 
county, locating on the place where he now resides. In 1832, he was 
married to Miss Keziah Green. The fruits of this union have been six 
children, five of whom are living — Lydia A., William, Mary, Emma, 
Eliza and Jessie. Mr. Jackson was reared on a farm, and has always 
followed agricultural pursuits, with the exception of a few years when he 
worked at the shoe-maker's trade. When he came to Howard County, he 
found the land in its native state. He came through with his family 
from Ohio in a covered wagon, and at once began to clear and improve 
his farm, until now he has 120 acres of good land with fine improve- 
ments. He is a member of the M. E. Church, and his wife and family 
are members of the Christian Church in Kokomo. Mr. Jackson is now 
growing quite old ; is a worthy citizen, and a man highly respected in 
his community. 

ELIAS LOCK was born in Preble County, Ohio, and was one of ten 
children born to Abraham and Rebecca Lock, both natives of Virginia. 
Elias Lock came to this county in 1850, purchased eighty acres in the 
timber, and at once began to clear his land and improve it. He was mar- 
ried in Preble County to Miss Sarah Ann Brown, about four years pre- 
vious to locating there. He came overland with his wife and two children, 
and is still living on the same farm where he first settled. He now has 
a good home, with good improvements, and fine large brick house. Mr. 
and Mrs. Lock have had ten children, nine of whom are living, seven 
boys and two girls. Mr. Lock saw the first locomotive that crossed the 
Wild Cat Bridge, every one in the neighborhood turning out to see the 
sight. He now owns ninety-two acres in Centre Township and one hundred 
acres in Howard Township. Mr. Lock has been a hard-working farmer, 
has spent his entire life in agricultural pursuits, and is now enjoying the 
fruits of his labor. His father, Abraham Lock, was a soldier in the war 
of 1812. 

JOHN A. LOCK was born February 4, 1817, in Preble County, 
Ohio, and is the son of Abraham and Rebecca Lock. In 1844, our 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 379 

subject was married, in Preble County, to Miss Deborah Dinwiddie. This 
union has been blessed with six children, four of whom are living — 
Amanda, Rebecca, Jacob and Andrew. Mr. Lock located in Howard 
County in February, 1848, and entered a one-quarter section of land, 
upon which he is still living. His farm was in its native state, but he has 
improved and cultivated it until now he has one of the best farms in the 
county. He started in life a poor boy, and only through labor and econ- 
omy has he been able to obtain for himself a comfortable home. His 
grandfather, John Lock, was a Captain in the Revolutionary war, and 
his father was in the war of 1812. The subject of this sketch has been 
a member of the Lutheran Church ever since he was twenty years of age. 
His wife died December 12, 1880. She had been a member of the U. 
B. Church ever since she was seventeen years old. 

T. R. McLaughlin was bom in Marion County, Ind., in 
1839, and lived there until the spring of 1859, when he located in How- 
ard County. May, 1861, he enlisted in Company E, Thirteenth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was in battle at Win- 
chester. Alleghany Mountains, Greenbrier, and several smaller engage- 
ments. He escaped being wounded, but at one time had his belt 
shot off of him. He had a narrow escape at Dogtown, W. Va., where 
his companions crawled under a schoolhouse and were captured, but 
he lay under a bank and finally escaped by running the gantlet. Mr. 
McLaughlin was discharged from service February 12, 1863, and was 
married the same year to Miss Jennie Field, of Miami County, Ohio. 
This union has been blessed with two children, Clara, who is married, 
and Laura, who is living at home with her parents. Mr. McLaughlin is 
a member of the G. A. R. He has always lived a farmer's life, 
and he is a well respected and worthy citizen. 

DAVID MAPLE is the fourth son born to David and Frances 
(Gore) Maple, natives of Virginia, and of German and English descent. 
His father came to Indiana and purchased a farm in Shelby County, and 
is at present living near Shelbyville. His parents had eight children, all 
of whom are yet living — Martha, Nerva, John W., Emily, Melvin, Will- 
iam, David and Missouri. The subject of the sketch was born Decem- 
ber 23, 1855 ; was reared upon a farm and received a common school 
education. He remained at home untiJ November 1. 1877, when he was 
married to Mary C. Lee, born January 1, 1859, daughter of James F. and 
Liza A. Lee, of Shelby County. Mr. Maple engaged in farming in 
Shelby County until August, 1882, when he came to Howard County 
and purchased forty acres in Centre Township, two miles northwest of 
Tampico, and it is here he now resides on a good farm with all necessary 

improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Maple have two children — Nora, born 

w 



380 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

September 11, 1878, and Celesta, born October 17, 1880. Mr. Maple is 
an active supporter of the Republican party, having cast his first ballot 
in 1876 for R. B. Hayes. 

WILLIAMS PETTY is one of ten children born to Josiah Petty, a 
native of North Carolina, and Sarah (Sheats) Petty, a native of Germany. 
Our subject was born, May 18, 1820, in Montgomery County, Ohio, and 
remained with his parents until he was nineteen years of age, when he 
came to the Miami Reserve on foot, selling pictures to the Indians. He 
helped to erect the first saw mill in the Miami Reserve, and subsequently 
took a claim. Later, he sold this and engaged in general goods business 
in Waupcong, where he remained two years. He then spent one year in 
Howard County, after which he returned to Waupcong and re-engaged 
in mercantile pursuits. In a short time he located in Miami, and later 
purchased a saw mill in Wayne County, after which he bought two farms 
in Southern Illinois, and engaged in the stock trade. Later, he wg^s in 
general business at Cassville, and subsequently removed his stock to 
Windfall. He sold his stock, purchased a farm in Union Township, How- 
ard County, and seven years later located in Centre Township, where he 
now resides. Mr. Petty was married, February 6. 1852, to Catharine 
Busbey. They have had six children — Harriet, Jennie, Mary, William 
D., Ida M. and John M. Mrs. Petty died February 1, 1879, and Mr. 
Petty was next married, February 11, 1880, to Alcinda Davis. Mr. 
Petty has been a member of the I. 0. 0. F. for thirty years ; cast his 
first vote for Gen. Harrison, in 1840, and has been a Republican ever 
since the formation of the party. He is one of the oldest auctioneers in 
the county, and has been sent for over a hundred miles to conduct sales. 

FRANK M. PITZERis the first of six children born to George C. 
Pitzer, a native of Virginia, and Clarinda (Snodgrass) Pitzer, a native of 
Ohio. His parents came to this county in the fall of 1847, and located 
in Harrison Township, where they now reside. F. M. Pitzer was born 
March 31, 1849, in Howard County, Ind., and has always made his 
home in this county. He assisted his father in clearing and cultivating 
the old homestead in Harrison Township, and his father rewarded him 
for his labor with a good farm of ninety-four acres in Centre Township. 
Upon this he is living, engaged in agricultural pursuits and dealing very 
extensively in thoroughbred Poland-China hogs. Mr. Pitzer was mar- 
ried. May 14, 1871, to Miss Lyda A. Hunt, a native of Indiana. Three 
children bless this union — Harry P., born January 28, 1872 ; Pearl D., 
born December 9, 1874, and Myrtle C, born February 4, 1879. Mr. 
Pitzer is an active member of the Republican party, and joined the I. 0. 
O. F. at Alto in 1875. He is a prominent farmer, and a worthy citi- 
zen in the community in which he lives. 



CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 381 

ANDREW J. RECORD is the eldest of a family of eight children 
born to John F. and Melissa (McMasters) Record, natives of North 
Carolina, of German and Eno;lish descent. His father came from North 
Carolina to Indiana, in 1867, and settled in Clay Township, four miles 
north of Kokomo, and here continued to farm until his death, June 14, 
1880. Andrew J. was born September 12, 1841, and was reared upon 
the farm in North Carolina, where he received a common school educa- 
tion. At the age of twenty-four, he was married to Elvira Wincy, daugh- 
ter of Joseph and Syntha (Craven) Lane, natives of Randolph County, 
N. C, and of English and German descent. Mr. Record has since his 
marriage engaged in farming and gardening. He came to Indiana in 
company with his father in 18'I7, and is at present located two and one- 
half miles southwest of Kokomo. He grows many varieties of fruits, 
and makes a specialty of all kinds of garden vegetables. He is iden- 
tified with the Republican party, and is a stanch advocate of its prin- 
ciples. Mr. and Mrs. Record have had three children — Mary E., U. S. G. 
and C. C. (deceased). 

JOHN E. SMITH is the eldest of five children born to Peter and 
Malinda (Elmore) Smith, of Irish and English descent. His father was 
a native of Pennsylvania and his mother was born in Indiana. Our sub- 
ject was born November 25, 1829, and at the age of seven years, on ac- 
count of his father's death, was bound out, and at the age of twenty-one 
received a horse, bridle and saddle, and suit of clothes, all valued at $100. 
Mr. Smith then began farming as a hand at $8 per month, and at the 
age of twenty-two was married to Minerva E. Canine, daughter of Cor- 
nelius and Docia (Vannice) Canine, natives of Kentucky. . Mr. Smith, 
in 1849, purchased a farm in Harrison Township, Howard County, but 
lived on the farm of his father-in-law in Montgomery County, until the 
latter's death, after which he purchased the farm. One year later, he sold 
this and in January, 1868, came to Kokomo. The following March, he 
purchased 240 acres of land one and one-half miles north of Kokomo, 
upon which he moved in May, 1871. It is here he is now located, with 
all the improvements necessary to make home pleasant. Mr. and Mrs. 
Smith have had nine children — Mary M. (deceased), Anna A. Jessup, 
Charles W. (deceased), Martha A., Mary J., Joseph H., Franklin M., 
Isaac N. and one infant. Mr. Smith is a prominent member of the Odd 
Fellows fraternity, and he and his wife are active members of the Con- 
gregational Church. 



382 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 

J. H. CHAMBERLAIN, son of Samuel and Maria (Bojden) Cham- 
berlain, was born in Cohocton, Steuben County, N. Y., July 25, 1889. 
After receiving his education in his native State, he was employed in 
railroading for two years, after which he worked at the carpenter's trade 
two years. In 1857, he located in Indianapolis, Ind., where he engaged 
for five years in contracting and building, during which time he built some 
of the principal public buildings in that city. He then took a position 
with the Toledo Oil Company as city salesman ; he served in that ca- 
pacity two years, when he was called upon to fill the position of traveling 
salesman for the company, which position he now holds. He has served 
as Deputy Enumerator of Marion County, and also County Assessor. 
He was married, December 25, 1860, to Martha Harden, of Madison 
County, Ind. Three children bless this union — Kett F., Frank C. and 
J. Harry. Mrs. Chamberlain died in January, 1874, and Mr. C. was 
next married at Russiaville, Ind., September 13, 1882, to Mrs. K. E. 
Cohee. She is a milliner in that place and does a good business, keeping 
a full stock of millinery and ladies' furnishing goods. Mr. Chamberlain 
is a member of the Knights of Honor, and a stanch member of the Re- 
publican party. 

R. T. CHANDLER, merchant, was the youngest of nine children 
born to Robert and Margaret (Hale) Chandler; he was born in Switzer- 
land County, Ind., May 28, 1830, and was there reared and educated, 
after which he was employed as clerk in a general merchandise house in 
Florence, Ind. After three years at this place, he purchased a trading- 
boat, and for two years sold goods at different points on the Ohio River. 
In 1853, he located at Craven Rock, 111., where he purchased a stock of 
goods and engaged in business two years, when he sold out. He engaged 
in various pursuits until 1860, when he located at Russiaville, engaging 
in the mercantile business a short time, after which he engaged in the 
drug trade until 1864, when he enlisted in Company E, Fortieth Regi- 
ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was soon appointed Clerk in the 
Inspector General's office, which position he held until the close of the 
war. He then returned to Russiaville and engaged in his former business; 
he has since added groceries and drugs to his stock. Mr. Chandler is also 
proprietor of the well-known Chandler House, a thriving hotel in Russia- 
ville ; he was married in Russiaville, November 4, 1860, to Malinda Rat- 
cliff, daughter of T. E. Ratcliff, of Ohio. Mr. Chandler is a member of 
the Masonic fraternity. 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 383 

BENJAMIN P. COSAND was born January 18, 1822, in Wash- 
ington County, Ind. His parents, Benjamin Cosand and Penninah 
(Pritchard) Cosand, natives of North Carolina, were married in 1819, 
and in two years settled in Indiana. Benjamin P. was one of fourteen 
children, and was early taught to labor on the farm. His education was 
limited, for he was kept out of school much of the time on account of ill 
health. When he was twenty-one, he bought auction goods in Louisville, 
Ky., and exchanged them for country produce, which he sold in the city. 
He continued in this business two years, when he purchased a farm in 
Washington County, Ind., where he remained until 1851, when he came 
to Howard County, and located one and three-quarter miles east of Rus- 
siaville, on forty acres of good land. He still resides on this place, and 
has transformed it, by improvements and additions, into a fine farm, with 
a good house and barn, a splendid orchard and all modern conveniences. 
His farm now contains 173 acres of fine land. In 1869, Mr. Cosand 
was recorded a minister of the Gospel in the Friends' Society, and has 
spent several years in the South, engaged in this work. He has con- 
tributed largely to his denomination for the construction of meeting 
houses and school buildings. Mr. Cosand was married, February 12, 
1846, to Elizabeth R. Overman, of Washington County, Ind. She was 
born August 12, 1825, and died November 30, 1866. To this union there 
were born five chidren— Malissa, Rebecca, Ann, Martha and Benjamin 
B., all deceased. Mr. Cosand was next married to Sarah Trueblue, 
September 17, 1868. By this marriage they have seven children— 
Penninah I. (deceased), Ludovic E., William T., Edman N., Almeda 
(deceased), Riley Lee and Joseph P. 

ABRAM T. COSAND, the subject of this sketch, bears in his 
veins a commingling of German and English blood, his paternal ancestors 
coming from the land of the castled Rhine, and his maternal ancestry from 
the English coast to the land of the Sunny South, North Carolina. The 
grandparents on both sides emigrated to the Hoosier State when it was 
in its infancy, to escape the evils of slavery. His parents, William 
Cosand, of Washington County, and Eliza J. White, of Orange County, 
were married in 1850, and came at once to what is now western Howard 
County, then belonging to Clinton County, and the largest portion of 
it an unbroken forest. Here, near where they first settled, in a log cabin 
surrounded by the densest forest shade, Abram was born February 10, 
1854. He is the third of ten children, seven of whom are now living, 
he being the eldest. Here on the farm he worked with his father in the 
summer, and attended district school in the winter. He was fortunate in 
living near one of the best schools of the county, but more fortunate in 
having parents who, recognizing the needs of their children's receiving 



384 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

an education, often made sacrifices themselves that their children might 
have the benefit of an uninterrupted attendance at school. Abram thus 
spent his time until about eighteen years of age, when he began teaching 
in the winter, his first term being at Alto. He continued teaching for 
nine winters, teaching in all over forty-two months. In the spring 
and summer of 1874, he attended the National Normal School at Leba- 
non, Ohio. Though he attended school very little, except in the district 
where he lived, yet, through his love of literature and science, he gained 
such a knowledge of it as made him stand high among the teachers of his 
county. He early formed the habit of reading, and took great delight in 
history and biography. As a result, he imbibed patriotic ideas, and is 
now, as is each member of the family, politically an enthusiastic Repub- 
lican. On November 4, 1877, he was joined in marriage with Lizzie S. 
Davis, of Kokorao. This union was of short duration ; Mrs. Cosand 
having contracted consumption a few months previous, on the morning of 
November 9, quietly quit her hold on life, dying in Christian hope and 
assurance. The remains now rest in the beautiful cemetery at Dayton, 
Ohio. Mr. Cosand continued teaching in the winter, and in the summer 
making his home with his father, two miles east of Russiaville, and work- 
ing with him on his farms until the autumn of 1880, when, on September 
9, he married Mary M. Kenworthy, of New London. They settled near 
Eussiaville, upon a farm owned by his father. Here they remained one 
year, but his health not being very rugged, and thinking some indoor 
occupation better suited thereto, they disposed of their farm effects, and, 
settling in Russiaville, founded the Russiaville Observer, December, 
1881. There having been several journalistic efforts here, and some of 
them leaving the field of adventure, while another succumbed to the destruct- 
ive fire of January 22, 1881, Mr. and Mrs. Cosand found it hard work 
to gain the confidence of the people in a newspaper venture at this place ; 
but by industry and fair dealing they have, with the aid of their efficient 
foreman, Mr. R. C. O'Leary, succeeded in establishing it upon a paying 
basis. Mr. and Mrs. Cosand are both by birth and education members 
of the Society of Friends. In the fall of 1882 and the following winter, 
they were called upon to pass through severe affliction and bereavement. 
Mr. Cosand, from the 1st of October till February, was confined to the 
house by sickness, which almost every one, at one time, thought he would 
scarcely survive. On the 12th of February, that winter, there was born 
them a little girl baby, whom they called Lena. But they were not 
to be long blessed with her presence. Her fine, strong form soon gave 
way to convulsions, which followed one another in rapid succession for 
about sixty hours, when nature yielded and she closed her eyes, and was 
forever at rest. Early in March, they again assumed their duties on the 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 385 

Observer, which had in the mean time been successfully conducted by 
Mr. O'Leary, and the columns of this journal indicate their ability in 
this direction. Having passed successfully through the diflBculties inci- 
dent to the early days of a country newspaper, they have apparently a 
prosperous future before them. 

JONATHAN DIXON, son of Silas and Mary (Lindley) Dixon, was 
born in Lawrence County, Ind., November 19, 1822. When he was two 
years old, his parents came to Orange County, Ind., and here he was 
reared and educated. When he was grown, his father gave him 160 acres 
of land, which he improved and cultivated four years, when he sold, and 
entered 160 acres in Tipton County. There he farmed until 1858, when 
he purchased 110 acres near Russiaville, Howard County. He has since 
added sixty-five acres, and now has his farm stocked with fine stock. In 
1882, he built a comfortable dwelling in Russiaville, where he is living 
a retired life. Mr. Dixon was married in Lawrence County, Ind., 
March 6, 1845, to Miss Lorniza Maxwell, who was born in Lawrence 
County September 24, 1825. They have one child living, America A. 
Mr. Dixon is a member of the Society of Friends and of the Republican 
party. 

JOHN W. GRAHAM, son of A. J. and Lucinda (Rogers) Graham, 
was born in Switzerland County, Ind., November 3, 1843. When he 
was seven years of age, his parents moved to Delaware County, Ind., and 
three years later to Madison County, where John W. received the benefit 
of the country schools five years. He then moved to Tipton County, 
and later to Hamilton County, where he remained until 1871, when he 
removed to Leavenworth County, Kan., and engaged in farming and 
stock-raising for four years. He then came to Howard County, and is 
now located on sixty-six and two-thirds acres of fine farm land, situated 
near Russiaville. He was married in Hamilton County, Ind., April 13, 
1865, to Miss Nannie A. Phillips, a native of Indiana, and born Decem- 
Tjer 9, 1844. This union has been blessed with seven children — Luella 
A., Charley A., Mary L., Rosa A., Fannie B., Ora and Luke F. Mr. 
Graham is a member in good standing of the Odd Fellow and Masonic 
fraternities. He is a strong Republican, and he and wife are members of 
the Old School Baptist Church. 

J. R. GRIFFITH was born in Queensville, Ind., where he was reared 
and educated. In 1866, he located in Bloomington, 111., whefe he learned 
the tinner's trade. He then went to Elizabethtown, Bartholomew County, 
Ind., where he pursued his occupation until 1873, when he located in 
Russiaville and opened a small hardware store. He continued in this 
business until 1877, when he disposed of his stock and worked at his 
trade fifteen months in Parsons, Kan. He then clerked eighteen months 



386 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

in a hardware store in Nevada, Mo., after which he again opened a hard- 
ware store, under the firm name of Griffith k Evans, in Russiaville, Ind. 
When they had been in business sixty days they were burned out, after 
which they built a new room, 60x100 feet, and now carry a $25,000 
stock. The firm also deals in live stock, and during 1882 shipped $75,- 
000 worth of stock. Mr. Griffith started in life a poor boy, but by close 
attention to business he is to-day one of the largest dealers in hardware 
in Central Indiana. March 10, 1870, Mr. Griffith was married to Miss 
Martha Springer, of Elizabethtown, Ind. She gave birth to three chil- 
dren — Ida M., George E. and Gracie L. April 17, 1875, Mrs. Griffith 
died, and Mr. Griffith was married at Kokomo, Ind., September 21, 1880, 
to Miss Mary E. Nixon. Mr. Griffith served in the late war, in Company 
B, One Hundred and Thirty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. 
He is a Master Mason and a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 

DAVID HODSON, Sr., was born in Highland County, Ohio, Octo- 
ber 9, 1824. He was the youngest of thirteen children born to George and 
Sarah (Powel) Hodson. In 1828, his father located in Madison County, 
Ind., when but few white settlers were there. There he received his first 
schooling. When he was but ten years old, his mother died, and he lived 
with his sister two years. He then lived with his brother Eli, a pioneer 
of Madison County, two years, after which he returned to Ohio and taught 
school for a number of winters. In 1848, he moved to Madison County, 
Ind., and the following year came to Howard County, where he taught 
school for fifteen years. In 1856, he traded in grain and hogs for a 
Louisville firm. The company became insolvent, and he, being respon- 
sible, sold his land and paid all his indebtedness. He then went on his 
father-in-law's farm, and worked as a common laborer. At the com- 
mencement of the war, he assisted in raising troops, preaching and teach- 
ing at intervals. September 18, 1863, he was commissioned Chaplain of 
the Eighty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, by 0. P. Morton, 
Governor of Indiana. He was sent to Fort Pickering, where he remained 
until January 26, 1864. He was with his regiment during all 
its engagements and encampments. He resigned at St. Louis, November 
24, 1864. Od his return home, he was selected to represent his town- 
ship at the draft commission, the duties of which he faithfully discharged. 
During the Red River campaign, his favorite friend, Capt. B. Gifford, of 
Company G; was killed. He and Capt. John E. Williams rescued the 
body and sent it home. During this campaign, he was taken sick, and lay 
in the hospital at Memphis four weeks. Mr. Hodson was married, Sep- 
tember 24, 1845, to Miss Delilah Hart, daughter of Miles and Amy 
Hart. They have eleven children — Miles J., Drusilla J., Amy Ann., 
John L., William E., Isabel, Mary, Martha, Sarah Katherine, David 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 387 

B. and Laura. Mr. Hodson is a minister in the Christain Church and 
was baptized by Elder Benjamin Franklin. He preached in his youth in 
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and has immersed hundreds. He still travels 
and preaches. In politics, Mr. Hodson is a Republican. He is a mem- 
ber of the Grand Army Post of Russiaville 

BENJAMIN KING was born in Adams County, Penn., January 29, 
1827. He is the son of John S. and Elizabeth (Reinhart) King. When 
he was one year old, his parents removed to Baltimore, Md., where they 
remained two years, when they removed to Carroll County, Md. There 
his father died, and in 1834 he came with his mother to Martin County, 
Ind., where they remained during the winter, and in the spring removed 
to Orange County, Ind. Mr. King there received a common school edu- 
cation. He followed farming for fourteen years, and in 1850 came to 
Howard County, engaging in farming and school teaching until 1861, 
when he purchased his present place, and is now engaged in farming and 
stock-raising. He has served as Assessor of Harrison Township, also as 
collector of delinquent taxes. He is now serving his second term as 
Township Trustee. He was married in Howard County, Ind., April 13, 
1853, to Miss Margaret J. White. She was born in North Carolina Sep- 
tember 8, 1830. They have had five children — Alraira E., Joseph 
(deceased), Oliver M., Mary E. and John R, Mr. King is a Republican 
in politics, and he and wife are members of the Society of Friends. 

P. H. McCANN (deceased) was born March 19, 1829, in Pendleton 
County, Ky. His father, Patrick, was a native of Ireland, and emigrated 
to Kentucky when quite young. He died in 1836, leaving his consort, 
Elizabeth (lies) McCann, and their two children — Margaret and P. H. — 
to struggle for themselves. Elizabeth died June 17, 1852. She was one 
of ten children, the result of the union of Samuel lies with Ellen Bailey, 
namely, William, John, Perry, Samuel, Peggy, Hettie, Sallie, Elizabeth, 
Priscilla (married John, the father of Thomas and Clark Gifford), and 
Stephen. The latter only survives and has reared eight children, viz.: 
Perry, John W., S. B., William, Martha J., Margaret, Rebecca and Eliza- 
beth, all of whom survive, save the last. The lies family are of English 
descent, and emigrated to America at an early period. Samuel lies died 
at the age of one hundred and five years, and served through the entire 
Revolutionary struggle of America. P. H., our subject, being left as 
he was without a fither when a mere boy, had but little chance to obtain 
an education, and only gathered, now and then, a stray thought in the 
country schools. By strict attention to such books as his mother was 
able to secure for him, he became qualified to teach in the country school, 
at which he applied himself during a few winters in Clinton County, and 
during the summers he worked by the month for farmers. He came with 



388 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

the family to Fayette County, Ind., when small, and subsequently to Rush 
County, the same State, In 1852, he came to Clinton County (now 
Howard), and for a time made his home with his sister, Margaret, the 
wife of Ira Bishop, the parents of William H., Nancy, Mary, Margaret, 
Patrick, Jane, Angie, Alice, John and Belle. His mother was able to give 
him a little start, and this, with the means obtained by teaching and in 
rural pursuits as a servant, he purchased land which he owned at his de 
cease, April 13, 1883. He was married, February 2, 1859, to Sarah E. 
Thompson, a native of North Carolina, then a resident of Honey Creek 
Township, this county. By her he was blessed with one child, Margaret 
E., who died May 18, 1861. His consort died April 21, 1861. He was 
married a second time, to Belle, a daughter of Smith and Margaret S. 
(Brown) Chambers, natives of North Carolina, and the parents of three 
children who grew up, viz.: James, Belle and Angeline. Her parents 
came to this county in 1852, whei-e the father died in 1855, and the 
mother in 1876. Her union with our subject gave her three children, 
viz.: Willie 0., born December 28, 1863, and died May 24, 1880; 
Sarah E., born September 14, 1865 ; and Mollie S., born August 18, 
1867, and died December 31, 1869. Our subject's sorrows were again 
multiplied by the death of his second consort, October 10, 1872, since 
which time, up to his decease, he based his affections upon his son and 
daughter, the former of whom was taken from him in the eden of his 
youth by the death angel. P. H. McCann was known by every ac- 
quaintance of his to be a man of more than ordinary temperament, and of 
genuine uprightness, generous to a fault, and kind and accommodating to 
his neighbors. He was a hard worker, and has been known to have la- 
bored during the busy seasons of the year, on his farm, twenty hours each 
day. By frugality and honest dealings, he added to the treasure given him 
by his mother, which, together with some means, the property of his last 
wife, summed up quite a little fortune, which he left to his loving daugh- 
ter, and other relatives. For a few years prior to his death, he devoted 
his time to the interests of his general stock of dry goods at Russiaville, 
in the firm of Bishop & McCann. He was for many years, and at his 
death, a member of the Baptist Church, the financial interests of which 
were benefited by his relationship, as well as otherwise. He adhered 
strictly to the principles of the Democratic party, and was a leader in that 
organization in the community where he resided. 

DAVID MIDDLETON, son of Levi and Mary (Postgate) Middle- 
ton, was born in Montgomery County, Ind., June 22, 1826. He was 
reared on a farm, and educated in the common schools. He engaged in 
various occupations until 1850, when he removed to his present farm in 
Howard County. He purchased 162 acres of wild land, and began 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 389 

clearing and improving it. By labor and economy he has made it one of 
the best improved farms in the township, with a large two-story residence, 
erected at a cost of $3,000, with all necessary outbuildings, and 
with all modern improvements. Mr. Middleton has been a Howard 
County farmer for thirty-two years, and is now in good circumstances. 
He has served as Township Supervisor for many years, and has declined 
becoming a candidate for several important offices. He was UKirried Au- 
gust 9, 1849, to Mary Kashner, a native of Ohio. She died in 1859, 
leaving him four children — William J., Abrara, Levi J., and Martha J. 
Mr. Middleton married his second wife, Sarah Carter, in Tipton County, 
Ind., May 14, 1862. He has three children by this marriage— Han- 
nah I., Mary E., and Ruth E. Mr. Middleton is a Republican, and 
for a number of years he has been a leading member of the Friends' So- 
ciety. 

DR. THOMAS McL. MOULDER is a native of Indiana, was born 
February 6, 1828, in Parke County, and is a son of John and Eleanor 
(Maris) Moulder. His parents were among the early settlers of the State, 
and his father was one of the Commissioners appointed by the Legisla- 
ture to survey and locate the county seat of Howard County in the year 
1844. The same year his parents settled on a 160-acre tract of land in the 
southwestern portion of Howard County. Thomas McL. Moulder received 
a good common school education. February 22, 1849, he was united 
in marriage to Eliza, daughter of James and Anna Williams. Her par- 
ents also were among the early settlers of this portion of the county, 
and were among the highly esteemed, intelligent and industrious pioneers 
of this reservation. This union was blessed with five children, all of whom 
are living — Dr. J. McLean, of Kokomo, and Louie, Ella, James and 
Anna, of Russiaville. For a number of years, he was one of the fore- 
most teachers of the county. He taught a great many very successful 
schools in the western portion of Howard and Tipton Counties. Up to 
1864, he had been engaged in farming and teaching, spending all his 
leisure time in reading medicine. About this time, after a careful course 
of study, he began the practice of medicine, and he still enjoys the con- 
fidence of a large circle of patrons in Russiaville and vicinity. In March, 
1883, he had the honorary degree of M. D. conferred upon him at the 
Fort Wayne Medical College. Dr. Moulder has always been a true Re- 
publican, is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has held almost 
every office within the gift of his lodge. He and his wife are members 
of the M. E. Church, and he is now one of the local preachers of his 
Church. Dr. Moulder is in every sense of the word an exemplary Chris- 
tian gentleman. 

WILLIAM R. PAYNE was born in Tippecanoe County, Ind., Jan- 
■ ary 19, 1856. He was the eighth of ten children born to Samuel and 



390 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Emily (Greenha) Payne. His father was a native of Maryland, and his 
mother of Ohio. William was reared and educated in his native county 
until 1876, when he entered the Northern Indiana Normal School, at 
Valparaiso, where he finished his studies in 1877. He then taught 
school for two years, after which he read law under Col. R. P. DeHart, 
of La Fayette, Ind. He was admitted to the La Fayette bar March 24, 
1880, and practiced in that city for one year. He then located at Rus- 
siaville, where he is now actively engaged in the duties of his profession, 
practicing in Howard and adjoining counties. In 1881, he was commis- 
sioned Notary Public, and he is doing an active business in insurance, 
representing the yEtna and Springfield Fire and Marine Company of 
Massachusetts. He was married March 25, 1880, to Miss Alfa War- 
wick. She was born May 6, 1856, and died in Tippecanoe County, Octo- 
ber 1, 1882. Mr. Payne is a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
and a member in good standing of the I. 0. 0. F. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Republican party. 

B. B. RICHARDS is the son of Benjamin and Eliza (Marquis) 
Richards, and was born in Ripley County, Ind., September 13, 1847. 
When he was quite young, his parents removed to Decatur County, 
Ind. He attended the common schools until 1865, when he entered 
Hartsville University, Ind., where he remained four years. He then 
came to Howard County and taught school for a number of years, 
after which he engaged in the harness and saddler's trade in Kokorao. 
He afterward removed his stock to New London,^ and after two and 
one-half years he again moved to Russiaville, where he pursued the 
same business until 1880. He then studied law and was admitted to 
the bar in 1882. In 1881, he was elected Justice of the Peace, which 
office he is now filling. He is also engaged in the real estate and 
insurance business, representing the Phcenix, of Brooklyn, N. Y.; Niag- 
ara, Western, Toronto and New England Life. Mr. Richards was mar- 
ried to Miss Rebecca Gossett, daughter of John Gossett, of Howard 
County. They have two children — Ollie E. and John 0. Mr. Rich- 
ards is an Odd Fellow, and he and wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

SAMUEL RUNK, an enterprising pioneer, is a native of Vir- 
ginia, and was born in Berkeley County November 27, 1816. His 
father, John, was born in Hanover County, Penn., and was a son of 
Valentine, a native of the same State and the son of Valentine Runk, 
who emigrated from Germany when quite young to the State of New 
York, where he labored seven years on a farm, to obtain money to 
pay to a party from whom he borrowed to defray the expense of his pas- 
sage across the ocean, after which he labored seven more years, re- 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 391 

ceiving the means by which his parents were transferred to the Amer- 
ican continent. He finally settled with them in Pennsylvania. John, 
the father of Samuel, served in the war of 1812; married Elizabeth Mil- 
ler, a native of Pennsylvania ; they settled for awhile in Maryland, where 
to them Avere born John and Daniel. They subsequently located in 
Virginia, where they were blessed with Betsey, Samuel, George, William, 
Jacob L., Mary and Joseph T., all of whom survive. In 1836, the fam- 
ily moved by team to Clinton County. Ohio, where the father died at 
the age of eighty-four and the mother at eighty-nine. Samuel's only 
advantage of school was sixteen days while in Virginia. About the 
time of reaching his majority, he was married to Margaret Ratcliff. Her 
father, Edom Ratcliff, was a native of North Carolina, and with his wife, 
Hannah Smith, was among the first settlers of Highland County, Ohio, 
where they remained until 1844, when they came by wagon to what 
is now Honey Creek Township, and settled near the present site of Rus- 
sia ville, where they died, having reared nine children, viz.: William, 
Mahala, Margaret, Rachel, Edom, Hannah, Andrew, Matilda and Sarah. 
Our subject settled where he now lives, in Honey Creek Township, in 
1844. The country was then an unbroken wilderness, save here and 
there a small patch around a rude log cabin. The forests were inhabited 
by wild animals, and Mr. Runk sustained his family partly by the wild 
meats he could easily slaughter. By strict economy and hard labor, he 
has secured and improved some fine farms. In April, 1877, his wife died, 
having blessed him with nine children, viz.: Matilda (deceased), married 
Joseph Elliott, the result being two children, William and Jennie ; Han- 
nah E., who married F. M. Duncan, whom she blessed with Alice (de- 
ceased), Samuel, Orpha, Maggie (deceased), and Earnest; William A., 
enlisted in the late war, where he died ; Jacob ; Miles, who married Sal- 
lie A. Orr, by whom he has Norman and Luella ; John M., attended the 
country, Kokomo and Lebanon, Ohio, Schools ; taught nine years, includ- 
ing normal terms at Kokomo and Russiaville ; began compiling biograph- 
ical matter for Chicago publishing house in 1878, for which he has since 
labored, excepting a period as one of the editors of the Kokomo G-azette ; 
Louisa A., married Thomas Carter, the result being two children, viz.: 
Elmer and Lillie ; Maggie E. (deceased), married George T. Lindley, 
whom she blessed with Freddie. The last child was Abraham L. 
Although our subject had but little chance of education himself, he has 
given his children such advantages as times and limited means would 
permit, and five of the nine have taught school. Mr. Runk has for many 
years been a member of the A., F. & A. M. of Russiaville, and is a 
stanch Republican, as are also his entire family. He is now enjoying 
good health, with his second wife, Mrs. Caroline Lake, the only daughter 
of Thomas and Mary E. (Coleman) Blackburn. 



392 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

MAJ. MELL SEWARD, son of Charles and Ann P. (Taylor) Sew- 
ard, was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, July 2, 1848. When young, 
he moved with his parents to Howard County, where he was reared and 
educated. In 1863, he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and 
Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private. He was 
soon made Duty Sergeant, then Orderly Sergeant, after which he was 
promoted as Second Lieutenant, and later he was made First Lieutenant, 
which position he held until the close of the war. He participated in the 
engagements at Resaca, Dalton, siege of Atlanta, Nashville, Fort An- 
derson, Wilmington and West Fork. At the close of the war, he re- 
turned to Howard County and went on a farm. In 1871, he located in 
Russiaville, and engaged two years in milling, when he sold out and en- 
gaged in merchandising a short time. He then purchased a half-interest 
in the Russiaville Flouring Mills, where he is doing a large merchant and 
custom trade. The mill is a two-story frame building, 40x48, is propelled 
by steam, and has a capacity for making fifty barrels per day. Mr Seward 
was married at Russiaville, November 14, 1868, to Frances C. Jones, a na- 
tive of Indiana. By this union they have three children — William A., Lulu 
H. and Fred G. Mr. Seward is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and Masonic 
fraternity, also of the Grand Army of the Republic. His sympathies are 
with the Republican party. It was said by Hon, Oliver P. Morton, that Maj. 
Seward was the youngest commissioned officer of this State, during the 
late war. He is, at present. Aid-de-camp upon the staff of Gov. Porter. 
In the spring of 1883, he was appointed Deputy Revenue Collector of 
the Eleventh District, under Capt. T. M. Kirkpatrick, and is now serving 
in that capacity. 

R. W. THOMPSON was born in Fayette County, Ind., October 11, 
1842, and was the eldest of seven children born to James L. and Eliza- 
beth (McCarty) Thompson. When he was eight years old, his parents 
removed to Howard County. After he had received the benefit of the 
country schools for some time, he attended the High School at Lebanon, 
Boone County. He returned home, and completed his course in Kokomo 
in 1867. He then taught school three terms, and soon after located on 
a farm, and has since followed agricultural pursuits. His farm is located 
west of Russiaville. It consists of the best soil, is well drained, and has 
all the modern improvements. In 1875, he began to labor as minister, 
in the Old School Baptist Church, and has given much of his time to this 
work. He was married, August 22, 1867, to Miss Sarah E. Hodson. 
She was born January 3, 1849, in Highland County, Ohio, and is a 
daughter of Jonathan and Delilah (Hart) Hodson. This union has been 
blessed with three children — George W., Mary L. and Millie E. Mr. 
Thompson's sympathies are with the Democratic party. 



HONEY CREEK TOWNSHIP. 393 

G. W. TOPPING was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, October 
8, 1862, and was the youngest of two children born to James L. and 
Margaret (Moore) Topping. When he was but sixteen years old, his 
parents moved to Centertown, Ind., where, after completing his studies, 
he accepted a position as clerk in a drug store. After a short time, he lo- 
cated in Brazil, Ind., and was employed in the drug trade fifteen months, 
after which he went to Indianapolis, and filled a position in a drug store 
until October, 1882, when he purchased a stock of drugs and located at 
Russiaville, establishing the firm of G. W. Topping & Co. Mr. Topping 
is an energetic business man. His stock is full and complete, and he is 
rapidly building up a large and excellent trade. 

HON. SAMUEL WOODY was born April 14, 1828, in Orange 
County, N. C. His parents, John and Mary Woody, located in Parke 
County, Ind., in 1829. There he worked on the farm, attending the 
common schools in the winter. His education was limited, but he has 
obtained a goodly stock of general information through reading. In 
1847, he came West with his aged parents, and settled on eighty acres of 
land in the Miami Reserve, where be still lives. He worked hard to pay 
for this farm, but he now owns 400 acres of fine farm land, well cultivated, 
having all the modern improvements. In an early day, Mr. Woody was 
Township Trustee for six years. In 1874, he^was elected Joint Repre- 
sentative from Howard and Miami Counties, and during his term of serv- 
ice introduced several important bills, which afterward became laws. 
Formerly Mr. Woody was a Whig, but has been a Republican ever 
since the organization of that party. He has long been an earnest 
worker in the temperance cause, and has ever been ready to aid in any 
charitable enterprise. He has given liberally to many churches, and has 
assisted in building many church buildings in the county, as well as in 
the city of Kokomo. Mr. Woody was instrumental in organizing Honey 
Creek Township. He was married, February 11, 1849, to Miss Mar- 
garet Lybrook, daughter of John C. and Elizabeth Lybrook. Her parents 
were natives of Virginia, and pioneers of Honey Creek Township. Mr. 
and Mrs. Woody have had seven children — Horace G., Professor of the 
Kokomo High School ; John L., of Russiaville ; William P.; M. Pearl, 
of Arkansas ; Mrs. M. E. Alma Dimitt, Sarah L. and N. E. Ina. Mrs. 
Woody died January 6, 1883. 

DR. J. C. WRIGHT was the sixth of ten children born to David 
and Jane A. (Bower) Wright. His father was a native of Ohio, and his 
mother of New Jersey. Dr. Wright is a native of Highland County, 
Ohio, and was born September 17, 1852. He was reared and educated 
at New London, Ohio, after which he was employed as clerk in a dry 
goods house two years. He then took a practical course in pharmacy 



394 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

in a drug store one year, when he chose as his preceptor Dr. J. F. Bower, 
of New Lexington, Ohio. He remained with him three years, after 
which he entered the Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, and graduated 
from that institution. He then located at Russiaville, Ind., where he 
engaged actively in the duties of his profession, making a specialty of the 
eye. In 1879, he began the study of dentistry, in which art he has 
gained considerable reputation. Dr. Wright was County Coroner for two 
years, during which time he acted in several celebrated cases, among them 
the shooting of Mayor Cole and the hanging of Richard Long. Dr. 
Wright was married at Russiaville, Ind., October 9, 1873, to Miss 
Emma C. Ratcliff, of Highland County, Ohio, and daughter of Thomas 
E. and Jane (Smithson) Ratcliff, both natives of Ohio. By this marriage 
they have two children, Bertha J. and James C. Dr. Wright is now in 
active practice of dentistry, having established a successful business and 
a reputation as a skillful and efficient workman in that line. He also con- 
tinues, to some extent, his medical practice. Dr. Wright has established 
a leading reputation as a writer for the newspapers, and is well read in 
history, science, art, and the miscellany of the day. He is one of the 
promising young men of Howard County, an intelligent and genial gen- 
tleman. 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 

W. F. GORDON was born in Clarke County, Ohio, April 30, 1835, 
and is the eldest of eight children born to Adonijah and Synder (Reeser) 
Gordon, both natives of West Virginia. While quite young, our subject 
moved with his parents to Tippecanoe County, Ind., where he received 
the benefit of the country schools until 1848, when he moved with his 
father to Howard County, and here completed his education. His father 
is one of the pioneers of Indiana, and helped build one of the first school- 
houses in Monroe Township. W. F. Gordon started in life as a renter, 
but by economy and industry he soon accumulated means, and purchased 
160 acres of land in Clinton County, Ind., on which he lived for some 
time. In 1865, he located on his present place of 374 acres. His farm 
is in every respect a model one. He has a large two-story brick dwelling 
containing ten rooms, erected at a cost of $3,500, and mammoth barn 
and granary. Mr. Gordon has taken an active part in improving the 
stock of this section, having invested $4,000 in thoroughbred short-horn 
cattle. His herd consists of the best families, some of which may be 
mentioned : The Amelia tribe, Mary's Princess, Duke's Breast Plates, 
and Philleses. In 1878, he was elected County Commissioner, and re- 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 395 

elected in 1882. He has taken an active part in improving the public 
highways, having served as Supervisor for twelve years. He was married 
in Honey Creek Township, Clinton County (now a part of Howard 
County), November 23, 1856, to Harriet M. Williams, of Logan County, 
111. She was born February 21, 1840. By this union they have 
nine children — Ormanda, Charles H., Adonijah W., Ortha A., Sarah 
C, John S., Milvin L., Nora and William C. Mr. Gordon is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity, and a strong believer in Woman's Rights ; 
and a member of the Republican party. 

ELIHU HOBSON, a pioneer of Howard County, was the first of 
ten children born to Jesse and Lydia (Newlin) Hobson. He was born in 
North Carolina September 1, 1824, and when but four years of age re- 
moved with his parents to Parke County, Ind., where he was reared on 
his father's farm and received a common school education. He then 
rented a farm in Parke County where he lived until 1847, when he moved 
to Howard County and settled on his present place of 120 acres, then in 
its native state. Being handy with tools, he has made many improve- 
ments with his own hands. His farm is in a high state of cultiva- 
tion, with fine dwelling, all necessary outbuildings and with macadamized 
road leading from his house to the main pike. He has taken an active 
part in improving the highways in this township, having served as Super- 
visor about fifteen years. Mr. Hobson has been twice married, first in 
Parke County, Ind., February 8, 1846, to Margaret Hadley, of North 
Carolina. She died April 23, 1854. By this marriage they had four 
children — Levi, Lydia, Mary (deceased) and Martha (deceased). The 
second marriage occurred at New^ London, Ind., November 14, 1855, 
Sarah King of Frederick County, Md., being the bride. She was born 
April 19, 1831. They have by this marriage eight children — Ossian, 
Cadmus, Estella; Luella, Aaron, i\.my E., J. J. Gurney and Alford S. 
Mr. Hobson is a stanch Republican. 

JOSEPH G. McCOY, Sr., son of Gilbert and Huldah (Cram) 
McCoy, was born in Ohio April 18, 1819, and was reared and educated 
in his native State. He followed farming in Ohio until the spring of 
1844, when he came to Indiana and settled in Howard County, on his 
present place. He is one of the oldest settlers in the county and has ex- 
perienced many of the privations of pioneer life. He settled on his 
farm when all around was a wilderness, but he has labored upon it and 
improved it until now he has a good cultivated farm. He was married in 
Miami County, Ohio, October 24, 1839, to Lodicia Hollingsworth, of 
Ohio. She was the daughter of Joel and Annie B. (Conwell) Hollings- 
worth, both natives of South Carolina. By this union they had six chil- 
dren — Huldah A., Anna B., Harvey H., Elmira C, Mary J. and Chris- 



396 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

topher C. (deceased). Mr. McCoy is a strong worker in the temperance 
cause, and he and wife are active members of the Society of Friends. 

W. F. NBWBY was the second of three children born to E. J. and 
Elizabeth A. (Trueblood) Newby, both natives of Washington County, 
Ind. The subjeet of this sketch was born in Monroe Township. Howard 
County, Ind., May 24, 1858, and received the foundation of his educa- 
tion in his native county. He completed his course of study at Spice- 
land Academy, Henry County, Ind., in 1880. He then turned his 
attention to agricultural pursuits, and is now located on a farm about one 
mile east of New London, where he is extensively engaged in farming. 
Being reared on a farm, he is well acquainted with the duties of an agri- 
culturist, and has every evidence of becoming a wealthy farmer. He 
was married at New London, Ind., November 19, 1881, to Merab J. 
Shirley. She was born in New London February 17, 1864, and is the 
daughter of Dr. J. and Waity (Seaward) Shirley. They have by this 
union one child, Frank C. Mr. Newby is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., 
and of the Republican party. 

ZIMRI NEVVLIN, son of John and Ruth (Wordey) Newlin, was 
born in North Carolina October 15, 1820. When he was six years old, 
he removed with his parents to Parke County, Ind., where he was 
reared and educated. He then formed for about six years, and in 1846 
he located on his present farm in Howard County. This farm is situated 
a half mile east of New London, and is now finely improved. Mr. New- 
lin is one of the pioneers of Howard County, and has experienced many 
of the privations of pioneer life. He was married in Parke County, 
Ind., January 22, 1846, to Isabella Chapman, of England. She died 
August 16, 1870, in Howard County, Ind. By this marriage he had 
born to him eight children — Mary A., Martha, William, Ruth, Lucinda, 
Elvin, Cora A., and Ella I. Mr. Newlin was next married at New 
London, Ind., December 13, 1872, to Nancy A. Whitson. She was 
born in Darke County, Ohio, May 1, 1832. Mr. Newlin is a Repub- 
lican, and he and family are members of the Friends' Church. 

JOSEPH PEACOCK was the eighth of nine children born to Asa and 
Dinah (Rich) Peacock, both natives of North Carolina. Asa Peacock 
was a soldier of the war of 1812. The subject of this sketch was born in 
Randolph County, N. C, August 5, 1826. When he was three years of 
age, he was taken by his parents to Wayne County, Ind., coming 
through by wagon and team, Avhich made it a long and tedious journey. 
Joseph lived in Wayne County until he was thirteen years old, when he 
removed with his father to Grant County, Ind. It was there that our 
subject Was reared to manhood and educated. He then purchased a farm 
and followed agricultural pursuits until 1865, when he sold and came to 



MONROE TOWNSHIP. 397 

Howard County and purchased his present place of 195 acres. Mr. 
Peacock has one of the finest farms in the county. His dwelhng is a 
large two-story brick, with eleven rooms, built at a cost of ^4,000. His 
farm is well improved, has all necessary outbuildings, and is well stocked. 
Mr. Peacock was married in Grant County, Ind., February 21, 1849, 
to Caroline Jones, of North Carolina. By this union they have nine 
children — Mary, Ruth E., Jason, Miles, Lydia A., Levi, William J., 
Adaline and Clara. Mr. Peacock is a member of the Republican party, 
and he and wife are active members of the Society of Friends. 

JOHN RODKEY (deceased), son of John and Esther (Christian) 
Rodkey, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born January 15, 1826. 
When but six years of age, he removed with his mother to Miami County, 
Ohio, where he was reared and educated. In 1844, he came to Clinton 
County, Ind., and learned the tanner's trade, which he pursued four or 
five years. He then returned to Ohio and engaged in farming a short 
time, after which he returned to Indiana, and located in Howard County, 
having purchased a large tract of land. He improved this place until it 
was one of the finest farms in the county. Mr. Rodkey was a man of fine 
business qualities, and assisted greatly in developing Howard County. 
The large brick dwelling, surrounded by broad acres, still stands, to 
show that he was not idle, but improved all opportunities offered, to 
provide for his widow and loved ones, leaving an ample share for each of 
his children. He died September 29, 1875, since which time Perry, 
the eldest of his sons, has managed the estate. Mr. Rodkey was elected 
County Commissioner in 1868, and re-elected in 1871, holdint^ the office 
at his death. He was married in Carroll County, Ind., June 4, 1853 
to Eveline Fennell. She is a native of Virginia, and was born September 
25, 1827. They had five children — Perry, Laura J., Mary C, Joseph 
M. and Jessie Celle. Mr. Rodkey was a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity, and the Republican party. 

SILAS STOUT, a pioneer of Howard County, is a native of 
Indiana, and was born in Orange County July 17, 1816. He wag the 
fifth of eleven children born to John and Elizabeth (Moon) Stout. He 
was reared on a farm, attending school in winter, and assisting his father 
during the spring and summer. When he was well advanced in his 
studies, he entered the high school at Salem, Ind., and completed hig 
course. He then returned to Orange County, where his time was mostly 
occupied in teaching, as well as in Parke County. He then located on 
a farm in his native county, where he remained until 1849, when he 
removed to Howard County, purchased eighty acres of land, and erected a 
cabin in the forest. He still lives on the same farm, which is now in a hi^^h 
state of cultivation, with good dwelling house and all necessary improve- 



398 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

ments. In 1870, he was elected County Surveyor, which position he 
held three terms, giving general satisfaction to the entire community. 
Mr. Stout is a trustworthy citizen, and has served as administrator to 
important estates, and as a guardian for some of the best families in the 
county. He was married December 22, 18-11, in Orange County, Ind., 
to Martha King, born in Baltimore, August 15, 1819. By this union 
they have six children — Edwin, Mira, Elma, Albert, Charles and Lewis E. 
He and family are members of the Society of Friends. Mr. Stout is in 
his sixty-seventh year, has never used glasses, and enjoys splendid 
health. He is a stanch member of the Republican party, and a worthy 
citizen. 

BENJAMIN TUCKER was born in Miami County, Ohio, January 
22, 1827, and was the fifth of thirteen children born to Jacob and Eliza- 
beth (Kessler) Tucker. He was reared and educated in his native State, 
and in 1847 came to Howard County, and settled on eighty acres of un- 
improved land in Ervin Township. This he farmed and improved until 
1867, when he sold it and purchased his present farm of sixty-eight and 
one-half acres. This he has improved and made a model farm. Mr. 
Tucker is an excellent farmer, a highly respected and good citizen. He 
Avas among the first teachers of Ervin Township, and has been school 
director for quite a number of years. He was married in Miami County, 
Ohio, April 30, 1848, to Mary A. Sence, a native of Pennsylvania. 
By this union they had three children — Newton, Jasper, and Eras- 
mus C. His wife died in Howard County, February 8, 1860, and Mr. 
Tucker's second marriage was March 13, 1861, at New London, to 
Miss Mary E. Newlin. She was born October 18, 1832, in Orange 
County, Ind. They had three children by this union — Addison, William 
and Elwin. Mr. Tucker has been a member of the Society of Friends 
from infancy. In politics he is a Republican. 

E. C. TUCKER is the youngest of three children born to Benjamin 
and Mary (Sence) Tucker; the former is a native of Ohio, the latter of 
Pennsylvania. Our subject is a native of Indiana, and was born in Ervin 
Township, Howard County, April 11, 1855; here he lived until he was 
fifteen, when his father moved to Monroe Township, near New London. 
Here Mr. Tucker was educated, completing his studies in New London in 
1878. For the next three years, he was employed as a clerk in New Lon- 
don, at the end of which time he bought one-half interest in the store of 
Newlin & Beeks, and the business is now conducted under the firm name 
of Newlin & Tucker. They keep a stock of drugs and groceries to the 
amount of $2,000, and are doing a thriving business of $8,000 per annum. 
Mr. Tucker is a man of fine business qualifications, and with his polite 
and agreeable manners would succeed in any locality. He has just 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. ^^^ 



completed a handsome dwelling, with all modern improvements and 
conveniences, making it one of the most desirable homes in the town. He 
was married at New London, Ind., December U. 1881, to Miss Susan J. 
Snider, who was born in St. Clair County, Mo., February 25, 1859. She 
is the daughter of Pearson and Helena (Barkalow) Snider, both of English 
descent. Mr. Snider is a native of New Jersey, and his wife of ()hio. 
Mr and Mrs. Tucker have one child. Fay Ethel, born October 3, 1882. 
Mr. Tucker is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., and in politics he is a Re- 

^^^ HORACE W. TUCKER, son of George W. and Sarah M. (Hunts- 
man) Tucker, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 5, 1850. His father was 
a native of Massachusetts and his mother of Ohio. The subject of this 
sketch was reared and educated in Cincinnati. When he was nineteen years 
of a.^e, he moved to Miami County, Ind., where he engaged m f^irraing or 
eigh^teen months. He then spent several months in Sangamon County, ill., 
on a farm, after which he returned to Miami County, and later he came to 
Howard, where he purchased a farm of 117 acres. Here he farmed for 
eight Years, and then purchased the place on which he now l^ves, thirty- 
two and a half acres, in the suburbs of New London, making in all 14J^ 
acres of land, all well improved. He was married in Marion County, 
Ind April 2, 1873, to Miss Sarah M. Carr. She was born in Marion 
County March 23, 1853. By this union they have two children--Lena 
B. and Carry A. Mr. Tucker is a Republican in politics, and he and 
his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 
CHARLES L. BALDWIN, son of George W. and Margaret Bald- 
win, was born in Fayette County, Ind., July 14, 1843, and is one of a 
family of four children, he and a sister, Dora, being the only survivors. 
In 1849, the parents moved to Tipton County, this State, and settled on 
420 acres of land in Prairie Township, where they led the life of pio- 
neers. Deer were abundant and wheat had to be taken to Logansport to 
be milled. There Mr. Baldwin received a common school education, and 
there he worked on the home farm until his enlistment, August 19, 1861, 
in the Seventy-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He took part in sev- 
eral battles, and was wounded at Chickamauga, but after a furlough ot 
twenty days returned to the front and marched with Sherman to the sea. 
He was mustered out at Washington, June 8, 1865, and then engaged 
in farming, and then in the butchering and grocery business at Russia- 



400 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 



ville, this county. He was burned out in 1881, and he then purchased 
and moved upon a farm northwest of Middleton. In 1867, he married 
Miss Lizzie Hopkins, of Clinton County, and to this union have been 
born two children— William F. and Jennie H. Mr. Baldwin is now Sec- 
retary of Neii Lodge, No. 358, I. 0. 0. F.; in politics he has always 
been a Republican, and is now Justice of the Peace of Harrison Town- 
ship. 

JOHN M. DENTON, son of David and Emeline Denton, was born 
in North Carolina March 21, 1847. He is of English-German descent, 
and is a nephew of the celebrated geologist, William Denton, of Philadel- 
phia. When he was three years of age his parents moved to Washing- 
ton County, Ind., settled on a farm of eighty acres, and there died. At 
the age of ten, he removed to Orange County, and there he attended what 
school he could during winter and worked at farming during the summer. 
In 1862, he came to Howard County and worked for Oliver Moulder un- 
til his enlistment, in 1864, in the Indiana Volunteer Infantry, serving 
under Gen. Thomas. Twelve months he served faithfully, and was mus°- 
tered out at Louisville, Ky. Since his return, he has been chiefly 
engaged in the saw and planing mill business. In 1870, he married Miss 
Martha Stratton, who died in 1879, the mother of two boys and two girls. 
Mr. Denton is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, a member of the G. A. R., and 
of the Friends' Society. 

JOHN S. EDWARDS stands among the younger representative 
men of Harrison Township. He was one of a family often children born 
to Sylvester and Mary S. Edwards. Was born in Harrison Township, 
Howard County, on the farm where he now resides, and assisted his 
father in clearing a large farm, and obtained a fair education in the com- 
mon schools. His father was a hard-working, energetic farmer, and fre- 
quently walked upon his knees laying fences, when his back had become 
too weak to stand. The subject of this sketch has excelled in the study 
of music, and has always taken an active interest in public improvements. 
He now owns the home farm of 135 acres, two and a half miles south of 
Alto. Mr. Edwards was married in Illinois, December 25, 1871, to Miss 
Alice Thompson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Thompson, of Russia- 
ville, Ind. By this marriage they have four children— Julia A., Vessie, 
Elden and Vernie G. Mr. Edwards is an enterprising young man, and 
he and wife are active members of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 

W. T. HOLLINGSWORTH was born in Union County, Ohio, May 
31, 1842, and in 1846 came to this county with his parents, William N. 
and Susannah Hollingsworth, who were strict members of the Society of 
Friends. He was reared during the anti-slavery agitation, and became 
imbued with the prmciples of the agitators, and, considering the limited 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 401 

advantages, obtained a very fair education. When quite young, he 
learned the milling business, which he has ever since successfully followed. 
During the war, he operated what is known as the old Stratton Mill, and 
afterward purchased an interest in the Russiaville Mills, which were run 
under the firm name of Seward & HoUingsworth, the senior partner being 
Niel Seward. November 30, 1862, he married Rebecca Sparling, of In- 
dianapolis. For the past twelve years he has been a usefel member of the 
I. 0. 0. F., and at present resides with his family at West Middleton, 
and is operating the Merchant Flouring Mills at that place. 

JUDGE T. A. LONG, one of the oldest pioneers of Howard County, 
was born in Lexington, Ky,, October 16, 1796, and is the son of Benja- 
min and Margaret A. Long. They moved to Bourbon County in 1798, 
and his father dying soon afterward, he lived with his mother on the farm 
about nine years. He was then apprenticed to Billy Barlow, an old gun- 
smith of Nicholas County, Ky., and worked for him six and a half years 
for nothing and clothed himself; he then returned to Bourbon County, 
and started a gun and blacksmith shop, continuing in business there until 
1826, when he moved to the small town of Indianapolis, Ind., where he 
was in the same business until 1840, when he came to the Reserve and 
entered a claim ; he continued in the gunsmith business, in connection 
with farming and the nursery business, for a number of years. Subse- 
quently he removed to the place where he now lives, with his son, John, 
in Harrison Township. Mr. Long was married January 14, 1819, to 
Margaret McClure, of Kentucky. She was born November 9, 1799. 
They have been married sixty-four years. Judge Long has been one of 
Howard County's most useful pioneers ; he served as the first Associate 
Judge seven years, and since has filled various offices of honor and trust. 
In an early day he was a strong Whig, but of late has voted the Republican 
ticket. He and his wife have been members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church for forty years. 

JOHN T. LONG, son of Judge T. A. and Margaret Long, was 
born in Marion County, Ind., August 10, 1838 ; he came to this county 
with his family and settled in Clay Township, where he spent his youth- 
ful days in playing with the old peace chief, Pete Cornstalk, and in 
helping to clear up the farm when he was large enough for the work. He 
attended two terms of school taught in an old log dwelling house on the 
Henry Smith farm, and afterward a school taught by a Mr. Caffee, of 
Crawfordsville, in a house on the Stringer farm, and at twenty-two had 
acquired a very fair education, and was preparing to enter the Normal 
School at Kokomo when the war broke out ; he then made arrangements 
to go to the front as First Lieutenant, but circumstances at home pre- 
vented his going. In 1863, he married Miss Annie Havens, who bore him 



402 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

six children — William G., Emma, Arthur, Omer, Ethel, and one un- 
named ; of these three are deceased. Mr. Long now resides with his 
parents on an excellent farm of 167 acres north of West Middleton ; is 
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he has always taken 
an active interest in public affairs. 

WILLIAM MIDDLETON was born in Montgomery County, Ind,, 
December 6, 1830, and is the son of Levi and Mary Middleton, who are 
active members of the Society of Friends, in whose faith William was 
reared. The father was a carpenter and built the first house in Craw- 
fordsville. William was reared a frontiersman, and attended school in the 
winter until he was twenty-one years of age, when he walked to the Re- 
serve and began clearing on the farm his father had entered for him, re- 
peating the trip the two succeeding years and working out in Montgomery 
during the intervals, at f 10 per month. November 12, 1854, he married 
Jane Moulder, daughter of John and Eleanor Moulder, pioneers of this 
county. To this marriage have been born three children — Charles, Mary 
Florence and John. Mr. Middleton's original tract of land in this county 
contained ninety-three acres, which he increased to 160 acres ; in 1865, 
he sold this farm and settled on the 160 acres where he now lives. This 
he has cleared of every stump and rock ; his fields are well-drained and 
supplied with living spring water, and are second to none in the 
county. Mr. Middleton has been one of the most liberal contributors to 
works of public advancement and local improvement, and his example is 
well deserving of emulation. In politics, he is liberal, but inclines to 
Republicanism. 

JACKSON MORROW, one among the representative men of Har- 
rison Township, was born in Howard County, near Kokomo, March 3, 
1849, and is the son of Charles and Sarah Morrow. At the age of eight 
years, he began attending the common schools, and received a good com- 
mon education from his limited advantages ; he spent two terms in the 
Kokomo Normal, and at the age of sixteen Avas granted license to teach 
in the schools of Howard County ; he taught his first term in Harrison 
Township and his second in Taylor, and the next year entered the classi- 
cal course of Ann Arbor. After four years, he graduated with high 
honors in the class of 1872, after which he taught two winter terms in 
the graded schools of the county. In 1873, he was married to Mary E. 
Henderson, of Howard County. They have had three children, two of 
whom are living — Albert V. and Frederick E. In 1880, he was elected 
Trustee of Harrison Township, which oflEice he filled one term with much 
credit. In politics, he is of the Andrew Jackson stripe, but when in office his 
political principles are for the best interests of the people in general ; he 
has taken an active part in public improvements, and it was during his 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 403 

term of office as Trustee, that the large township graded school building 
at West Middleton was erected. Mr. Morrow has for some years been 
an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; he now resides on 
his excellent farm one and one-half miles east of Alto. 

JOSEPH OREM was born in Switzerland County, Ind., December 
22, 1841, and is the fifth of the twelve children born to Josiah and Ann 
(Orr) Orem, natives respectively of Maryland and Indiana ; the family 
came to Howard County when Joseph was quite young, returned to Swit- 
zerland County, and then moved to Tipton County, where Joseph enlisted, 
in the summer of 1862, under Col. Carver and Capt. Alexander McCrary; 
he fought at Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Jonesboro and Milton, Tenn.; 
was with Sherman on his march to the sea, and, after they left Louisville, 
they had transportation by rail only twelve miles, the balance of the dis- 
tance to Washington City being made on foot. During his career, he re- 
ceived one flesh wound and had two guns shot to pieces while in his hands ; 
he was mustered out in June, 1865, and on his return engaged in farming. 
January 18, 1866, he married Eliza A. Irby (now deceased). There 
were no children born to their union, but they adopted and reared Melissa 
Brown. October 20, 1881, Mr. Orem married Mrs. Mary E. (Cobb) 
Caldwell, and to this union one child, Josiah L., was born, August 17, 
1882. Mrs. Orem is also mother of four children by her former husband. 
Mr. Orem is an active worker in the Democratic ranks, and both he and 
his wife are members of the Christian Church. 

ROBERT ORR, son of Joseph and Agnes Orr, was born near Ve- 
vay, Ind., September 6, 1826, and was reared on the home farm until 
1843, and from eight until sixteen years of age attended the subscription 
schools. In 1843, both father and son took claims of 160 acres each, 
in Prairie Township, Tipton County, and when Robert attained his ma- 
jority, only a few months before the land came into market, he entered 
his tract at Indianapolis, By hard work he has succeeded in clearing up 
his farm and has increased his possessions to 348 acres, in Howard and 
Tipton Counties, some two years ago purchasing the place where he now 
lives, west of West Middleton. February 25, 1848, he married Miss Je- 
mima E. Fanchier, Frank Price, the first Clerk of Howard County, fur- 
nishing the license. To this marriage eleven children have been born — 
Louisa, Joseph F., Sarah A., Nancy C, John F., William H., Jennie, 
Lawrence, Laura E., Julia E. and Nora E. Mr. and Mrs. Orr are mem- 
bers of the New-Light Christian Church, and Mr. Orr has always taken 
an active interest in public improvements. 

GEORGE P. PITZER was born in Botetourt County, Va., Novem- 
ber 20, 1820, and is the son of Davison and Amanda Pitzer ; he attended 
two terms of school in his native State, but at the age of ten was taken 



404 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

by his father (who had for many years been County Sheriff in Virginia), 
to Fayette County, Ohio, where he began his first lessons in farming ; 
however, he availed himself of every advantage offered by the frontier 
schools and succeeded in acquiring a very fair education. When the great 
rush was made for the Reserve, George joined the tide, and September 
20, 1847, reached Harrison Township, where he bought the tract of eighty 
acres, on which he is still living, and to which he has added until he now 
owns a finely improved farm of 265 acres, lying south of Alto. In the 
sp.ing of 1848, he married Clarinda Snodgrass, of this township, and 
to this union six children have baen born — Francis M., Marcella, 
John, Mary, Ida and Mattie. Mr. Pitzer, some twenty years ago, 
served as one of the first Assessors of the township, and since then has 
very acceptably served two terms as Assessor and two terms as Township 
Trustee ; he has also filled the office of County Commissioner the past 
seven years. From an early day he has been a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, and he is also a member of the I. 0. 0. F. of Alto. 
JESSE RATCLIFF, the son of Abner and Sarah Ratcliff, was born 
in Clinton County, Ohio, October 4, 1816 ; his parents were members of 
the Society of Friends, and in this faith he was reared ; his youth was 
passed on the home farm and in attending the subscription schools, where 
he acquired a practical education. When he first came to Howard County 
he settled south of Russiaville ; he next bought 120 acres north of New 
London, for $1,100, paying down $475 ; six months later, he sold this land 
for $1,500 and bought the place on which he now lives south of West 
Middleton ; he added to his original purchase until he owned 320 acres, 
most of which he has since divided among his children. Mr. Ratcliff 
was married to Elizabeth Turrell, of Clinton County, Ohio, and of the 
children born to hira there are five living. Mr. R. is a Republican in 
politics and is among the few who have witnessed the growth of the town- 
ship and the county from its pioneer days. 

AMOS C. RATCLIFFE, son of Jesse and Elizabeth Ratcliffe, was 
born in Clintor^ County, Ohio, July 3, 1844. At the age of nine, he 
removed westward with his parents and located south of Russiaville in 
Howard County, and in the fall of 1853 the family located near West 
Middleton, in Harrison Township, where his father still resides. Our 
subject assisted his father in clearing the farm and burning the dead- 
enings. He availed himself of all the educational advantages of his day, 
and received his first schooling from David Hodson, of Russiaville, At 
twenty, he commenced teaching, and subsequently entered Earlham Col- 
lege, where he pursued his studies for two years ; he then taught in 
the high schools of Vermillion, 111., Russiaville, Ind., Bridgeport, Ind., 
and others for nine vears, after which he followed the occupation of farm- 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP, 405 

ing. Later, he was in the milling business in Eastern Indiana, and is 
now one of the proprietors and operators of the large merchant flouring 
mills located at West Middleton. Mr. Ratcliffe was married, in 1871, 
to Miss Martha Cox, of Sugar Plain, Ind. He is a strong Republican, 
and an active member of the Society of Friends. 

JOHN RATCLIFFE, son of Jesse and Elizabeth Ratcliffe, was born 
in Clinton County, Ohio, and when quite young came with his parents 
to Howard County, and settled south of Russiaville, and a few months 
later located on the place where his father now lives ; he worked hard in 
clearing the farm from the forest, and gained an excellent education in 
the common schools ; he taught school in Howard County for several 
winters, but has followed the occupation of farming the most of his life. 
Mr. Ratcliffe has always been a member of the Friends' Society and the 
Republican party. Rachel (Lamb) Ratcliffe, his wife, is a daughter of 
Anderson and Polly Lamb, of Miami County, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. 
Ratcliffe have one child. They live on a fine farm south of West Mid- 
dleton, Howard County, and Mr. Ratcliffe has a fourth interest in the 
West Middleton Flouring Mills. 

CHARLES SEAWARD was born near West Carlisle, Ohio, in 
1820, and is the son of Ebenezer and Eleanor Seaward. Our subject 
received about fourteen months' schooling, and for some time worked on a 
farm during the day and made and mended shoes at night. He was 
married, in 1840, to Miss Ann P. Taylor, a native of Smithfield, Ohio, 
and by her became the father of seven children — William, Benjamin, 
Melvin. Melissa, Shirley, Maria and Charles. October 17, 1851, he 
came to the little village of Russiaville and started a shoe shop, which he 
successfully conducted about eighteen months. In the meanwhile he 
bought eighty acres of his present farm southwest of Alto, to which he 
moved in 1853, and to which he has since added 108 acres, making it 
one of the best gr^in farms in the township. In politics, Mr. Seaward 
was first a Whig, then a Free-Soiler, and is now a Republican. Mr. 
Seaward sent three of his sons to the front during the late war, losing 
Benjamin, who was killed at the siege of Richmond ; he has always 
taken an interest in public improvements, and has been a member of 
both the Methodist Episcopal and Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. 

WILLIAM T. SEWARD was the eldest of seven children born to 
Charles and Ann (Taylor) Seward, natives of Ohio. The subject of this 
sketch was born July 13, 1841, in Coshocton County, Ohio, where he 
lived with his parents until 1851, when they moved to this county and 
located in Russiaville ; here he worked at the shoe-maker's trade until the 
spring of 1853, when he moved on the farm where his father now resides. 
Mr. Seward received a good common school education, and remained with 



406 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his parents until the fall of 1861, when he enlisted in the service of his 
country, in Company G, Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, under Capt, Willis Blanche, and was in the most hard-fought 
battles ; he w^as twice wounded in the right knee and in the right shoul- 
der. Mr. Seward was commissioned First Lieutenant in Company A, 
and later was promoted as Captain of the same company ; he returned 
home June 15, 1865, and began work on the farm. While home on a 
veteran furlough, he was married, March 20, 1864, to Miss Nancy A. 
Finch, a native of Ohio. They had four children — Ida M. (deceased), 
Ulysses, Merab and Blanche. Mr. Seward is an active member of the 
I. 0. 0. F., being one of the charter members of the Alto Lodge. Mr. 
and Mrs. Seward have been identified with the Seventh-Day Adventist 
Church for a number of years, and Mr. Seward is one of the most ardent 
workers in the Republican party. 

SAMUEL STRATTON, son of Jonathan D. and Prudence Stratton, 
was born in Wayne County, near Richmond, in 1833 ; he removed with 
his parents to Rush County, where he lived until 1848, when his father 
purchased a farm in Harrison Township, Howard County. Our subject 
received a limited education, and early evinced a love for mechanics. At 
sixteen, he became a millwright, and erected a small mill on the creek, 
and at seventeen he repaired the corn crackers and wheat mills at New 
London and Alto ; he subsequently constructed the Stratton Mill on the 
Wild Cat, near W^est Middleton, and successfully operated this mill for 
fifteen years. For some years, he was senior partner of the Anderson 
Machine Works. In 1867, he was elected to fill the unexpired term of 
Mr. Kirkpatrick as County Commissioner, and was re-elected to the 
same office in 1868. During his term, he superintended the building of 
the court house in Kokomo, and has always taken an active interest in 
public improvements. For several years, he has been a director on the 
Kokomo & New London gravel road, and is now one of the owners and 
operators of the West Middleton Flouring Mills. Mr. Stratton was 
married, April 10, 1852, to Sarah J. Hollingsworth ; he was reared in 
the Friends' faith, but having married outside of the denomination, was 
disowned by them. Mrs. Stratton died, and in July, 1868, he married 
Esther A. Stratton. This marriage was blessed with two children, both 
deceased. Mr. Stratton has been a strong believer in Spiritualism for 
thirty years. He is a Republican, and his father before him was a 
strong anti-slavery Friend. 

JOHN T. STRINGER, son of Shadrach and Isabella Stringer, was 
born January 3, 1849, in Clinton County, Ind., and is of Anglo-German 
descent. Shadrach Stringer, son of Eli and Margaret Stringer, was born 
July 26, 1815, in Franklin County, Ind.; was reared on a farm and re- 



HARRISON TOWNSHIP. 407 

ceived a practical education. He moved to Clinton County, and in 1856 
came to Howard County, locating in Harrison Township, on 320 acres of 
land joining Alto. He has always taken great interest in the develop- 
ment of his community and county. He has been a church member and 
a member of the I. 0. 0. F. for years, and has served as Township Trustee 
John T. Stringer was reared on his father's farm. At the age of 
seven, he came with his parents to Howard County and settled on the 
place he now owns. He availed himself of every educational advantage 
of his day, and at the age of fifteen was licensed to teach in the common 
schools of the county ; taught his first school in Monroe Township, and 
at sixteen entered Brookville College, where he remained one term. He 
then entered the classical course at Asbury University, pursued his studies 
successfully for two years, and in 1869 entered both the literary and law 
courses at Ann Arbor, In 1871, he completed the junior year in the 
literary course and graduated with honors in the law in a class 
of 120 ; then came to Kokomo and engaged in the practice of law until 
1873, when he moved on his farm. He has made this one of the finest 
grain and stock farms in his section. He also manufactures tile quite ex- 
tensively, and for four years with much credit filled the office of President 
of the State Tile Association. He has served as Justice of the Peace 
and Deputy District Prosecutor for some years. Mr. Stringer was mar- 
ried, February 6, 1872, to Miss Mary A. Plum, of Washington, Ohio. 
They have three children — Alonzo P., Shadrach and James J. T. Mr. 
Stringer is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. at Alto, the Knights of Pythias 
of Kokomo, and he and wife are active members of the M. E, Church. 
HON. MICHAEL THOMPSON was born near Uniontown, Va.. 
May 22, 1815, and is the son of David and Mary Thompson, re- 
spectively of Irish and German descent. About 1820, the family moved 
to Butler County, Ohio, and six years later to Henry County, Ind. 
Michael attended district school for about twenty-six months, but was a 
hard student and acquired a good practical education. In 1833, he moved 
to Delaware County, and in 1835 married Miss Lucretia Davis. He was 
a diligent student of the law, and at the age of twenty-eight was elected 
a Commissioner of Delaware County. He served one term, and then was 
elected County Assessor for the years 1847 and 1848. In 1849, he was 
elected to the Legislature, and re-elected for the following two years. 
From 1852 until 1857, he served as Township Assessor, and in the latter 
year came to this county and settled in Jackson Township. One week 
after he had "got fixed up for housekeeping," he was elected Justice of 
the Peace, in which capacity he served thirteen years, and durino' his res- 
idence in that township he cleared and brought under cultivation one of 
the finest farms in eastern Howard. In 1874, he engao^ed in the millino- 



408 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

business, and also practiced law one year in Somerset, Wabash County, 
and then purchased his fine farm in this township. In 1878, he was 
elected to the Legislature from this county, and again in 1882. During 
his legislative career, he was chiefly instrumental in giving power to the 
Auditor of the State to issue patents on canal lands, and also granting 
Commissioners the right to refund taxes paid on lands not subject to tax- 
ation or not legally assessed, and otherwise proved himself the friend of 
the people. During the last session, he never missed a roll-call or a vote. 
He has served the people in office forty-one years, and has never been 
beaten when a candidate. He is a Republican, and since the war has af- 
filiated with the Masonic fraternity. He has also been a lifelong mem- 
ber of the Christian Church. 

ROBERT E. TORRENCE, son of Matthew F. and Nellie D. Tor- 
rence, was born in Charlestown, Mass., January G, 1839 ; he attended the 
puHic schools until fifteen years old, and was then apprenticed for three 
years in the blacksmith department of the City Carriage Manufactory ; 
he then worked in Boston and other New England towns until twenty-one, 
and then traveled through Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, and finally in 
February, 1861, returned to this State, and secured work at Somerset, 
where, at the call for three months' troops, he was the first man to respond ; 
he was mustered into service April 20, 1861, and was placed in Company 
H, Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Before his time expired, he en- 
listed for three years ; came home on a short furlough, and August 14, 
1861, married S. J. Jones. Returning to the front, he was mustered in 
as Orderly Sergeant, Company I, Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; 
he took part in all the battles and skirmishes in which his regiment was 
engaged, and was wounded at Pea Ridge. September 26, 1862, he was 
promoted to be First Lieutenant, and served as such until the close of the 
war, and was on the staff of several Generals. July 10, 1865, he was pro- 
moted to a Captaincy, and August 28, 1865, was mustered out at Darien, 
Ga. On his return, he was appointed Clerk to the State Senate Military 
Commander for the session of 1865-66. In the spring of 1867, he came 
to Howard County, and in 1868 started a blacksmith shop on the Fair- 
field and Russiaville road in connection with A. Fortner, wagon-maker. 
March 4, 1874, he moved to West Middleton, where he is now doing a 
large business. Mr. Torrence is a Freemason, a member of the Society of 
Friends, and a Republican. 

JOHN E. WILSON was born in Wayne County, Va.,in 1843; is 
the son of Samuel and Eliza Wilson, and is of English descent ; he was 
two years of age when his parents moved to Tennessee, from which State 
they came to Howard County, Ind., in- 1849, and took a lease on the old 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 409 

Kyger farm in Harrison Township, Mr. Wilson availed himself of all 
the advantages afforded by the schools of the day, attending from the age 
of six until twenty. In 1853, the family moved to the Spring farm, where 
the father died when our subject was eighteen. For a time, John E. 
leased the home place, but it was soon after divided, John E. taking the 
east half, and his brother Charles the west half. Mr. Wilson was mar- 
ried in 1864 to Martha Beeks, of Attica, Ind., and to this marriage have 
been born six children — William, Charles, Frank, Lora, Louie and John. 
Mr. W. is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., and also an active member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 

BARTHOLOMEW W. APPLEGATE is the eldest of nine children 
born to Jacob and Margaret Applegate, natives of New Jersey and Ohio. 
Bartholomew was born August 1, 1840, in Johnson County, Ind., where 
he lived until he was seven years old, and in the fall of 1847 moved with 
his parents to Howard County, into a log church, until their claim could 
be vacated. When they were able to obtain possession, they moved into 
their new home in the wilderness, where Jacob Applegate, with the aid of 
his sons, cleared one of the best fiirms in the State. Our subject made 
his home with his parents until he was thirty-four years of age, when he 
was married to Miss Leora Millikan, of this State. This union was 
blessed with two children — Frederick, born June 25, 1875, and Nellie, 
born June 21, 1880. Mrs. Leora Applegate died July 30, 1880. Mr. 
Applegate was elected Justice of Peace in the fall of 1874 by the Demo- 
cratic party, in which he is an ardent worker. By diligence and labor, 
he has obtained for himself and children a good home. He is a promi- 
nent citizen and a member of the Masonic fraternity and I. 0. 0. F. 

LANTY ARMSTRONG, dealer in fine sheep and hogs, is the fourth 
of seven children born to Robert A. and Jane (Trowsel) Armstrong, na- 
tives of Kentucky. He was born, August 16, 1836, in Jennings County, 
Ind. He received a good education in the common schools, and assisted 
his father on the farm. The fall of 1855, his parents moved to this 
county and located in Taylor Township. Here Mr. Armstrong lived four 
years, and then went to Owen County, Ind., where he worked on a farm 
for one year. He then returned home and began farming for himself, 
and has since continued in that business. He received a little help from 
his father and father-in-law in the beginning, and now owns a fine farm of 
160 acres in Taylor Township, and forty acres in White County, Ind. 



410 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Mr. Armstrong was married to Miss Hester A. Elliott, a native of In- 
diana, April 11, 1861, who died of consumption November 7, 1871. 
This union was a happy one, and was blessed with one son — Burbridge 
G., born January 27, 1862, He is still living at home, and is a partner 
with his father, in the fine stock business. 

GEORGE W. BAUMGARDEN, is the son of George Baumgarden, 
a native of North Carolina, and Permilia Baumgarden, a native of Ken- 
tucky. George W. was born in Jennings County, Ind., April 20.1824. 
"When he was three years old, his parents removed to Decatur County, 
where they lived seven years, after which, they returned to Jennings 
County. Mr. Baumgarden spent his early life tilling the soil, and on ac- 
count of his father's being disabled, and his mother's early death, he re- 
ceived but a limited education. In 1844, he came to Howard County 
and located in Taylor Township. Mr. B. subsequently married Catha- 
rine Brock, and this union was blessed with seven children — Rhoda, Eliza- 
beth, Sarah Jane, Lidy E., Andrew J, (deceased), George N. and Vic- 
toria (deceased). His wife died in the winter of 1864, and he was after- 
ward married to the widow of William Hughes. Mr. Baumgarden has 
accumulated sufficient means to live comfortably. He and his wife have 
been members of the Separate Baptist Church for over forty years, and 
he has been preaching for over thirteen years. Mr. B. was at first a 
member of the Republican party, and subsequently voted the Democratic 
ticket, but is now independent, or votes for the man and not for the 
party. 

JASPER J. BYERS, physician, was the sixth of eleven children 
born to Philip Byers, a native of Kentucky, and Mary (Gwinnup) Byers, 
a native of New Jersey. His father was a soldier in the Revolutionary 
war. The subject of this sketch was born May 21, 1834, at Carthage, 
Ohio, and lived in Ohio eleven years. He moved from that State to 
Knox County, Ind., where he made his home with his parents until he 
was twenty- one years old. He attended school during the winter, and 
worked on the farm in the summer, until he was seventeen years old, 
when he began teaching. After following this profession five or six years 
he bought a half-interest in a woolen factory, which he operated for two 
years. He then sold out, and began the study of medicine. He attended 
school two years at Lebanon, Ind., and in 1857 began the study of medi- 
cine with Young & Osgood, of Gosport, Ind. After remaining with them 
two years he attended lectures at the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cin- 
cinnati, from which institution he graduated, and subsequently began his 
practice in Calhoun, 111. After a short stay in this place, he went to 
Quincy, Ind., where he remained until the summer of 1862, when he en- 
tered the army as First Lieutenant. He was in the battle of Corinth, but 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 411 

owing to poor health was compelled to resign the same fall. The fol- 
lowing spring, he came to Howard County and located at Tampico, where 
he remained four years. He went to Neoga, 111., and remained a short 
time, but soon returned, and has since resided in Taylor Township. Mr. 
Byers was married, September 19, 1860, to Sarah E. Archer, now de- 
ceased. Two sons — James J., born July 19, 1861, and Otto P., born 
May 2, 1863 — crowned this union. He was next married, October 1, 
1868, to Mrs. Smantha E. Elevens (Tracey). They have had five children 
—Arthur F., born June 6, 1870 ; John L., born November 24, 1872 ; 
Luly, born June 6, 1875; Fred, born May 5, 1878 ; Gracie, born June 
26, 1881 (deceased). Mr. Byers has been a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity since 1864, and has served as Justice of the Peace of Taylor 
Township. 

ANDREW J. COLE was the only child born to Taylor and Eliza- 
beth (Wintrode) Cole, natives of Ohio. Andrew was born, December 5, 
1881, in Warren County, Ohio. His father died when he was an infant, 
and he remained with his mother until he was fourteen years of age. He 
then worked out, giving half his wages for the support of the family until 
he was twenty-one. When he was quite young, he removed with his 
family to Shelby County, Ind., and was married, October 11, 1855, to 
Cassandra Swinford, born September 8, 1838, a native of Kentucky. 
This union was blessed with seven children — Nancy A. (deceased), born 
September 21, 1857 ; John (deceased), born May 9, 1859 ; Anderson, 
born June 7, 1862 ; Daniel W. V. (deceased), born October 4, 1863 ; 
Polly, born March 17, 1866 ; Debbie E., born April 11, 1869 ; and Will- 
iam H., born June 23, 1876. Mr, Cole remained several years farm- 
ing and milling in Shelby County, and in the spring of 1876 came to 
this county and purchased tlie only business room in Terre Hall. He 
started a little grocery, on less than $10, and now has about $1,000 
worth of goods, a good team and wagon, all made in less than five years. 
With the aid of a few friends, he has secured for the village a post ofiice, 
railroad office and express office. His wife has been an invalid for about 
twelve years. Mr. Cole was at one time in fair circumstances, but lost 
his means through having become security. Mr. Cole is liberal in politics, 
but generally votes the Democratic ticket. 

C. J. CUNNINGHAM, son of James and Sarah (Johnsonj Cunning- 
ham, was born in Highland County, Ohio, April 30, 1832 ; he was 
reared and educated in his native State, after which he followed the plaster- 
er's trade for three years ; he then farmed a short time, and clerked 
in a store, after which he was employed as traveling salesman 
for six years; he was then employed as salesman in Butlerville, 
Ohio, until the breaking-out of the war, when he enlisted in Com- 



412 ' BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

pany E, Forty-seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served 
until 1862, when he re-enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Seventy- 
fifth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the battles of Frank- 
lin, Tenn., and Spring Hill, Tenn. In 1865, he was discharged and 
the next six years engaged in farming in Clinton County, Ohio. He 
then removed to Weatboro, Ohio, and engaged in the drug business until 
1873, when he emigrated to California, where he was a successful miner 
for some time, after which he returned to Ohio and was in the milling 
business three years, when he went on a farm one year. Then disposing 
of his property, he came to Howard County, and bought a fine farm near 
Tampico, where he is now actively engaged in farming and stock-raising. 
Mr. Cunningham was married, September 11, 1856, to Elizabeth A. Saw- 
yer, of Ohio. They have two children — John D. and Frank D. Mr. 
Cunningham is a Republican. 

JOHN E. DUNCAN, a prominent farmer of Taylor Township, is 
the second son of John and Nancy (Sargeant) Duncan, natives of Vir- 
ginia and Indiana. John E. was born October 10, 1842, in Hancock 
County, Ind., and his father died about six weeks later. His mother 
subsequently moved to Rush County, and he remained with her, helping 
to support the family until he was twenty-one. After this, he worked out 
two years and invested the proceeds in a threshing machine, and by this 
means made his start in life. Selling his interest in this, he next invested 
in a farm with his brother, and later sold this and came to Taylor Town- 
ship, Howard County, where he has since resided. He now lives on a 
fine farm of 200 acres, well cultivated, with all modern improvements. 
He was elected Trustee of Taylor Township in the spring of 1878, and 
was re-elected two years later by the Democratic party, of which he is 
one of its most active workers. Mr. Duncan was married August 30, 
1866, to Miss Delana North, a native of Rush County, Ind. This union 
has been one of universal happiness, and has been blessed with four sons 
—OmerC, born November 20, 1867 ; Charley E., born February 8, 1873; 
John C, born November 31, 1878 ; and Roscoe K., born April 19, 1882. 
Mr. Duncan is one of the representative farmers of Howard County and 
also an extensive stock-raiser and dealer, shipping to various points ; he 
is one of the liberal and progressive men of Taylor Township and one of 
its most respected citizens. 

JESSE P. FENN is the fourth of five children born to Levi and 
Mary (Thompson) Fenn, natives of Connecticut and Ohio. Jesse P. was 
born January 2, 1831, in Fairfield County, and removed with his parents 
to Shelby County, Ind., in 1837 ; he remained with his father until he 
was twenty-one years of age, when he began life for himself ; he made 
his start by taking contracts for clearing ground and making rails ; he 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 413 

first purchased forty acres and kept adding to this until he had 190 acres, 
worth $14,250 ; he sold this and carae to this county in 1874, where he 
purchased 270 acres in Taylor Township, with all modern improvements. 
Mr. Fenn was married, December 9, 18o3, to Miss Catherine Stevens, a 
native of Ohio; twelve children crowned this union — Levi, John, Joseph 
T., David, Mary C , William F. (deceased), Charles E., Jesse, Thomas, 
Lewis, Alonzo and Dora A. Mr. Fenn has always voted the Democratic 
ticket and is one of its most ardent workers ; he has been successful as 
a business manager, and is a liberal supporter of all benevolent institu- 
tions. 

LEMUEL M. GITHENS, one of the prominent farmers of Taylor 
Township, was born in Rush County, Ind,, September 15, 1838, and is 
the son of Samuel A. and Jane E. Githens, natives of New York and 
Pennsylvania, and of English descent. He was reared on a farm and re- 
ceived a common school education, and shortly after his majority was 
married to Permelia Miller, daughter of Archibald and Ann (Barber) 
Miller, natives of Virginia. Four years after his marriage, Mr. Gitaens 
located in Grant County, Ind., and there cleared a farm of 200 acres. 
This he subsequently sold, and purchased 270 acres in Taylor Township, 
Howard County, upon which he still lives, and which has all necessary 
improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Githens have had eight children — Rosalie 
A., John M., Eliphalet, Susan, lona, Luvina, George and Labetta, five 
of whom are yet living. Mr. Githens was a prominent member of the 
Grange movement, holding the position of Worthy Master, and is an active 
politician, voting with the Republican party. 

JOSEPH HASKETT is the sixth of eight children born to Isaac and 
Rebecca (Evans) Haskett, both natives of South Carolina; his parents 
were early settlers in Ohio, havinglocated in that State in 1812. Joseph 
was born in Miami County, Ohio, November 10, 1818, and there remained 
until 1860, working on the farm, helping to maintain the family ; he at- 
tended school during the winter months until he was nineteen years old. 
Upon leaving Ohio, he settled in Taylor Township, Howard County, upon 
a farm which he cleared and cultivated ; he sold this and went to Fairfield 
to engage in the manufacturing of flour ; he is at present sole proprietor 
of the Fairfield Mills, which is an ornament to any State. It has the 
capacity of 500 bushels per day, and is one of the best mills of its size in 
the State. Mr. Haskett was married, December 3, 1863, to Miss Abbie 
Rickle (now deceased). Mr. Haskett has always been connected with the 
Friends' Church, has been an ardent friend to the poor, and a liberal giver 
to all branches of industry ; he is a prominent citizen, and a supporter 
of all religious and benevolent societies ; he also deals in grain, and ships 
flour extensively to the East. He cast his first vote for President Harrison, 
was a Whig formerly, and now votes the Republican ticket. 



414 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

^ EDWARD T. HATTON, of Tampico, is the seventh of fourteen 
children born to James H. Hatton, a native of Indiana, and Rachel J. 
(Shoemaker) Hatton, a native of Illinois ; his parents have been residents 
of Howard County for over thirty-nine years, having located here in 1844. 
Mr. Edward T. Hatton was born February 15, 1863, and has always 
lived in Taylor Township with the exception of one year. Worked on 
the farm and at the cai'penter's trade during the summer months, attend- 
ing school in the winter ; has been a local newspaper correspondent of the 
Kokomo Dispatch for six years, and of the Cincinnati Enquirer a part of 
that time ; he attended school for a short time in the spring of 1882, at 
Valparaiso, Ind., and to-day has a good practical education. In the year 
1878, he joined the Christian Church, of wliich he is an aotive member; 
is a live, energetic young man, a mechanical genius, and has great promise 
of success in life. 

ADAM IDE was the first of two children born to Albert and Mar- 
garet (Leeper) Ide, natives of Ohio. Was born April 11, 1844, in Darke 
County, Ohio; his father died when he was an infant, and his mother 
removed to Randolph County, where they lived eight years. Thence 
they removed to Miami County, where Mr. Ide remained with his mother 
until her death, which occurred about one year after their arrival ; he 
subsequently worked in Wabash County until the fall of 1861, when he 
enlisted in the three-year service, in the Forty-seventh Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry ; he served his time, and re-enlisted for three years, 
serving until the close of the war ; he was in many battles, the principal 
ones being Grand Gulf, on the Mississippi River, Champion Hills, Black 
River and Vicksburg. After the war, he traveled through the Western 
States, and was married in Illinois, August 12, 1873, to Elizabeth 
Leeper, a native of Inr'iana, and the following fall moved to Taylor Town- 
ship, Howard County, where he at present resides. Mr. and Mrs. Ide 
have had five children — Rosella M., Arminda M., Emma (deceased), 
Daisy B. and Luly A. Mr. Ide is at present engaged in a saw mill in 
Tampico, where he is doing a thriving business. He and wife have been 
identified with the Baptist Church for over six years, and are among its 
most active members. 

IRA E. McINTOSH is the ninth of tAvelve children born to Jacob 
and Nancy (Minor) Mcintosh, natives of Virginia and North Carolina ; 
his parents came to this State in 1809, locating in Union County, where 
the subject of this sketch was born February 29, 1821 ; he worked on 
the farm until he was eighteen years of age, when he began work in a 
buggy factory near Newport, Ky., in company with his brother. This 
vocation he followed for over twenty years, during which time he pur- 
chased a farm in Union County ; he subsequently sold this, and located on 



TAYLOR TOWNSHIP. 415 

> 
a farm in Henry .County, where he remained for twenty-two years. In 

the spring of 1873, he came to this county, and located in Taylor Town- 
ship, where he now resides. Mr. Mcintosh, being born of poor parents, 
received but a limited education ; he was compelled to work and help 
maintain the family, but he has a good practical education, which he has 
obtained through his own efforts. He was married, October 30, 1845, to 
Elizabeth A. Elder, a native of Indiana. Nine children bless this union 
— William M., Missouri E., Alpheus W., James W., Elizabeth A., 
Charles E., Lilly B., John M. and Ira E. Mr. Mcintosh is liberal in 
politics, and votes for the man rather than for the party. He and wife 
have been members of the Christian Church for over thirty years, and 
during twenty-eight years of that time Mr. Mcintosh has preached the 
Gospel. 

BENJAMIN L. MUGGis the second of four children born to Will- 
iam and Ellen (Cummings) Mugg, natives of Kentucky and Indiana ; his 
parents came to this county in 1H45, and took a pre-emption claim, and 
subsequently entered the same and made one of the best farms in the 
county; his father is to-day one of the leading farmers of Howard County. 
Benjamin L. was born February 4, 1850, in Taylor Township, and helped 
his father on the farm, receiving a common school education ; his father 
rewarded him for his labors with forty acres of good land, upon which he 
is now living. Mr. Mugg and Mr. A. J. Seagraves are at present engaged 
very extensively in raising fine Poland-China hogs for breeding purposes, 
and are receiving orders from many of the Western States daily. They 
showed at five fairs the fall of 1882, and received thirty-three premiums, 
eight of which were sweepstakes. Mr. Mugg was married September 3- 
1872, to Miss Sophia Ware, a native of Indiana. Four children crowned 
this union, two of whom lived to receive names — lona and Isa. Mr. Mugg 
was an active member of the Grange movement, and has always voted 
the Republican ticket, being one of its stanch advocates. 

EMMETT C. SKINNER is the fifth in a family of seven children 
born to John and Priscilla (Toman) Skinner, the former a native of Mary- 
land, the latter of Indiana, and of English descent. Emmett was born 
in Franklin County, Ind., March 20, 1858, and was reared upon a farm ; 
he attended school at Brookville, and obtained sufficient education to be- 
come a teacher. Mr. Skinner was married December 21, 1880, to Mary 
J. Backhouse, the tenth in a family of eleven children, born to Schillous 
and Malinda (Milliner) Backhouse, natives of Ohio and Indiana. Mr. 
Skinner, after his marriage, engaged in farming in Franklin County, 
Ind., and remained there till February, 1882, when he came to Union 
Township, Howard County, and purchased a farm near West Liberty. 
Upon this he continued until December 18, 1882, when he sold out ;inil 



416 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

purchased forty acres near Oakford Post Office, Fairfield, this county, upon 
which he now lives. His marriage has been a happy one, and has been 
crowned with one child — Ernest E., born July 16, 1882, died March 25> 
1883. Mr. Skinner is an active Republican, and cast his first vote for 
James A. Garfield, in 1880. Mrs. Skinner is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

WILLIAM M. SPRINGER (deceased) was the son of Nathan U. 
Springer, a native of Pennsylvania, and Martha (Moore) Springer, born 
in Virginia. William M. was born August 18, 1809, in Butler County, 
Ohio, and at the age of two years moved with his parents to Franklin 
County, Ind. ; he succeeded in obtaining a fair education, and at the age 
of nineteen began the tanner's trade, which was completed with John 
Hendricks, father of the Hon. T. A. Hendricks. Mr. S. was married, 
August 11, 1831, to Elizabeth Limpus, a native of Indiana, and shortly 
moved to Shelby County, Ind., in a densely wooded wilderness, where 
he worked at his trade, and cleared the farm from the woods. Mr. and 
Mrs. Springer had twelve children — Nancy A., Elvira, John S. (who 
died in the service of his country), Levi L., Martha M., Lyda J., Lovisa 
(deceased), Mary E., Nathan U., Almira (deceased), Sarah E. (deceased), 
and Jennie F. Jennie at present resides with her mother on the old 
homestead, and the rest of the children are married and comfortably 
settled in life, Mr. Springer was elected Trustee of Shelby County, in 
an early day, and in 1873 came to this county, where he lived an honest, 
upright life, being a friend to the poor, and a liberal giver to all public 
enterprises. In early life, he was a Whig, but in later years was a strong 
advocate of Republican principles; he and wife became members of the 
Separate Baptist Church over forty years ago. 

PHILIP STEPHENS is the youngest of six children born to John 
and Catharine Stephens, both natives of Germany. His parents settled 
in Shelby County, Ind., in an early day, where our subject was born 
April 16, 1848; his father died when he was but four years of age, and 
he remained with his mother until he was sixteen. Mr. S. then began 
business for himself with $60 capital; he worked by the month until he 
was twenty-one, and during this time had attended school three winters. 
When he became of age he had saved $700 which he invested in land. 
Mr. Stephens was married, March 9, 1871, to Miss Cynthia J. Cherry, 
a native of Indiana. Five sons bless this union — Charles E., Phillip W., 
William F., Samuel 0. and an infant. Mr. Stephens, after his marriage, 
lived in Shelby County about eight years, and in the fall of 1878 came to 
Howard County and purchased sixty acres of good farm land. Mr. 
Stephens has always voted the Democratic ticket, was an active member 
of the Grange Society in Shelby County, and he and wife are members oi 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 417 

AMOS SUTTON, one of the prominent farmers of Taylor Township, 
was born in Rush County, Ind., July 15, 1840, and is the son of Henry 
and Mary M, (Right) Sutton, natives of Indiana and Pennsylvania, and 
of English descent ; he was reared on a farm and received a common 
school education, and before his majority was married to Mary E. Morris, 
born October 31, 1841, daughter of Huston and Melchia (Smith) Morris, 
natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio. This union has been blessed with 
four children — Ida May, born June 15, 1861 ; Elmer E., born October 
4, 1863; Cara E., born June 16, 1877; and an infant; two of these 
are yet living. In 1864, Mr. Sutton came to Howard County and pur- 
chased a farm of eighty acres in Taylor Township ; he has added to this 
until now he has a fine farm of 160 acres under good cultivation, and 
with all the necessary improvements. Mr. S. is an active politician, vot- 
ing with the Republican party, and both himself and wife are identified 
with the Baptist Church. 

HEZEKIAH M. SUTTON is the eighth of nine children born to 
Samuel and Rebecca (Virt) Sutton, natives of Pennsylvania and Ken- 
tucky ; his parents moved to Rush County, Ind., in an early day, 
where they made one of the best farms in the county. Mr. H. M. Sutton 
was born April 10, 1838, in Rush County, Ind. ; his father died when 
he was but thirteen years of age, and he assisted his mother on the farm ; 
he received a good practical education, and through his own labor and a 
little help from his father's estate he has accumulated a good farm of 
sixty acres. Mr. Sutton was married to Miss Rebecca J. Tarbet, July 
2, 1868, She is a native of Rush County, Ind. Four sons bless 
this union — Thomas G., born March 30, 1869 ; James T., born Feb- 
ruary 4, 1872 ; John D., born October 7, 1874, and William H., born 
February 16, 1880. Mr. Sutton located in this county in 1878 ; he is 
an active member of the Republican party, and has voted that ticket all 
his life ; he is a prominent farmer, and a worthy citizen in the commu- 
nity in which he lives. 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 
JACOB ARHEART was born October 12, 1818, in York County, 
Penn. ; is the son of David and Mary (Hoke) Arheart, of Pennsylvania, 
and of German descent; his parents came to Ohio about the year 1832, 
and purchased a farm, on which they lived until their death in 1841 and 
1842, respectively. Jacob Arheart was reared on the farm, and at the 
age of sixteen began the shoe-maker's trade. He was married, April 25, 
1839, to Miss Lucinda Evers, daughter of David and Rachel (McDaniel) 



418 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Evers, natives of Maryland, and of German and Irish descent. Mr. Ar- 
heart continued to work at his trade, and to farm in Ohio, until 1844, 
when he came to Burlington, Rush County, Ind., where he purchased 
property, and worked eleven years at his trade ; he then sold out, and 
moved to Howard County, locating in Union Township, where he pur- 
chased a farm of eighty acres, which he began to clear and improve. By 
close industry and diligence, he has been able to clear out a beautiful 
home for his family, with all the necessary improvements. Mr. and Mrs. 
Arheart have had seven children, four of whom are living — Maud, 
Mary M., William H. and Elizabeth L. J., all of whom are married. Mi'. 
Arheart is an active politician in the Democratic ranks, and cast his first 
ballot for Martin Van Buren in 1839, and Mrs. Arheart is an active mem- 
ber of the Christian Church. 

J. W. ARMFIELD is the third of a family of six children born to 
Calvin C. and Peniah E. (Orsborn) Armfield, natives of Guilford County, 
N. C, and of English descent. Calvin C Armfield came to Henry 
County, Ind., in 1849, and there remained about eight years, when he 
came to Howard County and purchased a farm of forty acres, near 
Greentown, in Liberty Township. He has added to this, and now has 
a good home of eighty acres. J. W. Armfield was born October 3, 
1850, and spent his youth upon the farm. He was married, August 9, 
1873, to Miss Samantha 0. Chandler, daughter of John and Elizabeth 
(Hiott) Chandler, natives of Ohio and North Carolina. They have six 
children — Lydia B., Leonard D., Lele Pearl, Lorena C, Lawrence W. and 
Leo. Mr. Armfield is at present located on a farm of 220 acres, near 
Centre Post Office, Howard County; he has all necessary improvements 
to make home pleasant, and deals extensively in hogs and cattle, shipping 
to Chicago, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Mr. Armfield is an active poli- 
tician, voting with the Republican party, and his wife is identified with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is one of its most active members. 

WILLIAM BAGWELL, one of the prominent farmers and old pio- 
neers of LTnion Township, settled in Howard County in March, 1847, 
when the land was in its native state ; he is the third son of six children 
born to Levi and Elizabeth (Garris) Bagwell, natives of North Carolina, 
and of French and Irish descent. William Bagwell was married, Janu- 
ary 18, 1832, to Sarah Privett, daughter of Wiley and Nancy (Crabb) Priv- 
ett, natives of North Carolina and Virginia, and of Irish and French descent. 
Mr. and Mrs. Bagwell have had five children — Jane A., Nancy M., Wiley 
M., James E. and George W., three of whom are yet living. Mr. Bag- 
well is a prominent citizen, and he and wife are members of the Christian 
Church. George W., the youngest of the children, was born May 23, 
1853. He was reared on his father's farm, and received a good common 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 419 

school education. He is an industrious young man, is a genial gentle- 
man, and a worthy member of the United Brethren Church. Wiley M,, 
the third child, was a soldier in the late rebellion, and was killed at 
Baken Creek, Ky., by the enemy, while attempting to join his regiment. 

WILLIAM CARR was the fourth of seven children born to William 
and Susan Carr, natives of Ohio, and of English descent ; his father came 
to Richmond, Wayne Co., Ind., about the year 1838, and later located 
in Rush County, where he engaged in the milling business, owning a com- 
bined saw and flouring mill on Ben Davis Creek ; he subsequently made 
sale of this mill, and purchased a farm, and built a mill, which he contin- 
ued to operate until 1854, when he sold out, and came to Howard County. 
He purchased a farm of 100 acres in Union Township, and also bought 
a mill. He worked in the mill a short time, and then exchanged it for a 
farm north of Jerome, upon which he lived until his death in September, 
1880. The subject of this sketch was born in Rush County, Ind., Au- 
gust 19, 1841 ; he spent his youth on the farm, and was married, March 
12, 1868, to Miss Alwilda Kates, daughter of John and Rachel (Pierce) 
Kates, natives of Tennessee, and of English descent. Mr. Carr has con- 
tinued farming since his marriage, and is at present located on a well-im- 
proved farm of sixty acres, near Jerome. Mr. and Mrs. Carr have had 
four children — Dora E., Charley, Erley and John, all of whom are liv- 
ing. Mr. Carr is a prominent citizen, and he and wife are members of 
the Christian Church. 

WILLIAM CHAPPELL was born in Henry County, Ind., January 
14, 1832, and the son of Joshua and Sarah (Carter) Chappell, natives of 
North Carolina ; his parents had eleven children, two of whom, Mary and 
Malinda, were born in North Carolina; his father removed to Oxford, Butler 
County, Ohio, where he worked as a farm hand; he was a brick mason by 
trade, and assisted in building the first brick house erected in Oxford. In 
1820, he removed to Henry County, Ind., locating on a rented farm, but in 
1823 he purchased a farm of eighty acres on which he lived five years ; he 
then sold his form and removed to New Castle, where he engaged in the 
grocery business seven years, when he sold his stock and engaged in the 
hotel business for ten years. During this time, he was Deputy Sheriff 
under Tabor McKee, after which he was elected Sheriff" and served two 
successive terms. He was a prominent Republican. After his second term 
expired, he located on a farm in the same county and remained until 18t)3, 
when he sold out and purchased 290 acres of land in Madison County, 
and there lived until his death in 1872; his wife died the following year. 
While they lived in Henry County they had nine children — William, 
John E., Anna, Joshua, Matilda, Clement, Elizabeth, Harriet and 
Charles D. Mr. and Mrs. Chappell were among the most active members 



420 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of the New-Light Church. The subject of this sketch was reared on a 
farm, and received a common school education. He was married, in 1852, 
to Helen Carter, daughter of John and Hannah (Quick) Carter. Mr- 
Chappell, after his marriage, remained on the farm with his father until 
1858, when he removed to Howard County, locating on forty acres of land 
on the banks of the Wild Cat, in Union Township ; here he began to clear 
the land and prepare a home for his family ; he endured many of the priva- 
tions of pioneer life, and by economy and industry he has been able to 
odd to his home fifteen acres more, and now has a fine farm of fifty-five 
acres, well improved, making a beautiful home. Mr. Chappell was a 
prominent member of the Union League during the war. He is an ac- 
tive member of the I. 0. 0. F., and was Secretary of the Grange organ- 
ization. He is an active worker in the Republican party and has held 
offices of honor and trust ; he is now serving his second term as Justice of 
of Peace of Union Township. Mrs. Ellen Chappell is identified with 
the U. B. Church, and is one of its most active members. While not 
blessed with children of their own, they have reared many children, giv- 
ing them good homes. 

LEMUEL L. COHEE was born in Kent County, Del., March 
17, 1845, and is the son of Hinson G. and Anna (Longfellow) Cohee, of 
Delaware ; his parents were both members of the Baptist Church. Lemuel, 
on account of the early death of his parents, lived with his brother Jacob 
until he was twelve years of age, after which he lived six years with his 
brotiier-in-law, John Cook. In 1863, he came to Rush County, Ind., 
where he remained two years, and then came to Howard County and 
engaged as a farm hand in Union Township at $16 per month wages. 
In January, 1869, he was married to Mary Ann Flemming, daughter of 
Jesse and Margaret (Carr) Flemming, of Howard County. This union 
was blessed with three children. Mrs. Cohee died May 26,- 1874, a prom- 
inent member of the Christian Church. Mr. Cohee was next married, 
August 21, 1875, to Serilda J. Melton, born November 14, 1856, 
daughter of Jacob R. Melton, a native of Indiana, and Martha (Downey) 
Melton, born in Kentucky. They were of English and German descent. 
Mr. and Mrs. Cohee have had four children, two of whom are living — 
Emma May, born July 6, 1866, and Alvin M., born October 18, 1881. 
Mr. and Mrs. Cohee are both prominent members of the Christian 
Church. 

LEVI CONNER, M. D., was born in Tipton County, Ind., March 
25, 1850, and is the son of William and Louisa A, (Plummer) Conner ; 
his father was a native of Meigs County, Ohio, and of Irish descent ; his 
mother was born in Marion County, Ind., of German parents. William 
Conner settled in Tipton County in the year 1847, and there entered 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 421 

eighty acres in Wild Cat Township, where he cleared a home from the for- 
est for himself and family. Mr. and Mrs. Conner had four children — 
Levi, Elizabeth (deceased), Nathan and William J. (deceased). Mr. Con- 
ner died June 9, 1855, and three years later Mrs. Conner was married 
to M. L. Bolden. Levi Conner, for two years after his father's death, 
resided with his guardian, Nathan Smith, after which he spent a year in 
Wisconsin with his mother and step-father ; he then lived a year with his 
uncle, Zimri Plummer, in Wayne County, Ind., after which, his mother 
having returned from Wisconsin, he resided with her in Tipton County, 
until January, 1863. He then made his home with Dr. James A, Ellis, 
of Union Township, Howard County, for five years, after which he at- 
tended school at Kokomo, and later at New London. He then attended 
the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, where he graduated in 
1872. He taught school at^ Fairfield a short time, and at the close of 
his school teaching he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. J. 
A. Ellis. He, in 1873, -attended one course of lectures in the Eclectic 
Medical College at Cincinnati, after which he returned and began his 
practice in partnership with Dr. Ellis. Shortly afier this, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Emma Maris, daughter of George and Martha (Braxtan) 
Maris, of Kokomo. This union was blest with two children — Josephine 
and William G. (deceased). Mrs. Conner died November 20, 1878, after 
which Mr. Conner, on account of failing health, discontinued his practice 
forayearand in the fall of 1879 entered the Medical College at Cincin- 
nati, graduating in March, 1880 ; returned home and resumed his prac- 
tice, and in January, 1881, he was again married to Emma Shrader, 
daughter of William and Rebecca (Pyle) Shrader. of Union Township, 
this county. This union was blessed with one child, Bertha. Dr. Con- 
ner is a member of the Knights of Pythias, I. 0. 0. F. and Masonic 
fraternity. 

JAMES CURLES was born January 13, 1839, and is the son of 
Samuel and Hannah A. (Brown) Curies natives of New Jersey, and of 
English descent. Mr. Samuel Curies located in Brown County, Ohio, 
about the year 1818, and was there married to Hannah A. Brown, 
daughter of William Brown, of New Jersey, and of English descent. By 
this marriage, he obtained a small farm, which he shortly increased to 125 
acres, and in 1857 added 150 acres more, making in all 275 acres, on 
which he still lives. Mr. and Mrs. Curies had thirteen children — Will- 
iam, Nancy J., Asher, James, Elizabeth, Mahala, Joseph, Marion, Sarah 
F., Randolph, Hannah A., Mary and John, seven of Avhom are yet liv- 
ing. Mrs. Curies died in the fall of 1862, a prominent member of the 
United Brethren Church. Mr. Curies having the care of a large family, 
married, in the spring of 1864, Mary Fedrick, to which union were added 



422 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

eleven children, all of whom are now living. Mr. Curies has been an ac- 
tive politician, voting in an early day with the Whig party, and subse- 
quently with the Republican. He is a member of the United Brethren 
Church, and his wife is identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
James Curies was reared on the farm, and at the age of eight- 
een, attended the National Normal School of Lebanon, Ohio, for one 
term, after which he spent two years on the farm. He subsequently re- 
turned to Lebanon, and later taught several terms of school. On New 
Year's Day, 1862, he enlisted, in Company I, Sixtieth Regiment Ohio 
Volunteer Infantry, or the one year regiment, and was mustered in at 
Fayetteville. He was placed under Gen. J. C. Fremont, and was ordered 
to follow closely Gen. Jackson, and after about seven days' forced march, 
arrived at Franklin, Va. Here he was taken sick, and lay in his tent 
about four weeks, and was then taken to New Creek Station, where he 
was placed in a hospital. He remained there until July 4, when he was 
taken home to Ohio, by his father. The 1st of October, he went to 
Columbus, Ohio, and reported, and was sent to re-join his regiment, 
which was stationed at Chicago, on account of the Indian trouble, but 
this subsiding they were discharged. Mr. Curies, in December, 1862, en- 
gaged in the mercantile business in Fayetteville, which he continued one 
year, and April 16, 1863, he was married to Clorinda Covalt, daughter 
of Cheniah and Deborah (Jones) Covalt, of Ohio, and of English descent. 
The following winter, he disposed of his stock, and taught in Fayetteville, 
and the fall of 1864, in company with his father-in-law, came to Union 
Township, Howard County, and engaged in business at West Liberty, with 
a stock of $3,000, under the firm name of Covalt & Curies. After re- 
maining there ten years, they traded their store for sixty acres, two 
miles southeast of West Liberty, and Mr. Curies lived on this farm until 
the fall of 1881, when he purchased a lot of five acres, upon whicli he 
built one of the finest residences in the village. Mr. Curies, upon the 
death of his fiither-in-law, in the fiill of 1882, again engaged in the 
goods business, in which he ha^ now a large and increasing trade. Mr. 
and Mrs. Curies have had five children, three of whom — Stella D., 
Demma M. and Eddison D. are still living. Mr. Curies is an active 
politician in the Republican party, and cast his first vote for President 
Lincoln, in 1860. He and his wife are identified with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and are among its most active members. 

JOHN A. CUTHRELL was born November 14, 1841, and is the 
son of Joseph B. Cuthrell, a native of North Carolina ; his father lo- 
cated in Rush County, and was there married in 1838 to Anna Binga- 
man, daughter of Allen and Bethanal Bingaman. They remained upon 
a farm in Rush County until 1848, when they came to Howard County, 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 423 



and entered 120 acres of land in Union Township. Mr. Cuthrell then 
returned with his family to Rush County, where they remained two years, 
after which they returned to Union Township, located on the land he had 
entered, built a log cabin, and began foresting out a home. By industry 
and economy, he was able to add sixty-six acres to this, making in all 186 
acres of choice land. Mr. and Mrs. Cuthrell had seven children— John 
A., Mary M., Samantha A., Elizabeth H., Sarah J., Anna M. and 
Joseph F., four of whom are living. Mr. Cuthrell was an active pol- 
itician, voting with the Whig party and afterward with the Republican, 
until his death in 1876. He and wife were members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. The subject ^? this sketch was reared on a farm and 
received a common school education. He was married to Anna 
Quick, daughter of John S., and Sydney (Conner) Quick, of 
Howard County. Shortly after his marriage, he went upon his father's 
farm and there remained until the winter of 1863, when he purchased 
thirty-five acres joining his father's land. By industry and diligence, he 
has since been able to add 115 acres more, making 150 acres of fine farm 
land. Mr. and Mrs. Cuthrell have had five children— Alwilda, Joseph 
F., John W., Jessey D. and Anna, four of whom are living. Mrs. Cuthrell 
died February 20, 1878. She was identified with the Christian Church. 
Mr. Cuthrell was next married, June 24, 1878, to Miss Mary J. Knox, 
daughter of William and Clorinda (Heward) Knox, of Union Township. 
Mr.°Cuthrell has been a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity 
since 1864 ; he is an active worker in the Republican ranks, and was a 
member of the Union League during the war. He and wife are members 
of the Christian Church. Mr. Cuthrell was drafted in November, 1864, 
and went to Kokorao, where he remained overnight in the barracks, but on 
examination the next morning was found unable for duty, and was ex- 
empted. 

ROBERT FELLOW was born in Wayne County, N. C, February 
2, 1828, and is the son of John and Abigail (Coleman) Fellow, natives 
of North Carolina and of English descent. John Fellow came to Wayne 
County, Ind., in 1832, and entered a farm of eighty acres, which he be- 
gan to clear and cultivate, being one of the early pioneers of that county. 
In 1852, he came to Howard County and purchased 115 acres of land in 
Union Township, to which he subsequently added forty acres. Robert 
spent his boyhood days on his father's firm, and at the age of twenty-four 
was married" to Elizabeth Hubbard, daughter of Joseph and Charity (Fod- 
rey) Hubbard, of Randolph County, Ind. This union was blessed with 
three children— Mary Miller, born July 15, 1856 ; James Riley, born 
February 10, 1858, died January 20, 1875 ; and William Harvey, born 
May 1, 1861. Mrs. Fellow died August 2, 1874, and Mr. Fellow 



424 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

married March 4, 1876, Rlioda George, born April 28, 1838, and daughter 
of Jesse and Elizabeth (Jessip) George, of English descent. Mr. Fellow 
is at present the owner of thirty-five acres of good farm land three miles 
southeast of Jerome. Mr. Fellow and wife are identified with the New 
Hope Friends' Church, and are among its most active members. 

ORANGE T. FLOREA was born May 13, 1847, in Rush County, 
Ind., and spent his early life on the farm ; he obtained a good common 
school education, and was married, August 31, 1871, to Miss Mattie 
Smith, daughter of Ebenezer Smith, a native of South Carolina, born 
June 14. 1804, and Mary A. (Iladden) Smith, born in South Carolina 
in 1809. Mrs. Florea's parents were married June 12, 1828, and lo- 
cated in Rush County in May, 1834. This union was blessed with thir- 
teen children, two of whom died in infancy. In 1829, Mr. Smith united 
with the church, and was always one of its most active and happy 
members until his death. In 1871, Mrs. Smith came with her children 
to this county, and located on a farm in Union Township. Orange T. 
first obtained land in Grant County, and subsequently purchased ninety- 
six acres in this county, where he now resides. He has been a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 1857, and his wife united with 
the same church in 1872. Mr. Florea's great-grandfather's name was 
Albert Florea ; he married Miss Charity Baker, and they had ten 
children — Rebecca, Elizabeth, Charity, Nancy, Mary, Ruth and Rachel 
(twins), John, Isaac and Joshua. Joshua Florea, our subject's grand- 
father, was born October 14, 1787 ; was a native of Kentucky, and of 
German and French descent. He was married, August 3, 1812, to 
Mary Spurgin, born in Kentucky December 20, 1794, and was of Eng- 
lish descent. This union was blessed with the following children — John, 
born July 11, 1813; Cyrus, born June 20, 1819,; William Riley, born 
November 8, 1821; Joseph and Josiah (twins*), born October 30, 1823; 
Jordon, born November 26, 1825, died October 3, 1826; and Morris, 
born September 4, 1830, died June 18, 1831. Joshua Florea was a 
soldier in the war of 1812; he died February 28, 1867, and his wife 
survived him over two years, and died October 6, 1869. Cyrus Florea, 
the father of our subject, was married January 13, 1841, to Miss Almira 
Keever, born August 18, 1822. They had six children — Orange T., 
born May 13, 1847; Mary J., born October 19, 1848; Josh E., born 
May 17, 1850 ; Sarah E., born September 15, 1852, died July 1, 
1854 ; Joseph Dale, born July 5, 1854, died October 9, 1860 ; Florella 
A., born December 24, 1856. Mr. Florea is an industrious farmer, an 
excellent gentleman, and a worthy citizen in the community in which he 
resides. 

WILLIAM GILSON was born in Rush County, Ind., January 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 425 

20, 1828, and is the son of David and Margaret (Boon) Gilson, natives 
of Virginia and Tennessee, and of Irish and German descent; his father 
was born in 1794, and came to Rush County about the year 1821. He 
entered forty acres of land two miles north of Rushville, and subsequently 
added forty acres to this ; he afterward sold this tract, and pur- 
chased 160 acres one mile further north, upon which he is now living, 
enjoying the fruits of a successful life; he was an early pioneer of Rush 
County, and he and wife are prominent members of the Baptist Church. 
William Gilson was reared upon his father's farm, and received the ad- 
vantages of a common school education; he engaged in the saw mill 
business for five years, and in 1861 he sold his mill, came to Howard 
County, and purchased a farm of sixty acres, two miles northeast of 
Jerome ; he returned to Rush County, and was married to Ivy A. David, 
born July 27, 1837, daughter of Jacob and Catharine (Kiplinger) David, 
of German descent. Shortly after his marriage, he located on his farm in 
Howard County, where he lived until August, 1874, when he exchanged 
this farm for 110 acres two miles southeast of Jerome, upori which he is 
still living. Mr. Gilson is an active politician in the Democratic ranks, 
but cast his first ballot for Zachariah Taylor in 1848. He was Treasurer 
of the Grange movement, and his wife is identified with the Christian 
Church. Mr. and Mrs. Gilson have had the following children: Mar- 
garet C, born May 28, 1863, died August 25, 1864 ; David E., born 
February 27, 1865; Jacob B., born April 26, 1867 ; and John F., born 
August 30, 1869, and died August 21, 1871. . 

WILLIAM HANCOCK, born November 16, 1828, in Delaware, is 
the eldest of three sons born to John and Claracy (Billings) Hancook ; 
his father died in 1834, and in 1835 his mother moved with her family to 
Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio. There his mother was married to William 
Truitt, after which, she and her husband located in Raysville, Henry 
County, Ind. Mr. Truitt rented a farm, and our subject worked until 
1839, when he removed with his parents to Rush County, where he re- 
ceived a limited education in the common schools. In 1849, he was mar- 
ried to Sarah J. Gorman, daughter of Daniel and Hannah (Corbin) 
Gorman. Her father worked at the carpenter's trade until 1822, when 
he was married, and began farming. Mr. Hancook, soon after his mar- 
riage, purchased forty acres of land, where he remained until 1852. 
when he removed to Howard County, and purchased 120 acres of land in 
Union Township. Here he erected a log cabin, and began to clear from 
the forest a home. He still resides here, and now owns eighty acres of 
as beautiful land as can be found in Union Township. Mr. and Mrs. H., 
have five children — John W., Hannah A., William D., Mary E. and Jes- 
sie F. Mr. Hancook has been an active member of the Masonic order 



426 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

since 1864, and his wife has received the degree bestowed upon her sex. 
He is an active worker in the Republican party, and has hehi offices of 
honor and trust. He is at present Trustee of Union Township, serving 
his third term. Mr. and Mrs. Hancook are identified with the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and are among its most active members. 

JOHN J. HANCOOK is the second son of the three children of 
John and Claracy (Billings) Hancook. He was born February 1, 1831, 
and was reared upon a farm, receiving a common school education. At 
the age of twenty-two, he was married to Marilda J. Simpson, daughter 
of Solomon and Lovicia (Conaway) Simpson, natives of Indiana. Seven 
years after his marriage, he came to Howard County, and purchased forty 
acres in Union Township ; he has since added to this until now he has a 
good farm of eighty acres, with all necessary improvements to make 
home pleasant. Mrs. Hancook was a member of the Christian Church, 
and died in January, 1865, leaving three children — Sarah L. Tolle, born 
October 14, 1854 ; J. J. and J. M., born July 22, 1858. Mr. Hancook 
was next married, April 29, 1867, to Samantha A. Ballenger, widow of 
Robert Ballenger, who was captured at the battle of Franklin, Tenn., 
and died in the Andersonville Prison, Mr. and Mrs. Ballenger had one 
child — Anna E. Shockley. To Mr. and Mrs. Hancook was born one 
child— William B., March 5, 1872. Mrs. Hancook is the daughter of 
Joseph and Anna (Bingaman) Cuthrell, natives of North Carolina and 
Indiana. Mr. Hancook is an active politician in the Republican ranks, 
and has held the office of Assessor of Union Township four successive 
terms. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and wife are 
members of the Christian Church. 

WILLIAM HATFIELD, farmer, was born in Franklin County, 
Ind., October 8, 1822, and is the son of John and Drusilla (Blackburn) 
Hatfield. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, his mother of Ken- 
tucky. John Hatfield came to Rush County, Ind., about the year, 1828, 
and entered 160 acres of land one and a half miles west of Andersonville, 
where he made for himself a good home. Our subject was reared upon 
a farm, and received a limited education from the common schools. At 
his majority, he was married to Miss Mary E. Jones, born April 14, 1826, 
daughter of George and Sarah (Summers) Jones, of Welsh and English 
descent. Four years after his marriage, Mr. Hatfield came to Howard 
County and entered 160 acres of land, near Sycamore Corner, in Jack- 
son Township. After remaining there seven years, he sold his claim and 
moved to Liberty Township, where he purchased eighty acres one mile 
east of Greentown. In this township, he lived six years, and then 
bought 120 acres, one mile northeast of Jerome, upon which he ij still 
living. Mr. and Mrs. Hatfield, have had six children — Isabel J. (Brown), 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 427 

born November 11, 1846 ; Sarah E. (Benson), born May 16, 1851 ; 
Joseph H., born August 27, 1853; L. D., born February 20, 1859 ; 
William A., born July 12, 1863, and Luella, born October 21, 1866. Mr. 
HatfieM is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, and his wife 
is identified with the Christian Church, 

JACOB JESSUP is the eighth of nine children born to John and 
Mary (Smith) Jessup, natives of Pennsylvania. He was born June 7, 
1823, in Hamilton County, Ohio, and came with his parents to Parke 
County, Ind., the same year, where he spent his boyhood on the farm and 
attended school in the pioneer schoolhouse. He was married, March 16, 
1848, to Nancy J. Sparks, born May 25, 1831, in Indiana. He fell 
heir to the old homestead, upon which he lived four years, when he sold it 
and moved to this county in the fall of 1852, locating in Union Town- 
ship, where he at present resides. This farm he has cleared and culti- 
vated until now he has one of the best farms in the township, with all 
the modern improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Jessup, had ten children 
— Elizabeth, Mary C, Minerva, Emily (deceased), Anna E., Sarah E., 
Lydia I., John W., Amanda and Florence (deceased). Mrs. Jessup was 
an active member of the Christian Church until her death, January 19, 
1866. Mr. Jessup was married in April, 1872, to Hester A. Sprunce. 
They have one child — Gertrude. Mr. Jessup has been identified with 
the Christian Church for over forty years. He was Chaplain of the Grange 
organization, and is an active politician in the Democratic party. Mr. 
Jessup, while in Parke County, came in conflict with a catamount, and 
after a struggle came off conqueror. 

JAMES J. LORD was born in Kent County, Del., October 11, 1828, 
and was the son of Andrew and Letitia (Reed) Lord, Andrew Lord, of 
English descent, was a farmer of Delaware. He was married to Letitia 
Reed, of Scotch- Irish descent, in 1814. They had ten children — Will- 
iam H., Sarah A, Catherine A., Jeanetta, Mary A., John A., Letta J., 
James J., Jonathan L. and Richard T. C. ; six now living. Andrew 
Lord died in 1835, and two years later his wife and family moved to Bel- 
mont County, Ohio, where they remained two years, when they located 
in Butler County, Ohio. Two years later, they removed to Rush County, 
Ind., where she remained until her death, September 20, 1875. James 
J. Lord was reared on a farm, having the advantage of the common school, 
but, under necessities of work, having with older brother the care of the 
family, he received but a limited education. He was married in Rush 
County, Ind., October 11, 1855, to Miss Sarah Billing, daughter of An- 
drew and Harriet (VVyat) Billing, of Delaware. He lived in Rush County 
until 1 860, when he removed to Howard County, Ind., and purchased an 
-eighty-acre farm on the banks of Wild Cat, near the village of West Lib- 



428 ' BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

erty. By hard work he succeeded in clearing out a home, and by dil- 
igence and economy has added 100 acres more, making him a farm of 
180 acres of well-improved land. Mr. and Mrs. Lord have had seven 
children — William A., Joseph L., Francis 0., Lilly J., Annie E., 
Thomas E. and Harriet L., five now living. Mr. Lord was a prominent 
member of the Union League during the dark hours of his country ; he 
holds the position of Worthy Chief in the Good Templar Lodge, and has 
occupied a prominent membership in the Grange movement, holding the 
office of Worthy Master. Mr. Lord is an active politician, voting with 
the Republican party since 1849, and he and wife are among the most 
active members of the Christian Church. 

JOHN MANN is the eldest of seven children born to Joseph 
and Rebecca (Gibson) Mann, natives of Virginia ; he was born August 1, 
1822, in Monr,oe County, Va., where he remained until he was fourteen, 
and in 1837 removed with his parents to Henry County, Ind. Here he 
worked out by the month until he was twenty-eight years of age, and in 
1850 came to this county, locating on eighty acres he had purchased a 
few years before. He has added to this until now he has a good farm of 
164 acres, with all the modern improvements, all of which he has accu- 
mulated by hard labor and economy. Mr. Mann was married, Decem- 
ber 7, 1848, to Barbara Fatic, a native of Virginia. She was the fifth 
child born to Andrew and Barbara (Thumma) Fatic, both natives of 
Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Mann have two children — Christina Brown, 
born August 6, 1850, and William F., born July 16, 1852. Mr. M. 
is at present County Surveyor. Mr. Mann attended school only eighteen 
months during his life, and has taken a pride in giving his children a 
good education. He was at one time Township Trustee, and he and wife 
have been active members of the Christian Church over twenty years ; 
he was formerly a member of the Democratic party, but since 1856 has 
been an active worker in the Republican ranks. 

JACOB R. MELTON, farmer, was born in Rush County, Ind., 
March 6, 1882, and is the son of Hiram F.and Catharine (Rosier) Melton, 
of German and English descent. Hiram F. came to Rush County in an 
early day with his father, who was one of the old pioneers of that county. 
Jacob R. was reared upon his father's farm and attended the common 
schools, but owing to the necessity of work received but a limited ed- 
ucation ; he was married to Miss Martha Downey, born August 28, 1830, 
daughter of James and Rebecca (Hinton) Downey, natives of Kentucky, 
and of English descent. This union has been blessed with three children 
James F., born November 5, 1855; Serelda J. Cohee, born Novem- 
ber 14, 1857; and John W., born August 18, 1863. They also have one 
adopted daughter, Mary R. Downey, born January 20, 1872. Shortly 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 429 

after his marriage, Mr. Melton purchased a farm of sixty acres in Union 
Township, Howard County, one and one-fourth miles northeast of Jerome, 
and in January 1859, located on this farm, where he has since lived, and 
by industry and economy has been able to add eighty acres, making a good 
farm of 140 acres. Mr. Melton was mustered into service in November, 
1864, was sent to Louisville, and placed under Capt. John W. Aughe, of 
Company E, Fortieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; he was 
transferred to Nashville, thence to Columbia, Tenn., ami was engaged in 
the battle of Franklin, Tenn., between Hood and Thomas. His regiment 
then retreated to Nashville to fortify and prepare for the battle of Nash- 
ville. From Nashville the troops were marched to Lexington, Ala., 
thence to Huntsville, Ala., where they remained until March, 1865, 
when they were sent to Blue Springs, East Tenn.; here they remained 
until the 1st of May, when they were sent to Johnsonville, Tenn., and 
took passage on a steamer for New Orleans. Thence they went to Texas, 
and while at San Antonio, Mr. Melton was discharged October 25, 1865. 
Mr. Melton is an industrious farmer, and was a prominent member of the 
Grange movement, having held the position of Steward of that organiza- 
tion. Mrs. Melton is identified with the Christian Church, and is one of 
its most active members. 

SOLOMON B. MILLER, a prominent farmer of Union Township, 
was born in Darke County, Ohio, February 14, 1841, and is the son of 
John and Sarah (Brodrick) Miller, of German and English descent. Sol- 
omon B. was reared on a farm and received the benefit of a common 
school education ; he came to Howard County in the spring of 1861, in 
company with his father, who at this time purchased eighty acres of land 
one mile northeast of Jerome, in Unioi^ Township. Mr. Miller enlisted 
in August, 1861, in Company D, Thirty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infan- 
try, and was mustered in at Indianapolis. He was sent to Munfordsville, 
Ky., where he remained about nine months. He engaged in battle at 
Munfordsville, and was subsequently discharged on account of ill health ; 
he returned home and again enlisted in the fall of 1863, in the Eleventh 
Regiment Indiana A^olunteer Cavalry, under Col. Steward ; he was sent 
to Nashville, Tenn., and from there to Bellfont, Ala., and enga^^ed in 
battle at Huntsville. After this, he was sent with a re-enforcement to Gen. 
Thomas, at Columbia, Tenn., and was engaged with Gen. Thomas all 
through his encounters with Hood, until the disbanding of Hood's army; 
he was then taken to Eastport, Miss., and from there to St. Louis ; 
thence to Western Kansas, and from there he was transferred to Leaven- 
worth, Kan., where he was mustered out September 11, 1865; he then 
returned home and resumed farming; he was married, March 17, 1876, 
to Miss Sarah E. Riege, born April 4, 1852, daughter of William and 



430 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Lydia J. (Jones) Riege, of Grant County, Ind. This union has been 
blessed with two chihlren, John W., born May 22, 1877, Henry, born 
September 30, 1879. Mr. Miller is at present the owner of fifty- two acres 
of land one-half mile east of Jerome; he is a successful farmer, and a 
prominent and worthy citizen. In the spring of 1875, he became a 
member of the Masonic fraternity ; is also an active politician, voting the 
Republican ticket, and cast his first Presidential vote in 1868 for U. S. 
Grant. 

BARCLAY MOON is the eldest son of ten children born to Jesse 
and Phebe (Hocket) Moon, of English descent. He was born in Clinton 
County, Ohio, April 10, 1832, and in early life received an education 
which enabled him to become a prominent teacher, having taught twenty 
schools in Howard and Grant Counties. Mr. Moon was married, Octo- 
ber 20, 1858, to Miss Ann Peacock, daughter of William and Phebe 
Peacock, of Grant County, natives of North Carolina. This union has been 
blessed with four children — Alpheus, Barnabas, Belinda and Esli, three 
of whom are living. Mr. Moon was Secretary of the Grange organiza- 
tion, and is a member of the New Hope Friends' Church ; his wife (now 
deceased) was also a member of the same denomination. Mr. Moon is at 
present living on a farm near Jerome, and deals extensively in thorough- 
bred Poland-China hogs ; he takes pride in educating his children, and his 
eldest son, Alpheus W., is one of the most able teachers of the county, and 
is at present taking a collegiate course in the State University at Bloom- 
ington, Ind. Mr. Moon participates in handling the Plymouth Rock 
poultry, and has shipped from Kansas to Pennsylvania and has received 
orders for 119 in sixteen days. 

WILLIAM NASH was born in Adams County, Ohio, November 20, 
1818, and is the son of Jesse and Mary (Pike) Nash, of English and Ger- 
man descent; his parents were married March 7, 1816. in Adams County, 
Ohio, where they remained about thirteen years. Jesse Nash then removed 
with his family to Hamilton County, Ohio, where he worked in a boatyard 
at $1 per day, for one year; he then moved to Brown County and lived three 
years on a rented farm, when he purchased sixty-five acres, near Wood- 
ville, Ohio, on which he lived until the year 1817 ; he then sold his land 
and removed to Howard County, purchasing 150 acres in Union Town- 
ship, near West Liberty. Here he remained until his death, which oc- 
curred, November 20, 1856, having survived his wife six years. Mr. 
and Mrs. Nash were members of the Baptist Church, in good standing. 
Mr. William Nash worked at home with his father until he was twenty-six 
years old, receiving a limited education in the common schools ; he then 
engaged as a farm hand, at from $9 to $13 per month ; he was married, 
September 20, 1847, to Lucinda Brandenburg, daughter of William and 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 431 

Mary Brandenburg, of Maryland, and of German descent. Mr. Nash, 
about four years after his marriage, purchased seventy-five acres of land 
in Union Township, where he still lives, having since added twenty-eight 
acres of good land to his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Nash have had five chil- 
dren — Evermont, Wilford, Ann, Caroline and William B., four of whom 
are living. Mrs. Nash died January 21, 1861, a true Christian, and 
member of the Baptist Church. Mr. Nash w^as next married Septem- 
ber 5, 1861, to Rachel A. Harper, daughter of John and Jemima 
(Williams) Harper, of English and Irish descent. To this union have 
been born six children — Martha A., Henry T., EmmaJF., John F., Lu- 
cretia and Stella, four of whom are yet living. Mr. Nash was a prom- 
inent member of the Grange movement, and he and his wife are identified 
with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 

JOSIAH REED was born October 27, 1822, in Preble County, 
Ohio, and is the son of James and Sarah (Curry) Reed, of Penns}'lvania, 
and of Irish descent; his father located in Preble County, Ohio, in 1816, 
and purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he remained until his 
death, in 1826 ; his wife died in 1855; his parents had ten children, two 
of whom, Josiah and Mary A., are yet living. Our subject was reared 
upon a farm, where he received a common school education, and at the 
age of eighteen began teaming in Cincinnati ; this he continued until 
September 15, 1844, when he was married to Lucinda King, born in 
1826, and daughter of John and Elizabeth (Price) King, natives of Ten- 
nessee and of English descent. Shortly after his marriage, he located in 
Wayne County, near Richmond, where he farmed five years; he then lo- 
cated in Gettysburgh, Ohio, and subsequently made sale of his personal 
property, and engaged in the mercantile business for eighteen months, 
after which he began the cooper trade. In 1860, he came to Huntington 
County, Ind., and purchased fifty-two acres of land, upon which he re- 
mained until 1877, when he moved to Kansas. Two months later, he 
returned to Indiana and purcliased eighty acres of land in Howard County, 
two miles northeast of West Liberty, where he still lives. Mr. Reed was 
a member of the Grange movement; is also an active politician in the 
Republican ranks, having cast his first ballot for Henry Clay in 1844, 
and Mrs. Reed is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Mr. and Mrs. Reed have had the followino: children : Sarah E. 
Coolman, born December 1, 1845 ; Cythia J., born April 5, 1817 ; 
William J., born March 27, 1851, died February 15, 1852 ; Samuel A., 
born May 26, 1853, died March 27, 1855 ; David A., born March 28, 
1855 ; Emma A. ToUe, born March 5, 1862, and Leander, born July 15, 
1864. 

ISAAC REED, County Commissioner, was born in Kent County, 



432 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Del., July 22, 1826, and is the son of William L. and Rachel (Cohee) 
Reed, natives of Delaware, and of Irish and English descent; his parents 
had eight children — Isaac, Lydia Brown, William C, Hannah Allen, 
Sarah, Martha, Mary and Elizabeth Conway, five of wliora are yet living. 
Mr. Reed located in Rush County, Ind,, in 1836 ; he and his wife were 
identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. Isaac spent his early 
life on a farm, and was married, December 27, 1849, to Miss Hannah 
Osburn, born April 19, 1833, daughter of Harmon and Elisa J. (Pack- 
ard) Osburn, natives of Ohio and Delaware. Mr. Reed came to Howard 
County in 1853, and purchased 160 acres of land in Union Township, 
which he began to clear and make for himself and family a home. By 
industry and economy, he has been able to add seventy-six acres more, 
and now has a comfortable home. Mr, and Mrs. Reed have had twelve 
children — Sarah E. Powell, born November 2, 1850; William W., born 
November 10, 1851 ; Rachel A. Elmore, born June 1, 1854; Harmon 0., 
born May 17, 1856 ; John H., born September 17, 1858 ; Benjamin E., 
born August 5, 1860, died December 8, 1861 ; Mary J. Frasier, born 
June 25, 1862; Oliver L., born April 23, 1864; Laura B., born June 
19, 1866, died September 18, 1866 ; Edith L., born September 7, 1869 ; 
Frank A., born January 24, 1874, and Etta P., born August 3, 1875. 
Mr. Reed is an active working politician, voting with the Republican 
party ; he cast his first ballot for Franklin Pierce in 1848 ; he held the 
office of Township Clerk for two years, and has served four terms as 
Township Trustee; he is now holding tlie office of County Commissioner, 
this being his second term, and he and wife are active members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

JOHN ROE was born November 6, 1835, and is the son of Harrison 
and Sarah (Street) Roe, natives of Ohio, and of German and English de- 
sccTit. Harrison Roe was married in Indiana, about the year 1832, and 
soon purchased a farm of 160 acres in Wayne County, where he lived two 
years, and then sold out and moved to Henry County, where he pur- 
chased a farm of 240 acres, and here remained about fifteen years, when 
he sold his farm and located on 160 acres in Wayne County, near Hagers- 
town. After living there about four years, he sold out and moved to 
Grant County, where he purchased 160 acres of land near Point Isabel, 
on which he lived five years, when he sold out and purchased 135 acres 
in Delaware County, upon which he remained four years, when he again 
sold and came to Howard County. He bought 160 acres about one and 
a half miles northeast of Tampico, where he lived two years, at which time 
he returned to Delaware County, locating on the farm he had formerly 
owned. He again returned to Howard County, and is now living on 160 
acres of land two and a half miles northeast of Tampico. Mr. and Mrs. 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 433 

Roe have had eleven children, nine of whom are living. Mr. Roe is a 
member of the Republican party, and he and wife are identified with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. John Roe was reared on the farm, and re- 
ceived a limited education in the common schools. When he was twenty 
years of age, he was married to Miss Louisa Howard, daughter of John 
T. and Elizabeth (Jarvis) Howard, of Howard County. About five years 
after his marriage, Mr. Roe purchased forty acres of land near Tampico, 
this county, where he lived two years, at which time he leased this tract, 
and located on a rented farm of 120 acres near Greentown. Later, he 
sold his farm near Tampico, and purchased seventy-eight acres, three- 
quarters of a mile east of West Liberty, where he farmed two years ; he 
exchanged this for a farm in Grant County, which he again exchanged 
for a farm of seventy-five acres one mile from West Libercy, and has since 
added sixty acres more. Mr. and Mrs. Roe have bad nine children — 
Henry H., Lydia A., Melissa E., William, Esther J,, Mary E., Anderson, 
Frank and Aubrey T., seven of whom are living. Mr. Roe is an active 
member of the Republican party, and cast his first ballot for Fremont 
in 1856. Mr. Roe and wife are among the most active members of the 
Seventh-Day Adventist Church. 
^ ANDREW J. SEAGRAVE is the fourth of fourteen children born 
to Luther and Matilda (Keever) Seagrave, natives of New Jersey and 
Ohio, and of English and German descent ; his parents moved to this 
county in the fall of 1847, and took a pre-emption claim in Liberty Town- 
ship ; his father erected the first saw mill in that section of the country, 
and was shortly afterward drowned in the forebay of the mill, and his in- 
quest was the first held in the county. Andrew was born December 31, 
1831, in Henry County, Ind.; spent his youth in his native county, and 
by diligent study obtained a moderate education from the pioneer schools. 
He came to this county in company with his parents in the fall of 1847 ; 
remained in Liberty Township until 1859, when he located in Union 
Township and engaged in the saw mill business, which business he is at 
present managing for John Chandler. He received $375 from his father's 
estate, but lost it all in a mill ; he then began life anew, and by being 
economical in his expenses, and saving in his earnings, has obtained a 
good farm of eighty acres. Mr. Seagrave was married, April 10, 1852, 
to Elizabeth J. Stephenson. One child crowned this union — Louisa M., 
who died at the age of three months. Ilis wife died in the fall of 1853, and 
he married Elizabeth A. Chandler (now deceased) October 29, 1859. They 
had eleven children — Artes L., Franz S., Nora B., James L. (deceased), 
Edmond 0., Ora 0., Effie M., Maggie M., Willard, Leo and an infant. Mr. 
Seagrave, in the fall of 1879, formed a partnership with B. L. Mugg, in 
raising Poland-China hogs for breeding purposes. Li the last year he has 



434 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

shipped to parties living in ten different States. In the last nine months, 
he has shipped 204 fine hogs. They received a .^20 castor as a prize 
offered by parties in Chicago, for three of the finest hogs in the State of 
Indiana. Mr. Seagrave is an active worker in the temperance cause, 
and was identified with the Grange society. He cast his first ballot for 
a Democrat, but has since voted the Republican ticket. 

STEPHEN L). SHOCKNEY was born in Carle County, Md., Febru- 
ary 15, 1831, and is the son of John and -Terusia (Manning) Shockney, na- 
tives of Maryland, and of Irish and English descent ; his flither came to 
Randolph County, Ind., in 1838, and purchased a farm of eighty acres 
near Union City, which he began to clear from the forest. He built a 
log cabin, and resided on this place until his death in 1873, his wife sur- 
viving him but a year. Stephen, in 1853, came to Howard County, 
and worked as a farm hand in Union Township until March 8, lf^57, 
when he was married to Abigail Fellow, daughter of John and Abigail 
(Coleman) Fellow, natives of North Carolina, and of Scotch and Welsh 
descent. Shortly after his marriage, he purchased eighty acres in Tip- 
ton County, upon which he lived until the fall of 1876, when he moved 
to Howard County, and purchased ninety-five acres in Union Township, 
near Jerome, upon which he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Shockney have 
had four children — Elizur J. Thomas, born January 12, 1858 ; O'Key 
K., born July 9, 1860; Josephine C, born July 3, 1862, and Abigail 
S., born August 9, 1867. Mrs. Shockney died May 15, 1869, and Mr. 
Shockney, having the care of a family, married, September 9, 1870, 
Caroline Thomas, born October 10, 1847, and daughter of Henry and 
Lydia (Elliott) Thomas, natives of Indiana. This union has been blessed 
with eight children — Ida, born September 9, 1871 ; Henrietta, born 
April 25, 1873 ; Eva, born August 5, 1874 ; David J., born February 
20, 1876; Rachel, born August 27, 1877'; Rolo, born January 13, 
1879; Roscoe, born February 13, 1880, and Earl, born January 3, 
1882. Mr. Shockney is a worthy citizen, and a prominent member of 
the Masonic fraternity. He is an active politician in the Republican 
ranks. He cast his first ballot in 1856 for Buchanan, but has since 
voted the Republican ticket. He and wife are identified with the 
Friends Church, and are among its most active members. 

WILLIAM HENRY SLAUGHTER was born October 9, 1845, 
and is the son of William Slaughter, a native of Virginia, and of Scotch- 
Irish descent. William Slaughter was a farmer who came to Indiana 
about the year 1835, and was shortly married to Miss Pinia Beck, of 
Fayette County, Ind. Soon after his marriage, he moved to Hancock 
County, and there purchased a farm of eighty acres, where he has since 
lived. Mr. and Mrs. Slaughter have had eleven children, seven of whom 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 435 

are still living — James C, Samuel, William Henry, Mary E., Francis M., 
Lavinia and Robert A. Mr. Slaughter was a prominent member of the 
Good Templars, and has been an active worker in the Democratic party 
since the year 1881, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. William Henry Avas reared on his father's farm, and 
lived at home until he was married in March, 1867, to Louisa Johns, 
daughter of Mathew'and Ellen (Maggart) Johns. Her father, a native of 
Tennessee, and of German descent, was a farmer and a blacksmith by 
trade. Mr. Slaughter, after his marriage, rented a farm for fourteen 
years, during which time he purchased sixty acres of land in Union 
Township, Howard County, which he rented for two years, and in 1881 
removed to this county, where he has since made his home. By industry 
and economy, he has been able to add forty acres, and now owns 100 
acres of good farm land. Mr. and Mrs. Slaughter have had five cliil- 
dren, all of whom are living — Martha E., Robert A., Minnie B., Charles 
E.and Francis M. Mr. Slaughter has been a prominent member of the 
Good Templars' Lodge, and has closely adhered to its principles. He is 
a conjervative politician in the Democratic ranks, and he and wife are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

DR. SOLOMON SIMPSON, one of the prominent farmers and 
merchants of West Liberty, is the youngest of a family of eleven chil- 
dren born to Thomas and Sarah (Mabray) Simpson, natives of Georgia 
and Virginia, and of English descent. Thomas Simpson came to Indi- 
ana in 1809, and settled upon the creek now bearing his name, in Fay- 
ette County. His father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war under 
Gen. Marion, and he was a soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Simpson 
remained upon his farm, near Connersville, until his death in 1847. Dr. 
Simpson was born February 15, 1815, and was reared on the farm. At 
the age of twenty, he was married to Lovicia Conaway, born February 
27, 1817, daughter of James and Sarah (Sparks) Conaway, natives of 
South Carolina, and of English descent. Shortly after his marriage, 
Mr. Simpson began the study of medicine, and soon entered into a prac- 
tice which he continued for about forty years, twenty-five years of which 
were spent in Rush County; he sold his farm in 1865, came to Howard 
County, and purchased 200 acres of land north of West Liberty, where 
he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson had eleven children — Marilda 
J. (deceased), born September 4, 1836; Mary H. (deceased), born Janu- 
ary 10, 1837 ; Daniel W., born October 27, 1839 ; Sarah A. (deceased), 
born December 13, 1842 ; R. H. L., born July 4, 1845 ; Marshal T. (de- 
ceased), born August 28, 1847 ; John C. (deceased), born February 2, 
1851 ; James T., M. D., born November 18, 1852 ; S. F., born Novem- 
ber 28, 1854 ; Lovicia A., born July 8, 1857, and Nancy C. (deceased), 



436 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

born June 18, 1859. Mrs. Simpson was an earnest supporter of religious 
principles until her death, which occurred April 5, 1876. Mr. Simpson 
in an early day was a Whig, having cast his first vote for President 
Harrison, in 1836, but later has voted with the Republican party. He 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a Phenominal Spirtualist. 

DANIEL W. SIMPSON was born in Rush County, Ind., October 
19, 1839, and is the son of Solomon and LoviciaA. (Conaway) Simpson, 
natives of Indiana, and of English descent. Daniel spent his boyhood 
days at home on the farm, and in August, 1862, enlisted in Company D, 
Sixty-eighth Regiment [ndiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered 
in at Greensburg, Ind. He participated with his regiment in battle at 
Munfordsville, where they were taken prisoners, paroled and returned to 
Indianapolis. They remained here until the spring of 1862, when they 
were exchanged and sent to Nashville, thence to Resaca, where they en- 
gaged in battle. Thence they marched to Knoxville, Tenn., and from 
there to Cowen Station, where Mr. Simpson was taken sick and was sent 
to the hospital at Nashville. The following spring he joined his regiment 
and was detailed to drive and guard cattle for the army ; he was cut oflF 
from his regiment, and was transferred to Sherman's army, and was with 
him on the march to the sea. They went to Savannah, Ga., thence to 
Raleigh, N. C, and thence to Columbia, S. C, and while they were here 
the surrender of Richmond took place ; Sherman then went to Washing- 
ton, where he disbanded. Mr. Simpson returned to Indianapolis, and re- 
ceived his discharge in July, 1865, having served in the army three years. 
He returned home and the following fall was married to Sarah A. 
Walker, born April 26, 1847, and daughter of John and Clara (Sales) 
Walker, natives of North Carolina and of English descent. Shortly after 
this marriage, he came to Howard County, and began farming with his 
father in Union Township, and he has since followed agricultural pursuits. 
Mr. and Mrs. Simpson have had five children — Emma J., born August 
17, 1867 ; Clara L., born July 13, 1870; Mary C, born May 18, 1872; 
Guy 0., born April 17, 1875; and Mamie L., born October 13, 1880. Mr. 
Simpson is an active politician in the Republican ranks, having cast his 
first vote for President Lincoln in 1860 ; and Mrs. Simpson is a prom- 
inent member of the Christian Church. 

FRANCIS MARION SIMPSON was born September 15, 1840, and 
is the son of William Simpson, a native of Carolina and of English descent. 
William Simpson was a farmer who came to Fayette County, about the 
year 1809, and settled on Simpson Creek, which stream was named after 
his father, Thomas Simpson. Here William Simpson has since lived, and 
was married in 1822 to Sarah Turner, daughter of Amos and Sarah 
Turner, of German descent. Shortly after his marriage, he purchased 



UNION TOWNSHIP. 437 

200 acres, and has since sold eighty acres, leaving him yet 120. William 
and Sarah Simpson had seven children — John, William J., Benjamin T., 
Thomas M. (died from disease contracted in army), Elizabeth, George W. 
(died from disease contracted in army) and Francis M., three of whom are 
living. In 1844, Mrs. Simpson died, and Mr. Simpson was next married 
to Adia Gabia, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gabia, of German descent. 
To this union were added seven children — Henry, Joshua T., Jane, Sarah 
E., Daniel, Nancy and Morton, six of whom are now living. Mr, Simp- 
son was formerly a Whig, and in later years a Republican, and a member 
of the Union League during the war, being now eighty-three years old. 
The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, but, owing to necessity 
of work, received but a limited education. When he arrived at his ma- 
jority, he worked as a farm hand for his brother, William J., at $18 per 
month. After three months, he went to Rush County and engaged to 
John McMillan at $26, and while there he enlisted, in 1863, in Company 
B, Thirty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. 
Johnson ; he was discharged the same year, returned home and engaged 
as a farm hand until November 15, 1866, when he was married to Lydia 
E. Walker, daughter of John and Clarcy (Sales) Walker, natives of 
North Carolina, and of English descent. Shortly after his marriage, he 
rented a farm in Fayette County for one year, when he removed to Rush 
County, and lived four years on a rented farm ; he then moved to Han- 
cock County, where he remained three years, after which he lived two 
years in Tipton County. In 1875, he came to Howard County, 
locating in Union Township, where he purchased sixty acres of 
land. By industry and economy, he has since added thirty acres 
more, and now has a beiatifal home. Mr, and Mrs. Simpson have 
five children— Sarah A., Clara E., Ollie M., Katie F. and Jesse F. Mr. 
Simpson is an active worker in the Republican party, and cast his first 
vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. He was a prominent member of the 
Union League during the war, and was an active member of the Grange 
movement. 

JAMES M. SWOPE is the youngest of eleven children born to Jo- 
seph and Margaret (Miller) Swope, natives of Virginia, and of German 
and Irish descent, Joseph Swope (whose father was the first white child 
born in Monroe County, Va.) came to Franklin County, Ind., in 1818, 
but soon removed to Decatur, where he remained until his death in 1828. 
He and wife were prominent members of the Baptist Church. James was 
born April 15, 1827, and was reared upon a farm, receiving but a lim- 
ited education. At the age of twenty, he was married to Sarah A, Ful- 
wider, born August 1, 1823. daughter of George and Hannah (Fix) Ful- 
wider, of Bartholomew County, Ind., and natives of Augusta County, 



438 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

Va. After his marringo, lie came to Howard County, and in December, 

1847, pre-empted 160 acres in Liberty Township, and April 17, 184S, en- 
tered the same farm and remained upon this until 1851, when he sold, 
and purchased 160 acres in Union Township. He has since added to 
this until now he has 373 acres of fine farm land, near Jerome. Mr. 
and Mrs. Swope have had seven children — Serilda C, born March 16, 

1848, died November 9, 1869 ; Corinthia, born August 12, 1851 ; Jo- 
seph, born April 3, 1854 ; George R., born December 14, 1857; Arthur 
L., born July 11, 1860, died February 27th, 1878; John M.. born 
March 27, 1863, and one infant. Mr. Swope is an earnest supporter of 
Republican principles, and he and wife are identified with the Separate 
Baptist Church. 

C. M. WARE, M. D., was born in Henry County, Ind., in 
1844, and is the son of William P. Ware, of German descent, and a na- 
tive of Darke County, Ohio. W. P. Ware was reared on a farm, and 
in early life came to Henry County, Ind., with his father. In 1842, he 
was married to Lucinda Main, which union was blessed with eight 
children — Christopher M., Caroline, Luther S., John W., Lewis A., 
Ileni-y J., Lucinda S. and Mary M. Mr. Ware located in this county 
in 1848, settling on the banks of the Wild Cat, where he erected a log 
cabin and began to clear his land. He lived on several diff'erent farms in 
Howard County, until the fall of 1864, when he purchased 160 acres 
joining West Liberty, on which he lived until his death. He was an act- 
ive member of the Union League during the war, and held a prominent 
position with the Good Templars and the Grange movement. Both he 
and his wife were members of the Christian Church. C. M. Ware was 
reared on a farm and received a good common school education. In October, 
1865, he began the study of medicine in the office of Smith & Scott 
Bros., at Greentown; the following year, attended the Rush Medical Col- 
lege at Chicago ; he then returned to West Liberty, where he practiced un- 
til the fall of 1870, when he entered the Indiana Medical College, graduat- 
ing in February, 1871 ; he then renewed his practice in West Liberty, 
where he has since remained. Mr. Ware was married in January, 1870, 
to Angeline Conway, daughter of Richard and Cynthia (Ray) Conway, 
This union was blessed with one child, Aletta (deceased). Mr. Ware, soon 
after his marriage, purchased property in West Liberty, and has since., by 
his practice, been enabled to purchase 160 acres of land near the village. 
Mr. Ware has been a member of the Masonic order since 1871. He is 
a member of the Democratic party, but votes for the man rather than 
for the party. 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 439 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 

ROBERT T. ALYEA, son of John R. and Susan (Thompson) Alyea, 
was born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1833 ; was reared on a farm in Por- 
ter and Decatur Counties. In August, 1861, he enlisted in the Seventh 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry; was mustered in at Indianapolis, 
and went from there to Elk Water, Va., where he went into camp. They 
were in the battle of Cheat Mountain, Winchester, Ft. Republic, Bull 
Run, Gettysburg, and in front of Petersburg, battle of the Wilderness, 
Fredericksburg, Weldon R. R., Spottsylvania Court House, Manassas 
Junction, Harper's Ferry, Slaughter Mountains, Crab Apple Grove and 
many others. His regiment had 1,040 men when they started out under 
Col. Dumont, and when they returned there were only 250. At Ft. Re- 
public they lost 118 men in one hour, the rebels numbering three to one 
of them, but still they held the enemy in check. Mr. Alyea was shot 
through the sleeve, bruising his arm, but not cutting it. Mr. Alyea is a 
prominent farmer in Jackson Township and has spent all his life clearing 
and improving land. He was married, in 1864, to Miss Ruth Cheek, 
of Decatur County ; her parents were natives of Indiana, and among the 
early settlers of Decatur County. Six children have blessed this union — 
Ira G., Ina B., Edgar L., Lily May, Albert 0. and Elmer C 

JESSE A. CATE, son of John and Rachel (Pierce) Cate, was born 
in Tennessee in 1841. His parents came to Howard County in 1854. 
with eleven children, in a covered wagon, and located on a farm in its na- 
tive condition. His father cleared this land with the assistance of Jesse 
A. and his other sons. The subject of this sketch was one of the early 
teachers in Jackson Township, teaching and farming until he went into 
the army ; he enlisted in 1863 ; helped raise a company of cavalry and was 
elected Second Lieutenant ; he was mustered in at Kokomo by H. K. 
Thatcher, U. S. A.; he was in the battles of Nashville and Franklin, 
Tenn., and all the battles of the central army with Gen. Sherman ; he 
was detailed at Mud Creek, Ala., and was taken sick and lay in hospital 
six weeks. He was advanced from Second Lieutenant to a Captaincy, and 
commanded a battalion in Kansas, standing a good chance of becoming 
Major when the war closed. Mr. Cate was married, in 1867, to Miss 
Jennie Lindley, of Howard County. He has had three children — Louie 
M., Harry L. and Gracie B. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and I. 0. 0. F. and is now in the stock and produce business in the east- 
ern portion of the county. 



440 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

CLARKSON L. GATE, son of John and Rachel (Pierce) Gate, was 
born in Wayne County, Ind., December 31, 1853 ; his parents were 
natives of Tennessee, and came to Howard County in October, 1854; 
his father located in Jackson Township, purchased a farm in its native 
state, and began, with the assistance of his sons, to clear the land. 
Glarkson commenced teaching school in 1872, and has engaged in this 
occupation ever since. He made his start by farming, and in the fall of 
1877 purchased his first piece of land. He has since added two other 
tracts and now owns 120 acres of good farm land, on which he has built 
a fine house, in which he resides. Mr. Gates' youthful experience at 
home in clearing and cultivating the farm has been greatly advantageous 
to him ; he has taught seven terms in the schoolhouse where he received 
his education, and has been elected Township Assessor for three terms in 
succession. He was married, in 1877, to Miss Mary Alice Gentry. 
They have had two children, Nora and Maud (deceased October 5, 1880). 
Mr. Gate had three brothers in the late war, the eldest of whom was shot 
in the head and killed while with Gen. Sherman. 

JOHN GLELLAN, an early settler and pioneer of Howard County, 
was born in West Virginia in 180^; his parents, James and Massie 
(Wilson) Clellan, were early settlers of Virginia, and came to Union 
County, Ind., in 1831. John lived for three years in that county, and 
was united in marriage, in 1838, to Miss Lucinda Gardner, and the fol- 
lowing year moved to Henry County. This union was blessed with three 
children — Louisa, Sarah M. and James W., all of whom are dead. 
James W. was in the army, and was killed at the battle of Cain Hill, 
Ark. Mr. Clellan was next married, in 1842, to Mrs. Emily Ridgway, 
of Henry County, Ind. They have had nine children, six of whom are 
living — Mary A., Murphy, Ira M., Emily J., Wilson T. and Arminta 
J. Disbro. The subject of this sketch came to Howard County in 
August, 1849, entered 120 acres of land, built a log cabin, and began 
to clear his farm ; he started in the green woods, where there were no 
roads, only the Indian trail from Marion to Kokomo. Wolves, deer and 
wild game were in abundance, and it was so lonely they were glad to see 
the cows come home at night for company. Mr. Clellan and his wife are 
members of the Old School Baptist Church in good standing. 

JOSEPH GLEVENGER was born in Henry County, Ind., in 1840, 
and is the son of Squire and Clara (Gossett) Clevenger. Our subject was 
reared on a farm, and has followed agricultural pursuits mostly through 
life; he came to this county with his parents when he was but twelve 
years of age, in the year 1853. They settled in the forest and began 
clearing the farm. Joseph stayed with his father until after he was 
twenty-one, working on the place. When he became of age he went to 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 441 

work for himself, and on the 28th of April, 1863, he was united in 
marriage to Miss Margaret A. Hinkle, of Liberty Township, this county. 
They have eight children — Sarah E., Charles H., Walter A., Louisa 
M., Leoda E., Isaac A., John William and Alice. In 1861, Mr. Clev 
enger enlisted in Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; he 
was a veteran, staying till the close of the war, and was discharged in 
1865 at Indianapolis, and was mustered out in North Carolina ; he was 
in all the battles of the Central Army, Mr. C. has cleared two farms, 
and now has a fine large farm, in good condition, well improved, and 
with a convenient house. 

PETER V. COLE was born in Henry County, Ind., August 20, 
1834, and is the son of Ehram M. and Elizabeth (Vanmatre) Cole, of 
Irish and German descent. Peter V. Cole lived in the village of Middle- 
town, Henry County, until he was fourteen years of age, when he re- 
moved with his parents on a farm five miles north of Middletown. After 
remaining here five years, he lived one year in Madison County, and 
December 2, 1853, started for Howard County, a distance of fifty miles, 
in a two-horse covered wagon, arriving at Jerome on the fifth day. Mr. 
Cole was married, February 14, 1861, to Miss Nancy J. Cate. They 
have had twelve children — Ela (deceased), Laura J. (deceased), Cora 
(deceased), Osca A., Viola L., Margaret E., John A., William Henry, 
George L., Julia A., Mary L. and Perry V. Mr. Cole obeyed his 
country's call, enlisting December 19, 1864, in the Forty-eighth Regi- 
ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Wabash, Ind. 
He went with his regiment to Indianapolis, thence to New York, and 
started to Georgia, but were detained at Buford Island on the Savannah 
River, on account of high waters. After drawing rations, they started 
with Sherman on his raid through the Carolinas. He was with his reffi- 
ment until he was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., July 25, 1865, and 
was discharged at Indianapolis July 21. The following day he re- 
turned home, and has ever since been busily engaged in agricultural 
pursuits. 

MOSES CRANOR, son of Joshua and Susana (Johnson) Cranor, 
was born in Wayne County, Ind., in 1832 ; his parents, who were natives 
of North Carolina, and of English and Irish descent, were among the first 
settlers of Wayne County. Our subject was reared on a farm, and assisted 
his father until he was twenty years of age. In 1851, he was united in 
marriage to Miss Mary Cate, in Wayne County, Ind. She is a native of 
Tennessee. They had eight children — Leroy, Charles F., Martha E., 
Susan F., Ellsworth, James, Florinda J. (deceased), and Clara Belle (de- 
ceased). Mr. Cranor, immediately after he was married, began farming 
in Wayne County, and in August, 1860, came to Howard County and 



442 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

located on his present farm in Jackson Township ; he has 400 acres of 
fine farm land, which he has improved and cultivated until it is now one 
of the best farms in the township, with a comfortable and convenient resi- 
dence. Mr. Cranor's father was granted a land warrant from the war of 
1812; he was what they called at that time a ranger, and assisted in 
building block-houses in the early settlement of Wayne County, as a 
defense from the Indians. Mr. Cranorhas been a member of the Masonic 
fraternity since 1864, and in politics is a stanch Democrat; he has held 
the office of Township Assessor in his township, giving entire satisfaction 
to the citizens. 

WILLIAM DETAMORE was born May 21, 1807, in Augusta 
County, Va., and is the son of Jacob an<l Sophia (Loutz) Detamore, of 
German descent ; his grandfather, Christopher Detamore, was in the 
Revolutionary war, and his father was in the war of 1812. The subject 
of this sketch was married in Virginia to Miss Margaret Shull. They 
had eleven children, one dying in infancy. Mr. Detamore came to How- 
ard County in the fall of 1850, and* entered the farm on which he now 
lives, when it was in its native state ; his wife died in 1863, and the 
following year he was married to Mrs. Zelah J. Lilly, who came to this 
county in 1847. They have one child. Mr. Detamore was a wagon - 
maker by trade, and was bound out for three years, hence he had little 
opportunity for an early education ; he has been a church member for 
fifty-five years, and is now a member of the United Brethren Church ; he 
was a Jackson Democrat, but in 1856 voted for John C. Fremont ; he 
has since voted the Republican ticket, and has held some of the minor 
ofiices in the township ; he is a liberal citizen, and has taken an active 
part in the public and benevolent enterprises of the county. 

JOHN M. ERLOUGHER, a pioneer of Howard County, was born 
July 6, 1817, in Greene County, Ohio; his parents, Jacob and Elizabeth 
(Newton) Erlougher, were of English and German descent. His father 
was born in Maryland, and his mother was a native of New Jersey ; his 
father was a carder and spinner in that early day. John M. taught 
school for ten years, and thereby earned money to put himself through 
college ; he commenced the study of medicine about 1846, with Dr. Curtis, 
of Dublin, Wayne County, Ind., and afterward graduated at the Miami 
University, at Oxford, Ohio. He commenced the practice of medicine in 
Harrisburg, Ohio, and came to Howard County in May, 1851 ; he was an 
early practitioner of this county, and helped to organize the first medical 
society in it ; he was always considered successful in his profession, trav- 
eling in four diff'erent counties. About ten years ago, he retired from 
practice, and now has eighty acres of well-cultivated land, which he cleared 
and improved himself; he was married, in 1847, to Miss Mary D. Leet- 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 443 

rick, a native of Pennsylvania. They have had six children — Emma E. 
Harmon, Charles N. (deceased), Anna M. Powell, John 0. (deceased), 
William M. and Frank L. Mr. Erlougher has been a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church for forty-four years, and has been Assessor 
of Jackson Township. He at one time bought out the school of the 
Dublin Academy, where he taught for five years, his wife assisting him as 
one of the teachers. 

MOORE GALWAY was born in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1826, and 
is the son of Moore and Mary (Edgely) Galway. His parents were natives 
of England, and moved to Washington, D. C, where his father was re- 
porter for two sessions in the House of Representatives, at the time of 
Jackson's administration. His father was a printer, and was book-keeper 
for Chapman & Bros., when they edited the Indianapolis Sentinel. He 
was editor of a paper in Liverpool, Eng., called the Liverpool Mercury. 
Failing in that business, he started a book and stationery store in the same 
city. Tiie subject of this sketch worked as a roller boy in the printing 
office, and later in a bindery in Indianapolis. He was apprenticed to 
learn the tanner's trade, and continued in this business for ten years. In 
1854, he removed to Howard County, and he and his brother started a 
tannery in Jerome. They remained there two years, and January 1, 1856, 
our subject was married to Miss Mary Hodson, of Grant County, Ind. 
This union has been blessed with eight children. After his marriage, he 
moved on his own farm in Union Township, and has since spent his life 
in agricultural pursuits. March 5, 1872, he moved to Kansas, but was 
driven home in four weeks by the sickness of his children. Mr. Galway 
enlisted in March 1862, in the Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry, and remained two years. He was wounded in the hand, 
and again in the breast, at the battle of Stone River. He was in the 
battle at Shiloh and Corinth, Miss ; was on Buell's retreat to Louisville ; 
followed Bragg to Perry ville, where they had an engagement ; thence they 
went to Cumberland Gap, where they drew no rations for several days. 
He was discharged June 21, 1863. Mr. Galway has a farm of seventy 
acres in Jackson Township, well improved. He has held some of the 
minor offices of his township ; is a member of the Society of Friends, and 
formerly belonged to the Masonic order. 

JOHN GOSSETT was born in Union County, Ind., August 1, 1824, 
and is the son of Joseph and Rebecca (Warnock) Gossett, of German 
and Irish descent. In 1830, his parents moved into Henry County and 
were among the first settlers. Joseph Gossett entered land, built a log 
cabin, and not having time to split out their puncheon flooring, or to 
build a chimney before winter set in, they built their fire in the middle of 
the room. Joseph Gossett is said to have been the first Justice of the 

A A 



444 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Peace of Henry County, holding the office continually for thirty-two 
years, with the exception of one term, and was holding the oflSce at the 
time of his death. He was considered as good a scholar in the common 
branches as there was in the county. The subject of this sketch has led 
a farmer's life, and lived at home until he was twenty-two years of age. 
He was married in Henry County, in 1848, to Miss Elizabeth Fadely, of 
Virginia. They have had eight children, three of whom are living — Re- 
becca C, Elizabeth A. and Nancy J. Mr. Gossett lived on the home 
farm until the death of his father, when he sold out and came to Howard 
County in 1861, and purchased the place where he is now living. He is 
the present Township Trustee, now serving his third term. He has been 
a member of the United Brethren Church since his sixteenth year. His 
wife is also a member of the same church. His father was a soldier in 
the war of 1812. After serving his first term, he enlisted a second time 
and received a land warrant of 160 acres. John Gossett has held several 
of the minor offices in the township. In an early day he was a Whig, 
but since the organization of the Republican party he has always voted 
that ticket. 

WILLIAM C. HARPER, son of James and Mary (Loughery) 
Harper, was born in North Carolina in 1820. His parents were natives 
of North Carolina, and moved to Tennessee, where William Harper was 
married to Miss Percila Cate, born July 30, 1826. Five children blessed 
this union — Richard, James M., Mary E., John L. and William Andrew. 
Mrs. Harper died December 3, 1867, and Mr. Harper, February 19, 1870, 
was married to Miss Sarah J. Willis. They have one child — Leonia H. In 
1856, Mr. Harper moved from Tennessee to Wayne County, Ind., where 
he lived about eleven years, when he moved to Howard County. He lo- 
cated on his farm when it was in its native state, building a log cabin and 
clearing his land. He now has a finely cultivated farm well improved, 
with fine residence and good barn. He has held some of the minor offices 
of the township. He was formerly a Whig, but since the organization 
of the Republican party he has voted that ticket. 

WILLIAM A. HARPER is a native of Tennessee, was born in 
March,! 1844, and is the son of John M. and Elizabeth (Cate) Harper. 
Our subject came to Howard County in 1865, and has followed agricult- 
ural pursuits all his life. He was married, in 1865, to Miss Rebecca 
Powell, of Jackson Township. This union has been blessed with seven 
children — Sarah E. (deceased), Adaline (deceased), John (deceased), Charles 
L. (deceased), Lovicy A., Minnie B. and Earl. Mr. Harper has held 
some of the minor offices in the township. He has cleared about forty 
acres of land in the county, and when he bought his first forty acres he 
paid only $75 down, and made the balance himself. He is one of the 
self-made men of the township ; is a worthy farmer and leading citizen. 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 445 

JOSEPH HATFIELD is a native of Howard County, and was 
born in Jackson Township in the year 1853. His parents, William and 
Mary E. (Jones) Hatfield, were very early settlers in the county. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and lived on his father's place until 
1878, when he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Julow, of Union 
Township. Two children have blessed this union, the first dying in in- 
fancy, the second being Bertha J. Mr. Hatfield dealt in stock and fol- 
fowed agricultural pursuits for about eight years, when, in the winter of 
1882, he went into the drug business in Sycamore. He is now conducting 
the only drug store in the village. He is also about to start a hotel, the 
only one in the town. Mr. Hatfield is a successful business man and a 
worthy citizen in the community in which he lives. 

SAMUEL HAWKINS, son of Philip H. and Elizabeth (Martin) 
Hawkins, was born in Greene County, Ohio, December 9, 1838. His parents 
moved to this county in 1846, and entered land in Union Township, near 
Jerome, settling in the green woods. Philip Hawkins died when his son 
was twenty-four years of age, and May 16, 1864, our subject enlisted in 
the One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volun teer In- 
fantry, and was mustered in at Indianapolis ; he had volunteered twice 
before, but as the companies were never made up he did not go out ; was 
mustered out at Indianapolis in November, the same year. Mr. Haw- 
kins was married, March 1, 1865, to Miss Terressa Hatfield, whose par- 
ents were among the first settlers of Union Township. This union has 
been blessed with eight children — Rolland A. (deceased), Ollie E. (de- 
ceased), Ora A. (deceased), Clinton A., Sarah E. (deceased), Ella B.. 
Estella and Reason E. In 1879, he bought fifty-three acres of land, and 
moved on it the next spring. He now has it well cultivaLed and improved, 
with convenient dwelling and good outbuildings. Mr. Hawkins is a 
harness^maker by trade, and ran a shop in Jerome for about twelve vears. 

JOHN W. ilURLY, son of D. C. and Mary A. (Whitson) Ilurly, 
was born in 1841 in Clinton County, Ohio. His parents moved to Ham- 
ilton County, Ind., and in 1849 located in Howard County. Our sub- 
ject worked on a farm until he went in the army, enlistinn' in June, 
1861, in the Thirteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantrv, and was 
mustered in at Indianapolis. He was in battle at Suffolk, Va., Black- 
water, and in front of Richmond. He was also at Port Fisher, the siege 
of Fort Sumter, and in the twenty-one days' fight at Suffolk. He was 
sick with typhoid fever at Wilmington, N. C. December, 1863, he vet- 
eranized at Folly Island, and remained until the close of the war. Mr. 
Hurly was wounded at Bermuda Hundred in his righc hip. May, 1864. 
On coming out of the army, he was so disabled by exposure, fever and 
wounds that he has been able to work very little since, and has been 



446 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

using crutches and is still disabled. Mr. Hurly was married, June 30, 
1864, to Miss Mary J. Barkdull, of Howard County. They have had 
two children, Olive A. and William L. (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Hurly 
are active members of the Society of Friends. 

JOSEPH A. KELLAR was born in Henry County, Ind., in 1842, 
and in 1859 came to Howard County. He was reared to farming, and 
has always followed that occupation, excepting the time he was in the war. 
In 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Thirty-fourth Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry ; was discharged in December, 1864, and re-enlisted 
for three years more. The first three years he was with Grant, and was 
through his campaign of Vicksburg. After his re-enlistment, he was in 
the Texas campaign, and fought in the battle of Palmetto Ranch on May 
IS, 1865, under Col. Barrett, after peace was declared in the East. His 
regiment turned out more veterans than any other regiment in the war. 
Mr. Kellar was married, in 1864, to Miss Laurinda F. Wethrow, of Grant 
County. She died in 1868, and in 1870 Mr. Kellar married Miss Mar- 
garet 8. Windsor, who died in 1877, and the following year he married 
Miss Maria Allison. Mr. Kellar cleared up his farm from the forest, 
and now has a home of fifty-five acres, well improved. He has held 
some of the minor offices of the township, and has always been an active 
member of the Republican party. 

J. F. LAWSHE, M. D., was born in Somerset, Wabash Co., Ind., 
January 18, 1859, and is the son of Henry D. and Hester Ann (Rich- 
mond) Lawshe. Our subject earned his first money on a farm, and tak- 
ing this, together with what he saved by teaching school, he worked his 
way through college. He commenced the study of medicine in the sum- 
mer of 1878, and afterward attended two courses of lectures at Louisville, 
Ky., at the Kentucky School of Medicine, one of the best schools of the 
West. Mr. Lawshe was a member of a class of 110 students, and stood 
the fifth best in his class. He commenced his studies with Dr. O'Neal, 
of Somerset, and graduated in June, 1881. He came to Sycamore, the 
1st of August, 1881, and commenced the practice of medicine, where he 
has since been in active practice, with fine success. He was married in 
Wabash County, November 17, 1881, to Sarah F. McConn, daughter of 
T. C. McConn, an early settler and prominent citizen in that county. By 
this union they have one child — Gertie May. Dr. Lawshe is a member 
of the German Baptist Church, in good standing, and is a worthy citizen 
in the community in which he lives. 

GURNEY LINDLEY, son of Osmond L. and Achsa (Wilson) Lind- 
ley, was born in Henry County, Ind., in 1860. He was reared on a 
farm, but commenced teaching school at the age of seventeen. He was 
then called a boy-teacher, but wa^ so successful with his school that the 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 447 

patrons were anxious to employ him the following term. Mr. Lindley 
has been a teacher and farmer all his life. He went from Henry County 
to Illinois, thence to Kansas, teaching and farming all the time. In the 
year 1881, he came from Kansas to Howard County, Ind., and August 
11, 1881, was married to Emily J. Johnson, of Hancock County, Ind. 
One child — Florence 0., blessed this union. Mr. Lindley is a member 
of the Society of Friends, is a well educated young man, a good teacher, 
and worthy citizen. 

BENJAMIN R. MAPLE was born in Franklin County, Ind., in 
1830, and is the son of Benjamin G. and Mary (Freeman) Maple. He 
was reared on a farm, and lived with his father until he was twenty-one 
years of age. In an early day, he taught school in Jackson Township, 
at 75 cents per day. He enlisted on Christmas Eve, 1861, in the 
Eleventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, and was mustered in at 
Louisville, Ky. He was in the battle of Nashville, Tenn. Mr. Maple 
was married, in 1855, to Miss Sophia Jesiop, of Jackson Township, 
whose parents were among the early settlers of Howard County. Mr. 
and Mrs. Maple have had eleven children, ten of whom are living — ■ 
Seneca S., Frank S., Ellen B., Emma J., Charles H., William, Anna 
H., Ida J., Isaac T. and Sallie. Mr. Maple has been a Trustee of the 
township, and also Constable for two years. In politics, he is a Repub- 
lican, and he and his wife are prominent members of the Methodist 
Protestant Church. Mr. Maple is a pioneer farmer, having come to 
Howard County when the wolves howled around the cabins, and when 
all was a wilderness. 

ELIJAH G. MAPLE was born in Fayette County, Ind., in 1834, 
and is the son of Mentilla H. and Elizabeth Maple. In the fall of 1851, 
he moved with his father to Howard County, where the latter entered 
part of the land on which he now lives. The land was in its native state, 
and they at once went to work to clear the farm ; built a log cabin and 
split out their boards for the cabin floor and doors. The subject of this 
sketch, excepting the time he was in the army, and a few years he was in 
a store when a boy, has always followed the occupation of farming. In 
1862, he enlisted in Company I, Ninety-ninth Regiment Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry, and was in the army about three years. He was with 
Sherman from Atlanta on to the sea. His first enorafjement was at 
Jackson, Miss. He was promoted Corporal in 1864, on account of his 
vigilance while on post duty. He was married, January 1, 1862, to 
Miss Sarah E. Friermood, of Grant County, Ind. They have had nine 
children ; eight of whom are living, viz.: Francis M., Eva C, Mary E., 
Letitia, Jacob W., Ira T., Elizabeth G. and Glenna F. Mr. Maple has 
held some of the minor offices of the township ; is a member of the 



448 BIOGRAPPMCAL SKETCHES: 

Republican party ; he and wife have been active members of the Methodist 
Protestant Church for fifteen years, and are valuable members of the 
society in which they move. 

HENRY L. MARSHALL was born in Henry County, Ind., in 
1845. His parents, James and Rachel (Leeson) Marshall, were of Ger- 
man and Irish descent. Henry L. moved to this county with his parents 
in 1849, and landed where the town of Sycamore now stands. His 
father entered 160 acres of land in Liberty Township, abt)ut three miles 
north of where Greentown now stands. Our subject has spent his whole 
life in clearing and improving land. He lived at home with his father 
until he was about twenty-four years of age, and was married in 1869 to 
Miss Elizabeth Powell, of Jackson Township. Her parents were among 
the pioneers and early settlers of the county, coming in when all was a 
wilderness. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall have had seven children — Lewis E., 
Rosella M., James L., Arsetta A. (deceased), Ora E., Melven E. and 
Chancy H. Our subject purchased eighty acres of good land in Jack- 
son Township, in 1882, and now has a good farm, well cultivated and im- 
proved. Mr. Marshall's grandfather, Samuel Marshall, was a soldier in 
the war of 1812. 

JAMES R. NATION was born in Delaware County, Ind., in 1837. 
His father, Enoch Nation, was born in Tennessee, in 1804, and his mother, 
Sophia (Thompson) Nation, was a native of Virginia; both were of 
English descent, and were among the early settlers in Delaware County. 
Enoch Nation collected the first taxes in that county and carried the 
money on horseback to Indianapolis ; he was elected County Commis- 
sioner, and later Probate Judge, serving in the latter capacity for eight 
'years, when he moved out of the county. James R. Nation was married, 
in 1859, to Miss Rebecca J. Paul. They have one child — Effie Curry. 
He remained in Delaware County until 1861, when he enlisted in the 
Eighth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was appointed Ser- 
geant ; he was discharged in September, 1862. after which he went on a 
faim for one year, when he recruited a company and was elected Captain; 
he went into camp at Camp Wayne, Richmond, Ind., moved to Camp 
Carrington, Indianapolis, thence to Camp Shanks, and on the 21st of 
January, 1864, ninety-three of the company were mustered into the 
United States service at Indianapolis. Mr. Nation was in battle at 
Linnville, Tenn., Laurenceburg and Florence, Ala. He was captured at 
Sulphur Branch September 25, 1864; was held prisoner at Meridian, 
Miss., paroled and passed through the rebel lines November 14, 1864, 
He went to Camp Benton, St. Louis, thence to Camp Chase, Ohio, and 
was exchanged there January 17, 1865; he joined his regiment at 
Gravely Springs, Ala., and went to Vicksburg, thence to New Oileans, 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 449 

after which he returned to Vicksburg and was mustered out there. He 
held four commissions during his service, the last being that of Major. 
He then returned home and in January, 1866, moved to Howard County, 
where he purchased eighty acres of land. Mrs. Rebecca Nation died 
December 21, 1869, and Mr. Nation was afterward married to Miss 
Mary A. Clevenger, of English and German descent. They have had 
four children, two of whom are living — Gertie and Lloyd. Mr. Nation 
is now living a comparatively retired life on forty acres of his land 
in Jackson Township, doing a broker's business ; he also owns thirty- 
three acres in the same township, besides property in Sycamore ; he is 
a Republican, and has always taken an active part in the politics of his 
county, having served on the Central Committee for a number of years. 
He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for about ten years, 
and is a man highly respected in his community. 

JAMES B. POWELL was born in Herefordshire, England, Feb- 
ruary 7, 1816, and lived there until he was nine years of age ; his 
parents having preceded him, he made the trip alone to Calais, France, a 
distance of 400 miles. His parents, John H. and Ann (Bub) Powell, 
were manufacturers of lace, and James B. worked at the same business. 
They lived in France nine years ; were there during the Revolution of 
1830, and during the time of the cholera. In 1834, his parents shipped 
from Calais to London, thence to New York. They were eight weeks 
and four days in crossing, being becalmed nine days ; running short of 
provision, and there being other boats in sight, and being short of hands, 
the Captain called the passengers to draw lots to go in the small boats 
for provisions. Our subject refused to draw, but volunteered and made a 
successful trip. They arrived in New York July 24, 1834, and soon 
alter located in Evansburg, Ohio, where they remained until 1854, and 
there followed farming. Mr. Powell became an Abolitionist during his 
stay in Ohio. He was a member of the underground railway and took 
a very prominent part in helping the slaves to get away, often secreting 
them about the house. Mr. Powell was married, August 31, 1839, to 
Miss Jane Boyd, of Coshocton County. They had nine children, six of 
whom are living — Florinda, John Thomas, Ann, Henrietta, William (de- 
ceased), Caroline (deceased), Nancy J. (deceased), William, Henry and 
Lyman B. Mr. Powell came to Howard County in the year 1854 and 
located on his present place in Jackson Township. He is an industrious 
man and worthy citizen, and he and wife have been members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church for thirty-nine years. 

L. U. POWELL was born in Boone County, Ind., in 1835, and 
located in Howard County in 1844. His fsither, Lemuel Powell, was a 
native of Virginia, born 1808, and his mother, Sarah (Miller) Powell, was 



450 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: . 

born in Ohio, 1807. L. U. Powell was reared on a farm, and received 
very little education in his j/outh. In September, 1857, he was married 
to Miss Sarah A, Larrison, of Howard County. They had one child — 
Hiram A. His wife died and Mr. Powell was again married February 
25, 1862. He had eight children by his second marriage — Cintha E., 
William H., Vola, Charles (deceased), Lemuel W., Eddie (deceased), 
Eva and Lowell. Mr. Powell enlisted August 12, 1862, and went into 
camp at South Bend. He was enrolled at Indianapolis in the Ninety- 
ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private. He came 
back as First Lieutenant, and had charge of his company on the march to 
the sea. He engaged in battle at Jackson, Miss., Mission Ridge, Dallas, 
Kenesaw Mountain ; was at the siege of Atlanta, where he received a 
wound in the hand; on the march to the sea; at the surrender of Vicks- 
burg and the burning of Columbia. He was mustered out at Washing- 
ton, and received his discharge at Indianapolis, after which he came home 
and went on his farm. He now has his farm under good cultivation, with 
convenient house, and is now building a fine barn. He is a charter 
member of the G. A. R. Post at Xenia, and has been a member of the 
Masonic fraternity since 1861. 

JORDON SHAW is a native of Henry County, Ind., and was born in 
1843. His father, John Shaw, is a native of North Carolina, and his 
mother, Sally (Miller) Shaw, was born in Indiana. The subject of this 
sketch was reared on a farm and stayed at home until he was seventeen 
years of age. His mother died when he was about two years of age. 
Mr. Shaw was married, July 23, 1864, to Miss Sarah C. Shockly. 
This union has been blessed by nine children — Laura, Perry, Lut, Roily 
(deceased), Albedy, Marion, Arabell, Howard E. and John B. Mr. 
Shaw came to Howard County in 1873 and bought his farm in the native 
state, and now has it well improved and under good cultivation. He is 
a worthy citizen, laborious farmer and well respected man in his com- 
munity. 

M. C. SPURGEON, son of Samuel and Sarah A. (Lark) Spurgeon, 
was born in Henry County, Va., in 1839. His parents moved from 
Virginia to Miami in 1843, and lived there three years, when they 
moved to the Indian reserve soon after the land came into market. 
The Government did not survey the land until after they had lived there 
two years. Mr. Spurgeon lived with his father until he was twenty- 
one, after which he was in Illinois at intervals until he went into the 
army. He enlisted and was enrolled, August 20, 1862, in the Ninety- 
ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; served until the expiration 
of his term, and was discharged, June 5, 1865, near Washington, D. 
C. He was with the central army in all their battles, and with Slierman 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 451 

on his march to the sea. Mr. Spurgeon was married, July 13, 1867, to 
Miss Behethlan Prior. This union was blessed with seven children, five 
of whom are living — William N., Franklin S.. Florence 0., Sarah E., 
and Minnie M. Mrs. Spurgeon died in April, 1879, and Mr. Spurgeon 
was afterward married, September 20, 1880, at Kokomo, to Miss 
Josephine E. Prior, whose parents were old settlers in the Indian Reserve 
in Miami County. In February, 1866, Mr. Spurgeon purchased forty 
acres. of land in Jackson Township, and has been adding to it until now 
he owns 127 acres of good land, well ditched and under good cultivation. 
He is an industrious, hard working farmer, has cleared a great number of 
acres of land, and in the winter of 1865 made 18,700 rai^s. He is a 
member of the G. A. R. Post at Xenia. 

M. STONE & BRO., two enterprising young business men of Syca- 
more Corners, are natives of Rush County, Ind. They started a gro- 
cery, dry goods and general stock store in the town of Sycamore in 
April, 1882. They have been uncommonly successful, and have done a 
business far beyond their expectation. Starting with a $3,000 stock, tiie 
first year they did a business of $50,000. They are now preparing to 
add an addition to their store. They anticipate putting in a stock of 
agricultural implements and hardware in their present business room, 
and expect to put up a two-story building opposite their present site. 
This will be 100 feet in length, and will be used for their present busi- 
ness. They anticipate increasing their stock with an addition of $2,000, 
and will expect to do a larger and more extensive business. M. Stone & 
Bro. are accommodating and energetic merchants, and in every way wor- 
thy of the patronage so liberally bestowed upon them. Their parents, 
Solomon and Mary A. (Hatfield) Stone, were natives of Virginia and of 
German descent. 

TURNER SULLIVAN, the oldest citizen now living in Jackson 
Township, was born in 1800 in North Carolina ; his parents, Jacob and 
Nancy (Harris) Sullivan, moved to Tennessee when our subject was but 
a small child ; his father was a minister in the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Turner learned the tanner's trade ; he was married in Tennes- 
see to Miss Maria Chandler ; this union was bkssed with four children, 
one of whom is living. Mr. Sullivan lost his wife in 1845, and in 1849 
he married Miss Angeline Brant ; they have had nine children, seven of 
whom are living. Mr. Sullivan came to Howard County in 1847, and 
the following year entered the land upon which he now lives ; he started 
in the woods, built a log cabin and began to clear up his farm ; he was 
the first Trustee in the township, and built the first schoolhouse in the 
township ; he attended the first election, and has always voted the Re- 
publican ticket since the organization of that party ; he cast his first 



452 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

vote for Gen. Jackson ; his son, Jefferson S., was in the Ninety-ninth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry; was taken with brain fever and 
died in a Southern land. Mr. Sullivan has always taken an active part 
in public and benevolent enterprises, and lives a conscientious Christian 
life ; he and wife are active members of the United Brethren Church. 

JOHN E. WASKEY was born in 1837 in the State of Maryland; 
his parents, John and Margaret (Thomas) Waskey, were of German de- 
scent. Our subject was reared on a farm, but began doing business for 
himself at the age of sixteen. He is a carpenter, and worked at his 
trade, together with farming, until he came to Howard County in March, 
1882 ; he was married to Cordelia A. Shawen, of Maryland, April 7, 
1864. They have had eight children — Mary L., Laura J., Eli (deceased), 
€harles (deceased), Margaret, Rosella C, Frank E., and one that died in 
infancy. Mr. Waskey enlisted, in 1865, in the Fourth Regiment Ohio 
Volunteer Cavalrj, and was mustered in at Edgeville, near Nashville, 
Tenn.; served until the close of the war, and was discharged at Edgeville, 
Tenn. ; he had been a member of the Home Guards of Ohio, and received 
an honorable discharge when he enlisted ; he and his wife are active 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Waskey is now living 
on a farm in Jackson Township, and is following agricultural pursuits. 

THOMAS A. WINDSOR was born in Henry County, Ind., in 
1846 ; his parents, David E. and Elizabeth (Spell) Windsor, were early 
settlers of Henry and Delaware Counties. Our subject was born and 
reared on a farm, and at the age of eighteen enlisted in the Fortieth Reg- 
iment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in at Kokomo, 
November 11, 1864. At the battle of Nashville, Tenn., he lost his right 
arm ; about noon, on the 16tli of December, it was struck, as hesupposesi 
by a piece of shell, which left it hanging only by the flesh ; he was taken 
to the field hospital at night, and about 12 o'clock, midnight, had it 
amputated; he was immediately removed to the hospital at Nashville, 
where he lay fourteen days, when he was removed to Jeffersonville, Ind.; 
he remained there until the 25th of July, when he received his discharge. 
In the fall of 1861, he had located in Howard County, and as soon as he 
was discharged he came home to the farm ; he now owns eighty acres of 
rich land, well cultivated, and having good improvements; he was mar- 
ried October 7, 1869, to Miss Clare E. Maxwell, whose parents were early 
settlers in this county. They have two children, Elnora and Thomas E. 
Mr. Windsor is a well respected man and a worthy citizen. 

EPHRAIM S. ZAUN, son of John and Mariah M. (Weitzell) Zahn, 
was born in Rockingham County, Va., in 1831, and lived there until he 
was nineteen years of age ; his father was a wagon-maker by trade, and a 
minister in the Christian Church. E. S. Zahn worked for his father 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 453 

until 1854, when he commenced business for himself; he located in Mar- 
ion, Grant County, Ind., and there began the manufacture of wagons and 
carriages. November 4, 185'i, he was united in marriage to Miss Ann 
M. Barley. This union was blessed with four children — Thomas E. (de- 
ceased), William (deceased), Mary K. Brunk, and Henrietta I. Mr. 
Zahn carried on his business in Marion until November, 1872, when he 
purchased a farm of 120 acres in Howard County, two miles north of 
Sycamore, on which he lived until October, 1881 ; he then started at Syc- 
amore a store of dry goods, groceries and general stock, at the same time 
dealing in all kinds of grain ; he is one of the first merchants in Syca- 
more, and has done a prosperous business ; he has held the office of Town- 
ship Trustee, and has been a member of the I. 0. 0. F. since 1855, being 
a Past Representative to the Grand Lodge ; he has been a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church since he was nineteen years old, and his wife 
is also a member of the same church. Mr. Zahn was the first Postmaster 
in Jackson Township, having charge of the office at Energy. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 

CALVIN C. ARMFIELD, one of the leading farmers of Liberty 
Township, was born in Guilford County, N. C, February 14, 
1821, and is the son of Solomon and Thankful (Cimmons) Armfield. C. 
C. Armfield was reared on a farm, and received the benefit of a common 
school education. His father died when he was only ten years of age, 
and he worked on the farm until he was nineteen, when he bejjan to de- 
pend on himself. la 1848, he moved to Henry County, Ind., where he 
rented land until the fall of 18"38, at which time he removed to Howard 
County, locating in Liberty Township. Here he purchased forty acres, 
which he cultivated and improved until 1880, when he located on his 
present place. Mr. Armfield was married, November 30, 181t), to Pen- 
ninah Albirtireson, of North Carolina. They had six children, four of 
whom are living — Joseph W., Henry H., Martha E. and John C. Mrs. 
Armfield died in 1880, and the same year Mr. Armfield was married to 
Mrs. Cintha E. (Fulwider) Gibson, of Howard County. She was born 
in Decatur July 20, 1844, and is the daughter of William and Judith 
(Miller) Fulwider, natives of Virginia and North Carolina, and of German 
descent. Mr. Armfield and wife are members of the Christian Church. 
Mrs. Armfield has one child by her first husband — Ira E. Gibson. His 
father, Samuel M. Gibson, was an early settler in this county and a 
successful farmer. Mr. Armfield is a member of the Republican party. 



454 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

He is a strong temperance man and is identified with all public improve- 
ments. 

DR. L. A. BAGWELL, a native of Howard County, born August 
26, 185G, is the son of John W. and Mary (Ware) 'Bagwell, both natives 
of this State. His father was a lawyer and teMcher, and died in the prime 
of life. Dr. Bagwell was left an orphan when but a small boy, and lived 
with his grandfather Bagwell until he was thirteen, when he began to 
work out on farms in the summer, saving his earnings that he might at- 
tend school in the winter. He studied medicine two years with the Scott 
Bros., and after this bought such books as he could afford. He read and 
studied alone until the fall of 1881, when he entered the Fort Wayne 
Medical College and graduated with honors the following spring. He 
then located at Green town, and began the practice of medicine in the 
vicinity where he has lived for thirteen years. He has been quite success- 
ful, working up a good practice in the best families of his township. Mr. 
Bagwell was married, January 26, 1877, to Miss Mary Ooty Thrasher, 
of Howard County ; four children blessed this union — Zalla, Myrtle, Mary 
Pearl and Willie. Mr. Bagwell is a member of the Christian Church, 
and an active worker in the Republican party. He is one of the School 
Trustees of the township, and has been Councilman two terms. He is a 
truly self-made man, has educated himself, and by industry has obtained 
a good home. 

DANIEL BARRETT is the son of Jesse and Margaret (Curry) 
Barrett, natives of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, both of English 
descent. His father located in Highland County, Ohio, in 1805, and 
was surveyor of that county for twenty-one years. He came to this 
county in 1851, locating in Liberty Township, where he remained until 
his death. The subject of this sketch was born September 12, 1828, in 
Highland County, Ohio, where he remained until he was twenty-eight 
years of age. He spent his youth working on the farm, and received a 
good common school education. He came to this county with his parents 
in 1851, and received a farm of forty acres. He has since added to this, 
until now he has 290 acres of the best land in the county, with all the 
modern improvements. He is an energetic, wide-awake farmer, and has 
accumulated his property through his own efforts. He was married, 
September 22, 1847, to Miss Hannah Chandler, daughter of Eli and 
Mary (Horner) Chandler, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and 
English descent. Four children crowned this union — William C, John 
C. (deceased), Roseann Williams and Mary E. Manring. Mr. Barrett 
cast his first vote with the Whig parly, but has since voted the Repub- 
lican ticket. In the fall of 1878, he was elected County Commissioner and 
served in that capacity three years. He is one of the party's most active 
workers and he and wife are identified with the Society of Friends. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 



455 



SAMUEL F. BRANNEN was born in Bartholomew County, Ind., 
October 26, 1842, and was the fourth of twelve children born to Thomas 
and Elizabeth (Fulwider) Brannen, natives of Virginia. Thomas Bran- 
nen located in Wabash County, Ind., in an early day, there married, and 
reared a family of twelve children, after which his wife died. In 1830, 
he located in Bartholomew County, where he again married. The result 
of this union was twelve children. Mr. Brannen died in Bartholomew 
County in 1859, at the age of eighty-seven. He was a soldier in the war 
of 1812, and participated in the battle at Waterloo, and Horse Shoe Bend. 
He was a Jackson Democrat, and of the Presbyterian faith ; his widow is 
still living, aged seventy-three, a member of the Christian Church. Samuel 
F. Brannen, being born of poor parents, attended but one winter term of 
school, but worked at home and helped to take care of the family. He 
worked out for a time and gave his wages for the family's support. April 
27, 1861, he enlisted in the three months' service, but the quota was 
filled ere he was mustered, consequently he returned home. The follow- 
ing September he enlisted in the three years' service, in Company G, 
Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. This company was 
part of the Third Division of the Fourteenth Army Corps of the 
Cumberland. They engaged in the battle at Shiloh, siege of Corinth, 
Decatur, Ala., Stone River and Chickamauga. After this, he was com- 
missioned First Corporal in reward for capturing seven rebels. He par- 
ticipated in battle at Mission Ridge, after which he joined Burnside, at 
Knoxville, and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. May 15, 
1864, in the battle of Resaca, a shot entered his left thigh and broke the 
bone. This was done on a charge, and after he fell, he reloaded his gun 
and shot the color bearer, after which he retreated on one foot. The fol- 
lowing September he joined his regiment at Indianapolis, and was honorably 
discharged, after serving three yeai's and four months. He returned 
home, and was married, March 12, 1865, to Louisiana Fowler, of Barthol- 
omew County, born September 28, 1843. They have had eight children, 
six of whom are living— Ulysses S., Carrie M., Erastus S., John Perry, 
Stella F., and Ellis. Mr. Brannen located in Liberty Township, How- 
ard County, in 1865, renting land a few years, after which he pur- 
chased a small tract of land, and four years later he located in Greentown. 
After living here four years, he purchased his present home of sixty acres, 
which he has well improved with good fences. He has followed butch- 
ering for years, and has slaughtered about 4,000 cattle. He has through 
labor and economy made a good home, and at present owns 102 acres of 
land. He served for two years as Supervisor, and one year as Constable. 
He and wife are members of the New Light Church, and he is a Repub- 
lican in politics and a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 



466 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

CHARLTON BULL is a native of Greene County, Ohio. He was 
born in 1847, and was reared on a farm. He remained at home until 
1861, when he attended school for three years at the Xenia (Ohio) 
Academy. After leaving school, he enlisted in the Sixtieth Regiment 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged at Camp Chase, Ohio, in 
1864. After he came home, he again attended school at Xenia, Ohio, 
and the following spring commenced work in a photograph gallery, con- 
tinuing in this business until the summer of 1865, when he came to How- 
ard County and worked in a saw mill, and in 1866 began teaching 
school. He commenced reading law in 1871, and was admitted to the 
bar in 1879. He is at present engaged in school teaching in the Green- 
town graded schools. Mr. Bull was married in 1869 to Miss Mary E. 
Zerbe, of Howard County. They have had four children, two of whom 
are living — Nina E. and William S. Mr. Bull also attends to the prac- 
tice of his profession, being at this time the only attorney in Greentown. 
He is one of the rising young men of Howard County. 

AMOS A. COVALT, a physician of Greentown, was a son of 
Jonathan and Rachel (Fritts) Covalt, of German and Irish descent. He 
was born in Brown County, Ohio, May 6, 1846, and was reared on a 
farm. In 1863, he enlisted in the Thirteenth Regiment Indiana Volun- 
teer Cavalry, Company G, as a private. He served until the close of the 
war, and was mustered out in 1865, by special order. He became dis- 
abled in November, 1864, but remained at his post of duty until he was 
discharged. He was in the battle of Nashville, the siege of Mobile, and 
also Decatur. His parents moved to Grant County, Ind., in 1856, and 
cleared a farm of 120 acres. Mr. Covalt commenced the study of medi- 
cine in 1866, reading with J. T. Scott, and graduated in 1869 at Rush 
Medical College of Chicago. The following spring, he commenced 
practice at Greentown, where he has remained ever since. He now has 
as large a practice as any physician in the village. Mr. Covalt is a mem- 
ber in good standing of the I. 0. 0. F. and Masonic fraternity. He 
was married, in 1^69, to Miss Mary A. Markland, a native of Ohio. 
They have had three children, two of whom are living — Raleigh W. and 
Leila B. Mr. Covalt has always been a friend to education, and has 
been a member of the School Board for two terms. He has always voted 
the Republican ticket, and takes an active part in politics. He now 
owns seventy acres of good farm land in Liberty Township. 

ABRAHAM E. CURLEE was born in Jefferson County, Ky., 
October 21, 1841, and was the third of eight children born to Samuel 
M. and Susan S. (Little) Curlee, of French and German descent. S. M. 
Curlee was reared in South Carolina, and when grown came to Kentucky, 
where he was married and lived until 1849, when he removed to Indiana, 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 457 

locating on a rented farm in Johnson County. In the fall of 1857, thej 
removed to Jasper County, where they lived two years and a half, after 
which they located in this county, again renting land. October 18, 
1863, Mr. Curlee died, a member of the Whig party and of the Christian 
Church. His wife is now living with her son, Abraham Curlee, and is 
sixty-three years of age. The subject of this sketch was reared on a 
farm, receiving a limited education. In August, 18(32, he enlisted in 
Company K, Sixty-third Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a 
private. His first duty was guarding a railroad in Kentucky, and later 
he was under Gen. Sherman's command. His first engagement was at 
Resaca, after which he marched on with Sherman to Atlanta, participat- 
ing in many hard-fought battles; later engaged in the battle at Columbia 
and the siege of Nashville. They followed Hood to the Tennessee River, 
at which place they took boat for Cincinnati, thence by rail to Alexandria, 
Ala., thence by sea to the mouth of Cape Fear River. Later they as- 
sisted in taking Anderson and Fort Wilmington, N. C, after which they 
were marched south, and at Goldsboro, N. C, Gen. Thomas and 
Gen. Sherman met, and moved on to Raleigh, where Johnston surren- 
dered. He was also in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesboro, Cass- 
ville, Lost Mountain, Town Creek, Chattahoochie, Buzzard Roost 
and Wilmington. Mr. Curlee, with his regiment, was sent to Indianapo- 
lis, and honorably discharged July 3, 1865. He farmed after the war, 
in Howard County, on rented land, until 1875, when he purchased his 
present farm of fifty-six acres, which includes the mill property known 
as the Dorman Mill. He has had charge of the mill ever since, and 
his property is valued at $6,000. He was married, October 1, 1873, to 
Miss Margaret Rich, born in Rush County, Ind., April 5, 1850. She is 
the daughter of Davis and Margaret Rich. Three children have blessed 
this union — Eliza (deceased), Edna and Emmor R. Mr. and Mrs. Curlee 
are members of the Christian Church, and Mr. Curlee is a member of 
the L 0. 0. F. 

C. M. FIFER is a native of Monroe County, W. Va., and 
was born May 4, 1821. His parents, John and Mary (Tacket) Fifer, 
were natives of Monroe County, Va. John Fifer came West to Middle- 
town, Henry County, Ind., in 1830. The subject of this sketch, in the 
year 1847, became a soldier in the Mexican war, and was discharged 
in August, 1848. He was Orderly Sergeant of Company H, Fifth 
Indiana Regiment, the Colonel of the regiment being James H. Lane. 
Mr. Fifer was married, in 1850, to Matilda Robey, in Henry County, 
Ind. She died November 20, 1880, leaving three children — Mary E.^ 
William R. and Alice M,, all of whom are living in Greentown. Mr. 
F. came to Howard County in October, 1850, and entered eightv acres 



458 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of land in Union Township, and lived there seven years, when he moved 
into Jackson Township; taught school seven years ; he was one among 
the first teachers of Howard County. Since then, he has been a resident 
of Liberty Township most of the time, his principal occupations being 
fiu-ming and mercantile trade. In 1870, he had a severe attack of ty- 
phoid fever, whicli left him with a crippled hand ; he has been an indus- 
trious man, and has done much in building up the county. In 1882, he 
was elected Township Trustee on the Democratic ticket in a strongly Re- 
publican township ; he had a majority of sixty-seven and ran 117 ahead 
of his ticket. Mr. Fifer has, for twenty years, been a member of the 
old denomination of the Christian Church. Mr. Fifer has one brother 
in Henry County, Rev. E. Fifer, who is a member of the Christian 
Church, and has been preaching for the last forty years. Mr. Fifer is 
now living a retired life in Greentown. 

JONATHAN FISHER was born in Bedford County, Penn., June 
7, 1815, and is the youngest of three children born to John and Hannah 
(Berriner) Fisher. John Fisher was born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany, and 
was one of the Hessian soldiers under the British Government; he was 
under Gen. Cornwallis, and was taken prisoner by Gen. AVashington in 
the Revolutionary war. When he was set free, he located in Bedford 
County, Penn., and there twice married, reared a family of fifteen chil- 
dren and spent the remainder of his life. Our subject was reared upon 
the farm, and having lost his father when he was quite young, he removed 
with his mother to Henry County, Ind., in 1832, remaining about two 
years at home with his step-father, Jacob Houser; he then worked as an 
apprentice at the carpenter's trade for two years, when he began to take 
contracts for himself. A few years later, he moved into Delaware County, 
and was there married, August 11, 1836, to Miss Rachel Howell, a na- 
tive of Wayne County. They have had ten children, seven of whom are 
living — Calvin, Mary A., William, Louisa, Marilla, Eli C. and Susan I. 
Mr. Fisher located in Howard County, Ind., November 6, 1846, and in 
the spring of 1849 he went on foot to Ft. Wayne to enter eighty acres 
of land which he had preempted. He was among the large hunters, and' 
the first year lived on the profits of hunting; he killed in all 125 deer, 
and as soon as he could get work at his trade, abandoned hunting and 
worked until his health failed. Mr. Fisher enlisted. May 24, 1861, in 
Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infan- 
try, and was mustered in at Indianapolis. He marched South to Duck 
River Bridge, in Tennessee, where he was on guard duty five months, 
when he was honorably discharged. Mrs. Fisher died April 8, 1878, 
and Mr. Fisher was shortly after married to his present wife, Mrs. Mar- 
garet (Weimer) Jones. Three children bless this union — Jonathan, 



LIBERIT TOWNSHIP. 469 

Stella and Frederick D. Mr. Fisher and wife are members of the New 
Light Church ; he cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Harrison, in 
1836, and has voted with the Republican party of late years; he has 
been Justice of the Peace in Liberty ToAvnship on term, Constable three 
terms, and Supervisor one year. Mr. Fisher has resided in Greentown 
for a number of years, and is one of the oldest settlers of Liberty Town- 
ship. 

A. B. FOREMAN was born in Fayette County, Ind., August 28, 
1828, and was the son of Harrison and Mary (Sanders) Foreman, na- 
tives of Virginia, and of German and English descent. They were pio- 
neers of Fayette County, and in 1838 located in Henry County on a 
farm. Mrs. Foreman here died in 1842, and Mr. Foreman was married 
to Ann Woollen, of Henry County. In 1854, he moved to this county, 
where he lived a farmer until his death in 1868. His wife still resides on 
the home farm. Our subject worked on the farm and attended school 
until he was twenty-one, when he rented the home farm, and September 
20, 1849, was married to Elizabeth Woollen, who was born in Henry 
County, Ind., March 9, 1832, and was the daughter of William and 
Amelia Woollen. They have had ten children, two of whom are living — 
William H., a farmer in Nuckolls County, Neb., and Louisa A., wife of 
William Powell, a Howard County farmer. Mr. Foreman came to this 
county in 1854, and soon purchased forty acres of unimproved land, and 
two years later bought his present home of eighty acres, which he has 
cultivated and improved, and upon which he has erected good frame build- 
ings. Mr. Foreman enlisted in 1864, in Company I, One Hundred and 
Forty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a private ; his 
company was in the siege of Nashville, and later did a great amount of 
skirmishing. On July, 1865, he was honorably discharged, when he 
returned home and took up farming. Mr. Foreman is an active member 
of the Republican party, and he and wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church ; he has been a liberal supporter of all public enter- 
prises, and benevolent purposes, and is a worthy citizen of the com- 
munity in which he lives. 

NATHAN FREEMAN was born in Randolph County, Ind., August 
17, 1828, and is the son of Nathan and Mary (Buckingham) Freeman, 
both natives of North Carolina and of English descent. Nathan Free- 
man was reared on a farm and received the benefits of a common school 
education. When he was twenty years of age, he moved with his parents 
to Howard County ; he bought of his father eighty acres in Union Town- 
ship, November, 1850, for the sum of ^1,000. They lived upon that 
six years, and in the fall of 1858 they purchased their present home, then 
containing sixty-seven and one-half acres. On this was situated the first 



460 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

frame dwelling built in this section of the county. In the year 1882, they 
moved into a fine large frame dwelling, built the same year. Mr. Free- 
man was among the first settlers of this county, coming here when the 
deer, bear, turkey and wild hog were among the wild game. Mr. F. is 
an active worker in the Republican ranks, and has held the office of School 
Director ; he is a prominent society man and a leader in the Society of 
Friends. He was married, April 15, 1852, to Miss Anna Rich, born in 
Randolph County, N. C, May 8, 1831, and daughter of William and 
Sarah (Elliott) Rich, both natives of North Carolina. Ten children have 
blessed this union, eight of whom are living — Sarah, Joshua B., Obadiah, 
Daniel, William A., Elizabeth, Nathan T. and Anna M. Mr. Free- 
man and family are members of the Society of Friends. Mrs. Freeman 
taught the first school south of Wild Cat in this part of the county, and 
three of her children have made a success of the teacher's profession. 

J. W. GOLDING, of the firm of Howell & Golding, was born in 
Howard County December 31, 1851, and is the son of David and Su- 
sana (Howell) Golding, both natives of Indiana ; his parents came to this 
county while they were young, and were here married, February 12, 
1850. They were numbered among the pioneers of this county, and here 
lived a farmer's life, except four years, v»hich were spent in Wisconsin. 
David Golding entered forty acres of land, which he improved ; he also 
had an interest in a saw mill for five years, and later in life gave his 
entire attention to farming; he was a Republican in principle, and was 
a liberal supporter of all benevolent purposes. He was a member of the 
Wesleyan Methodist Church, and was a worthy citizen and representative 
man. He died December 19, 1877, and his wife yet survives and now 
lives with the subject of this sketch. J. W. Golding received a good 
education, and at the age of twenty began teaching ; he taught five terms, 
and during the intervals worked at the carpenter's trade. After the death 
of his father, he engaged in the manufacture of tile in company with 
James Groves. This partnership existed until August, 1880, when M. 
G. Howell became successor to J. Groves, and the business has been in- 
creased so that it stands second in the list of tile manufacturers of How- 
ard County. Mr. Golding is an active worker in the Republican ranks, 
and is a member of the Central Committee ; he is also a member of the 
United Brethren Church. 

LUTHER S. GRAY, ex-County Auditor, is a native of Warren 
County, Ohio, and was born in 1824, His parents, Lemuel and Mary 
(Roberts) Gray, natives of New Jersey, were early settlers of Ohio, com- 
ing to that State in 1809. His grandfather, Daniel Gray, was a soldier 
in the Revolutionary war. He was a strong, healthy man, never having 
a spell of sickness in his life, and lived to the good old age of ninety-five. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 461 

He always lived an examplary Christian life, and although not united 
with any church, he always held family worship. His last words were 
that he had lived a good many years, and the future had nothing but 
peace for him. Luther S. Gray came to Howard Count}' in 1852, lo- 
cating in Greentown, where he worked at his trade until 1866, when he 
discontinued that business on account of his health. In 1849, he was 
married to Miss Rebecca Oxley, of Wayne County, Ind. The result of 
this union has been fifteen children, eight of whom are living — Jessie L., 
Luther 0.. Julia E., William R., John H., Marietta R., Warren E. and 
Clara B. In 1867, Mr. Gray was elected County Auditor, and in the 
fall of 1870 was re-elected. He served seven years, having resigned be- 
fore his terra expired, on account of ill health. He has held the office of 
Township Trustee for six years, and four years has been Clerk of the 
Township, having no opposition. These offices have been given him with- 
out any solicitation on his part. When he was sixteen years old, he joined 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, but four and a half years later he with- 
drew and united with the United Brethren Church. His reasons for the 
change were his views of baptism and the anti-slavery question. His 
wife is also a member of this church. Mr. Gray has been in poor health 
for a number of years, and has retired from business. He is a highly re- 
spected citizen, and a man of Christian principles and integrity. 

ANDREW J. GRIFFIN, born in North Carolina, February 16, 1837, 
is the son of William and Mary (Perry) Griffin, natives of North Carolina 
There his mother died, and in 1850 his father located in Henry County, 
Ind., on a farm, where he died a few years later. Andrew J. Griffin 
worked on the farm and went to school until his father's death, and at 
the age of seventeen began to work for wages. August 11, 1862, he was 
mustered into service at Indianapolis, in the Thirteenth Armv Corps, 
Company I, Sixty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a 
private. His regiment participated in the following hard-fought battles : 
Richmond, Chickasaw Bluff, Arkansas Post, Port Gibson, Champion Hill, 
Black River R. R. Bridge and siege of Vicksburg, where his regiment 
was ordered to meet Gen. Johnston at Black River. After the siege, his 
regiment joined the main army, and drove Gen. Johnston into Jackson, 
where after three days' fight he evacuated Jackson in the night, and the 
Thirteenth Corps returned to Vicksburg, thence to Carrollton, La. Sub- 
sequently they went to Indianola, after which they joined Gen. Banks, 
on Red River ; later, they were on detailed duty for four weeks to keep 
open the Mississippi River. They engaged in the siege of Mobile Bay, 
after which they captured the city on a charge. After visiting a num 
ber of places, they returned to Mobile, where they were discharged July 
5, 1865. Mr. Griffin was promoted as First Corporal in March, 1863, 



462 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

and the following April, was promoted as Fourth Sergeant, and Second 
Sergeant when ho was raustereil out. lie returned home to Henry County, 
where he worked on the farm until August, 18G6, when he took a con- 
tract to build a turnpike of one mile. January 1, 1867, he purchased a 
druof and grocery store in Greentown, and soon added boots and shoes 
and notions, carrying a stock of $4,000. He was quite successful in 
business, and May, 1882, he sold out, and now owns a good farm near 
Kokorao, and one in Clinton County, having accumulated about $1,800 
worth of property. Mr. G. was married, in 1868, to Miss Sarah Willits, 
daughter of James and Rebecca (Lindley) Willits. They have four chil- 
(iren — Florence A., Oliver Oren, Albert L. and William Franklin. Mr. 
Griffin is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and I. 0. 0. F. He was Post Commander of the G. A. R. He is 
a worthy citizen, and a liberal supporter of all public enterprises. Mrs. 
Griffin is a prominent member of the Christian Church. 

BRANSON HALL was born in Henry County, Ind., March 4, 1835, 
and was one of six children born to Stephen and Mariam (Wells) Hall, 
both of English descent. This family came to Henry County in an early 
dav« and secured for themselves a home out of the forest. Mrs. Mariam 
Hall died in 1842, when Mr. Hall married Abigail Bundy, and in 1852 
removed with his family to this county, locating at Greentown ; he is now 
a resident of Marshall County. Branson Hall worked on his father's 
farm until he arrived at his majority; he then worked out by the month 
on a farm in Henry County, laboring three years for one man. 
He was married, January 1, 1860, to Miss Margaret E. Risk, of Henry 
County. She was a native of Virginia, born October 16, 1834, and was 
the daughter of John Risk, of English descent. Three children have 
blessed this union — Charles M. (deceased), Laura (deceased) and John S. 
Soon after his marriage, Mr. Hall located in this township, where he pur- 
chased eighty acres of unimproved land, and afcerward exchanged this for 
fifty-one acres, with fair improvements. In 1861, he enlisted in Company 
D, Thirty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was soon 
marched into the South, where he was taken sick, and after being out 
nine months was discharged ; he returned home, and in October, 1863, 
having regained his health, he agian enlisted, in Company E ; he then went 
into camp at Camp Carrington, where they were assigned to the One 
Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment (Eleventh Indiana Volunteer Cav- 
alry), and participated in the battle at Nashville, after which he joined the 
Army of the West; he was on guard duty during the remainder of serv- 
ice, and was mustered out at Leavenworth, Kan., August, 1865 ; he re- 
ceived one promotion, from private to Third Sergeant ; he was quite fortu- 
nate during service, with the exception of a fall at Nashville, fracturing 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 463 

his arm ; he returned home and began farming on the place where he 
now lives ; it has ninety-three acres, has good buildings, is well ditched, 
and is one of the best wheat farms in the township. Mr. Hall is a public- 
spirited man, and has served as Township Assessor three terms. In the 
spring of 1882, he was elected Road Superintendent by the Republican 
party ; he stands prominent in the Masonic fraternity and I. 0. 0. F., 
and he and wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

L. M. HERRlNGTONwasbornatMapletown, Greene Co., Penn., 
July 22, 1857, of Scotch-Irish and Dutch parents, lie resided in Maple- 
town until 1864, when his parents moved into Fayette County, of the 
same State^ but returned to Greene County in 1867, locating in the vil- 
lage of Davistown ; his parents again removed to Fayette County in 
1873, and the father and sons secured labor at the coke works, near Broad 
Ford, where the subject of this sketch labored until 1877, when, through 
the advice of John C. Barr, of the Pittsburgh Post, he determined to re- 
enter'school. Accordingly, he attended a graded school in Greene County, 
Penn., for a period of two years, working during vacation at the works ; 
he taught school at Broad Ford the winter of 1879-80, refused to teach 
the succeeding term, and again repaired to the works, where he remained 
until June, 1880. He was appointed Census Enumerator, and completed 
the work of his home township. In July. 1880, he went to Valparaiso, 
Ind., and graduated from the Northern Indiana Normal School in 1881, 
after which he was employed in Chicago, in the clothing trade for James 
Wilde, Jr., & Co., and H. Hart & Bro. In November, 1881, he came to 
Greentown to accept the Principalship of the schools. Mr. Herrington 
is an excellent teacher and worthy citizen ; is well liked by his patrons, 
and is a credit to the community in which he lives. 

TENSE HOWELL was born in Delaware County, Ind., September 
24, 1828, and was the son of John and Jane (Lindley) Howell, both na- 
tives of North Carolina ; his mother died when he was only eight years 
of age, and he went to live with his grandfather Lindley, in Wayne County, 
Ind.; he worked on a farm and attended the country schools until he was 
fifteen years old, when he began working <js an apprentice to the carpen- 
ter's trade. This he continued four years, and in the spring of 1818, 
came to this county and engaged in farm work. The following fall, he 
entered forty acres of land on which he built a log house ; he improvetl 
this farm and sold it, afterward buying eighty acres, during the mean- 
time engaging in the saw mill business. In 1869, he sold his eighty-acre 
farm and purchased his present home of 160 acres, which he has im- 
proved, and from which he has cut large quantities of lumber ; he has 
at intervals run the saw mill, and had the misfortune to have the boiler 
burst while the mill was in operation. One son was scalded badly? 



464 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

causing his death, and Mr. Howell was badly burned, but by good care 
recovered. Mr. Howell started in life a poor boy, but has made for him- 
self and family a good home. He for years made a specialty of hunting 
coons and mink, which made hira good wages, and he has killed nearly 
one hundred deer ; he has been an active politician in the Republican 
ranks ; he was married, October 19, 1848, to Miss Eleanor Golding, of 
Howard Township, born in Shelby County, Ind., February 16, 1833 ; 
she was the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Golding, both natives of North 
Carolina and of English descent. This union was blessed with twelve 
children — Mary E., Matthew G., Sarah C, Calvin M. (deceased), Viola 
L., Emma J. (deceased), Ida B., Elnora, William C, Charles R. (de- 
ceased), Albertie (deceased), infant (deceased). Mrs. Howell died in 1875, 
and Mr. Howell, July 15, 1877, was married to Mrs. Maria (Cox) Stan- 
ley, who was born in Montgomery County, Ind., in 1840. Mr. and Mrs. 
Howell are members of the German Baptist Church. 

MATTHEW G. HOWELL, of the firm of Howell & Golding,' man- 
ufacturers of tile and brick, was born in Howard County, April 14, 
1852, and is the son of Tense Howell, of this county ; he lived upon the 
farm until he was thirteen, when he assisted his father in the saw mill, and 
being a natural mechanic, he made a success in this business ; he received a 
limited education, and at the ao;e of nineteen beijan working; for himself. 
He owned a saw mill for five years, after which he engaged in farming 
until August, 1880. when he began to manufacture tile in company with 
Mr. Golding, at a cost of $3,000. The following year they manu- 
factured 115,200 tiles, keeping in their employ two hands eight months 
per year. Mr. Howell is a hard-working, industrious man, is a stanch 
supporter of Republican principles, and has held minor offices of his town- 
ship ; he was married to Miss Lucretia Nation, of Howard County, Ind. 
She is the daughter of William and Mary J. Nation, natives of Wayne 
County, Ind., and of English and German descent ; the result of this 
marriage was four children, two of whom are living — William L. apd 
Goldie. Mr. and Mrs. Howell are active members of the U. B. Church. 

T. C. JACKSON was born in Randolph County, Ind., February 23, 
1842, and was the son of Jefferson and Rachel (Bales) Jackson, both of 
English descent. Jefferson Jackson was a native of North Carolina, and 
came with his parents to Randolph County, Ind., where he afterward 
married. In 1843, he removed to Michigan and remained three years; 
here his wife died, and he then married Miss Rebecca Mann. Eight 
years after their marriage, she died, leaving one daughter, Rachel, and in 
1858 he was married to his present wife, Mrs. Mary (Johns) Toll. Two 
children bless this union — Martha A. and Jennie. Mr. Jackson removed 
to Howard County in 1848, locating in Union Township ; here 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 465 

he cleared sixty acres of land, built a log cabin and resided un- 
til 1882, when he located in Grrant County ; from 1861 to 1864, he 
was Captain of the Home Guards ; he is a member of the Republican 
party, and a member and liberal supporter of the Society of Friends. 
The subject of this sketch was but a small boy when his father came to 
Howard County ; he worked on the farm until 1859, when he went into 
Wisconsin and labored on a farm for $10 per month. At the age of nine- 
teen, he was mustered into the Sixth Battery Light Artillery, of Wiscon- 
sin ; he was in the battle at New Madrid, Island No, 10, Shiloh, Vicks- 
burg, Chattanooga, and was with Sherman through to Atlanta; he then 
returned to Nashville, and participated in the battles at Rome, Franklin 
and Atlanta; he received one slight scalp wound by a piece of shell at 
Missionary Ridge ; he re-enlisted, January 1, 1863, at Larkinsville, Ala., 
and was honorably discharged at Chattanooga July 19, 1865 ; he imme- 
diately returned to this county, rented land and began ftirming ; he started 
in life a poor boy, but through economy and labor he has made a good 
home of 160 acres, well improved with good buildings ; he is an active 
member of the Republican party ; he was married in 1865 to Miss Mary 
J. Ware, daughter of Jesse Ware; she was born August 2, 1847, and is 
an active member of the Christian Church. 

JOHN JOHNSON was born in Henry County, Ind., May 25, 1844, 
and is the eldest of ten children born to David and Belinda (Davis) 
Johnson, of English and German descent ; his parents were married 
in Henry County in 1842, and lived there until 1848, when they located 
in Howard County ; his father entered forty acres of unimproved land in 
Liberty Township, erected a cabin, and began to clear away the forest. 
David Johnson was a poor man, but through hard labor and economy 
soon had plenty around him. He experienced many of the privations of 
pioneer life, but acquired a home of 120 acres, with good buildings and 
improvements ; he was a member of the Republican party, and a sup- 
porter of all benevolent purposes ; he died March 5, 1877 ; his wife still 
survives him, and lives on the home farm. John Johnson remained at 
home on the farm, acquiring a common school education, until October, 
1864, when he enlisted in Company I, One Hundred and Forty-second 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; he Avas soon marched to Nash- 
ville, where he was on post duty, remaining until the close of the war ; 
he was discharged July 14, 1865, after which he returned home. March 
1. 1866, he was married to Miss Elizabeth H. Covalt, of Brown County, 
Oliio. She was born in 1844, and is the daughter of Jonathan Covalt. 
They have had nine children, five of whom are living — Mary M., Will- 
iam A., John F., Pearl and Benjamin. Mr. Johnson is an active mem- 
ber of the Republican party. He has owned three different farms, and 
in the spring of 1883 located on his present place of forty acres. 



466 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

WILLIAM JOHNSON was born on the farm where he now lives, 
September 30. 1848. He lived at home, and received a common-school 
education, and worked on the farm until he was married, December 19, 
1874, to Miss Eliza E. Young, of Howard County. She was born in 
Franklin County, Ind., August 3, 1855, and was the daughter of Henry 
and Eleanor (Walker) Young, both natives of England, They emi- 
grated to America in 1841, locating at Philadelphia, where Mr. Young 
followed brush-making. Thence they moved to Cincinnati, and later lo- 
cated in Franklin County, where Mr. Young still lives, engaged in farm- 
ing ; he is a member of the Christian Church, and has reared a family of 
eleven children, nine of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have 
three children — Joseph N., Dalton and Delmer. twins. Mr. Johnson 
is a member of the Republican party ; he was elected Township Trustee 
in the spring of 1880, serving one term, during which time he built one 
brick schoolhouse. 

E. H. JULOW was born in Denmark August 12, 1831, and was 
the youngest of ten children born to Frederick and Catherine (Lang- 
horst) Julow, both natives of Denmark, and of German descent. Mr. 
Julow attended the common schools until he was sixteen, when he was 
bound as an apprentice at shoe-making, and during this period was 
drafted ; he served one year, and participated in many hard-fought 
battles. After the war, he finished his trade, and May 15, 1853, left 
Hamburg, Germany, for America ; he had been drafted in the regular 
army the previous March, and was expected to report May 30, but he 
sailed for America before that time: he landed in New York July 14, 
1853, and remained one year in the city, working at his trade ; he then 
worked sixteen months in Indianapolis, after which he came to Howard 
County, located in Greentown, and engaged in ditching until 1861, when 
he enlisted in Company D, Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry. This formed a part of the Army of the Cumberland ; he was 
in battle at Stone River and Chickamauga, on the Rusan raid, on Gen. 
Kilpatrick's raid, and participated in the engagement at Lovejoy. He 
was ready to report at roll call, except while on detailed duty. He 
served ten months as nurse in the General Hospital, No. 2, Nashville, 
after which he joined his regiment ; he Avas considered a brave and hon- 
est soldier, and while on Gen. Buell's retreat, he was requested to carry 
the physician field case, which was trusted to none but the best of sol- 
diers ; he was honorably discharged, and reached home October 1, 1864, 
when he located on his present place. Mr. Julow is an industrious farmer, 
and the last nineteen years has given his attention to farming and stock- 
raising ; he started in life a poor boy, but now owns 120 acres of good, 
improved land ; he is a member of the Republican party, and is a liberal 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 467 

supporter of public and benevolent enterprises. Mr. Julow was married, 
October 5, 1857, to Miss Anna L. Gordon, a native of Ohio ; she died 
November 1, 1864, leaving three small children. August 12, 1866, Mr, 
Julow married Miss Mary Adams, a native of Wayne County, Ind. ; she 
died August 10, 1868, and Mr. Julow married his present wife, Amelia 
Snyder, April 25, 1869. She is a native of Germany ; came to America 
in infancy, and was reared in Columbus, Ohio. The result of this union 
was seven children, four of whom are living. Mrs. Julow is an active 
member of the United Brethren Church. 

JOSEPH KENNEDY was born in Holmes County, Ohio, August 
22, 1826, and is the only son of a family of six children born to David 
and Magdalena (Troyer) Kennedy, both natives of Pennsylvania, and of 
Irish and German descent. David Kennedy removed to Ohio in his 
youth and followed farming ; he took fmm the forest a farm of 160 acres 
of heavily timbered land, and just as he had plenty around him he died in 
1839. His wife lived with her little children on the farm four years, and 
then removed with her family to Iowa, where, two years later, she died. 
Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy had always been prominent members of the Amish 
Church. Our subject remained at home until he was eighteen years of 
age, and received a limited education. He never studied arithmetic in 
his life, but has a good practical education ; he worked by the month on 
the farm in Holmes County, saving from his wages $400, with which he 
came to this county and entered eighty acres of forest land in the spring 
of 1849. The following spring he removed to Miami County, where he 
raised a corn crop, and in December following located on the farm where 
he now lives, owning 160 acres ; he built a log cabin and began to clear 
the land. He no.w owns 308 acres of fine land, with good house and 
barn, and his farm is well drained. Mr. Kennedy was, in early life, a 
Whig, but later has been a stanch supporter of Republican principles. 
He was married, January 15, 1850, to Miss Nancy Lantz, of Wayne 
County, Ohio, born April 3, 1825. They have had seven children — 
Elizabeth, David, Mary, Jeremiah, John, Joseph (deceased) and Christo- 
pher. Mr. Kennedy is a liberal supporter of all public enterprises, and 
he and wife are members of the Amish Church. 

PETER KINGSEED was born in Germany January 18, 1822, and 
was the third of ten children born to Anthony and Margaret (Rought) 
Kingseed, both natives of Germany ; his parents came to America in 1831, 
locating in Schuylkill County, Penn. Thence they moved into Ohio, lo- 
cating near Tiffin. Anthony Kingseed there purchased a farm of 115 
acres, and has since improved this with good frame buildings, and has a 
vineyard of three acres, from which he makes from twelve to fifteen bar- 
rels of wine yearly ; he is now eighty-seven years old, and is still living 



468 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

on the same farm, but his wife died in 1868. Mr. Kingseed is a repre- 
sentative man, and he and wife were members of the Catholic Church ; he 
is a member of the Democratic party, and in early life was an organ- 
maker, working at his trade in the old country. The subject of this 
sketch came with his parents to America, and spent his boyhood days in 
Pennsylvania and Ohio upon the farm with his father, receiving a common 
school education. He learned to read German through his own efforts. 
At the age of twenty-five, he rented land, on which he lived until June 2, 
1854, when he located in this township, on a farm of 240 acres ; he found 
this in the green, and at once built a log cabin and began to clear the 
land. A few years later, he built his present house, a frame, where he 
has since lived. Mr. Kingseed is a leading farmer, and has on his place 
fruits of all kinds, and the convenience of a wind engine ; he also owns 
160 acres in Whitley County, Ind. Mr. Kingseed has been identified 
with all the public enterprises of his county ; he is not what is called a 
party man, but votes liberally ; he takes pleasure in assisting all home 
enterprises, and is a member of the Catholic Church. 

WILLIAM LINDLEY is a native of Wayne County, Ind., and 
was born in the year 1815. His parents, James and Susanna (Stout) 
Lindley, of English and German descent, came to this county in 1847. 
Our subject came to Howard County two years before his parents, in order 
to get a home for himself; he pre-empted 160 acres of land, and in 1848, 
in company with Tence Lindley (his brother) and Jesse Osborn, went to 
Fort Wayne and secured his home. In 1834, he was married to Miss 
Mary Writesman, in Wayne County, Ind. Mr. Lindley is a pioneer of 
this county, and has all his life been improving the community; he has 
always been a friend to all public enterprises and improvements ; he is 
now a retired farmer, and is living at his home in Greentown, and has one 
of the finest locations in the town. Mr. Lindley is highly respected in 
the community, and his honesty and integrity are unimpeachable. 

HENRY C. LINDLEY was born in Henry County, Ind., July 29, 
1843, and is the son of Charles and Rhoda (Dikes) Lindley, natives of 
North Carolina. This family was among the pioneers of Henry County, 
and in 1845 removed tq this county. Charles Lindley entered 160 acres 
one-half mile west of Greentown, built a log cabin and resided there 
a short time, when he sold and bought a claim one and one-half miles west, 
and began life the second time as a pioneer. He afterward followed 
milling and farming, and later was in the mercantile business seven years. 
He then came to Greentown and was in the mercantile business with 
Squire Gray, for three years, when he exchanged his stock of goods for a 
farm, and four years later he sold and bought the Davis farm west of 
Greentown, where he lived the remainder of his life. He was among the 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 469 

first Justices of the Peace in his township. He died of a cancer in 1866, 
at the age of forty-eight ; his wife survived him but two years. Our sub- 
ject lived at home until he was eighteen years old, when he enlisted in 
Company D, Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as a 
private. His regiment engaged in battle at Green River, Ky., Bowling 
Green, and Pittsburg Landing. Just after this battle, Mr. Lindley took 
sick and soon came home on a furlough. He was afterward ordered back 
to Indianapolis, where he was discharged in 1861, on account of disability, 
having served one year. In the fall of 1862, having regained his health, 
he re-enlisted in Company I, Ninty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, in the Fifteenth Army Corps, under Gen. Sherman. He en- 
gaged in battle at the siege of Vicksburg, Jackson, Miss., Black River, 
Memphis, Lookout Mountain, the siege of Chattanooga, and then with 
Sherman on his march to the sea. He was detailed to forage and keep 
up the supply train, and at night act as the General's guard. The first 
day out he was captured, and soon taken to Cahobba, Tenn., and put in 
prison, where there were 2,600 or 2,800 Northern men. He was re- 
tained six months, when he was sent with many others to Camp Chase, 
Ohio, but after boarding the steamer near Memphis, Tenn., the boat 
exploded with a loss of 1,600 men. Mr. Lindley saved his life by swim- 
tiQing six miles. He was taken to the hospital at Memphis, Tenn., and 
soon was sent home and was honorably discharged in June, 1865. He 
was married, October, 1868, to Mariah Scott, born in Jay County, Ind., 
July 30, 1842, and a daughter of Charles Scott. She died in 1877, 
leaving four children, three of whom are living — Laura P., Stella and 
Ernest. Mr. Lindley was married to his present wife, Mary E. Brink, 
of Greentown, in 1879. They have one child, Freddie. He has for 
years taken charge of a farm, and dealt in stock. He does a large busi- 
ness, at one time shipping 5^13,000 worth of hogs to Cincinnati. In the 
spring of 1881, he began in the mercantile line, where he is yet doing 
business, and he is also proprietor of a livery stable. He is a member of 
the Republican party, and Masonic fraternity, and Mrs. Lindley is a 
member of the Christian Church. 

HENRY LOOP was born in Preble County, Ohio, February 28, 
1842, and was the eldest son of J. M. Loop. When he was eleven years 
of age, he came with his parents to this county, where he attended the 
common schools. He enlisted in April, 1861, in the ninety-day service, 
but before he was mustered in he was transferred into the twelve-month 
service. Uefore leaving Indianapolis, the call for three-years men was 
proclaimed, and again Mr. Loop was transferred at his request to Com- 
pany E, Thirteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. July 11, 
1861, his company participated in the battle of Rich Mountain, Va., and 



470 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

here Mr. Loop was shot by a minieballin his right arm, passing through 
the arm-pit, right lung, and severing three ribs from the vertebrae, leaving 
an entrance, so that in breathing, air would enter the lungs through the 
wound. He was taken to a private house, and in a few days taken to the 
Goff Hospital, where they received soldiers who were mortally wounded. 
After six weeks, he was given a furlough of thirty days and came home ; 
his furlough was extended from time to time until June, 1862, when he 
returned to his company at Manassas Junction, Va. He was at the siege 
of Richmond, and assisted McClellan ; a few weeks later, he was honor- 
ably discharged on account of disability ; he returned home to recuperate, 
and on December 29, 1863, he r.e- enlisted in Company E, Eleventh Reg- 
iment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry; he was at Bellefonte, Ala., at Bellefonte 
Station, Louisville, Ky., in the battle of Franklin, Tenn., the siege of 
Atlanta, where Mr. Loop was on his horse sixteen days in succession, 
and part of the nights, following Gen Hood, until he crossed the Ten- 
nessee. Later, his regiment was sent out to restore order in Kansas, 
until August, when thev were ordered to Leavenworth, and later to In- 
dianapolis, where Mr. Loop was honorably discharged ; he ,'eturned to 
this county and purchased eighty acres of unimproved land, which he has 
improved with good buildings and has since added forty acres to it. Mr. 
Loop was married February 13, 1868, to Miss Mary A. Fisher, of How- 
ard County. She was born April 10, 1846, and is the daughter of Jona- 
than Fisher, of Greentown. They have had eight children, four of whom 
are living — A. Alonzo, Charles H., Erie C. and Delia M. Mr. Tioop 
and wife are members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Mr. Loop is 
a Republican, and has served as Supervisor, School Director, Constable, 
and in 1881 was appointed as Inspector of Elections in the North Pre- 
cinct of Liberty Township. 

W. T. MAIN' RING IS a native of Delaware, and was born April 5, 
1829. He was the third of eight children born to Ambrose and Nancy 
(Scotton) Manring, both natives of Delaware. His father moved with 
his family to Franklin County, Ind., in 1837 or 1838, rented a farm and 
began to prepare for himself a home. In a few years, he went to Iowa, 
but after a sojourn of nine months returned to Madison County, Ind., 
where he purchased 160 acres of good land. He found this almost in 
the native state, but with the aid of his sons he cleared and improved it 
until he had a good home. Here he died December, 1868, aged sixty 
years, and his wife died February, 1869, aged fifty-three. Our subject 
was reared a Airmer's boy ; he accompanied his fiither to Franklin 
County, Ind., thence to Iowa, and finally, at the age of thirteen, to Mad- 
ison County, Ind., where he spent the remainder of his boyhood days, 
receiving a limited education from the subscription schools. He was 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 471 

married, November, 1851, to Amanda Sherwood, of Bartholomew County, 
Ind., born June 17. 1838. She died January 29, 1872, leaving eight 
children— Rosa, wife of William Riley ; George E., conductor on the 
P., C. & St L. Railway; William, druggist at Greentown ; Frances H., 
railroader; Emma G., John T. (deceased), Ida May and Cora B. In 
1853, Mr. Manring purchased an eighty-acre farm, with twenty acres 
cleared, and two years later exchanged it for eighty acres, with forty 
acres improved. This farm he cultivated until he came to this county, 
where he shortly purchased ninety acres in Liberty Township. He 
lived here until 1873, when he sold and purchased his present home 
of 160 acres, which is well improved, well drained, and has good frame 
buildings. Mr. Manring has been a hard-working, economical farmer, 
and has given much attention to the raising of short-horned cattle 
and Poland-China hogs, thoroughbred in both branches. He is an ac- 
tive worker in the Republican party, and a prominent member of the 
I. 0. 0. F. In the fall of 1872, he was married to Martha E. 
Smith, born in Rush County February 19, 1848, and the daughter 
of David Smith, of Howard Township. Four children have blessed 
this union — Fanny (deceased), Minnie P., Charles H. and Leota. Mr. 
and Mrs. Manring are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

ABRAHAM C. MURPHY, a pioneer of Liberty Township, was 
born in Greene County, Ohio, August 30, 1819, and is the youngest 
of eight children born to David and Martha (Thatcher) Murphy, na- 
tives of Virginia and of Irish and German descent. Mr. Murphy 
spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, receiving a limited edu- 
cation. At the age of twenty he rented a farm and began doing 
business for himself, and by being industrious and saving his earn- 
ings, he came to this county, and was enabled to purchase 160 acres 
of heavily timbered land. He moved into a hewed-log house, which 
had been built the year before, landing here in September, 1853. 
Here the family experienced many of the privations of pioneer life, 
the wolves howling around his cabin every night, and there was game 
of all kinds in abundance. He spent most of his time clearing the farm, 
sometimes would hunt, and has killed as many as 100 squirrels in one 
day. In 1855, the roads broke up and the people were mud bound, and 
Mr. Murphy and family had to live eight days on hominy and squirrel 
meat. He has made a farm of 320 acres, but has given of that eighty 
acres apiece to his two sons. Mr. Murphy is a leading citizen and lib- 
eral supporter of all benevolent purposes, and in political views he votes 
for the man and not for the party. He was married. May 23, 1839, to 
Miss Abigail H. Davis, of Greene County, Ohio, born May 2, 1822. 



472 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

They have had six children, four of whom are living — Israel D., Samuel 
C, Rachael A., wife of Jonathan Dawson, and Sarah E. 

HENRY NEEIIOUSE, farmer and stock-raiser, a native of Prussia, 
was born June 18, 1839, and is the son of Ilendrick and Mariah (Bush) 
Neehouse, both natives of Prussia. Our subject had the advantages of 
school until he was fourteen years of age, when he left the paternal roof, 
in company with some of his friends, and came to America ; he landed in 
New York November 2, 1854, and two weeks later came to Cincinnati, 
where he worked at job work, and the following summer worked in a brick 
yard. In the spring of 1855, he engaged as deck-hand on a flat-boat, 
running from Aurora to New Orleans, and after his first trip engaged in 
selling notions and jewelry ; he began learning the blacksmith trade in 
1858, but subsequently learned the stone-mason trade, at which he worked 
two years. In 1860, he began farming in Decatur County, where he re- 
mained six years, and in 1866 located in Windfall, Ind. Three years 
later, he purchased a farm of eighty acres, seven miles from Windfall, and 
in the spring of 1882 sold this and removed to Liberty Township, where 
he now lives ; he owns 111 acres, fairly improved ; he is a Democrat in 
politics, and has filled the office of Road Supervisor for five years. Mr. 
Neehouse was married, August 9, 1860, to Miss Mary Champ, born Jan- 
uary 4, 1837. They had five children — James H., Lydia E., Uriah, Jo- 
sephine and Mary E. ; his wife died September 17, 1880, at the age of 
forty-three years, and Mr. Neehouse was next married, in January, 1881, 
to Mrs. Martha (Champ) Back, a sister of his first wife. Mr. Neehouse is 
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and his wife is identified 
with the Baptists. 

WILNA 0. NELSON was born in Grant County, Ind., October 26, 
1856, and is the only son of Milton Nelson, a native of Ohio, and Amanda 
(Thrasher) Nelson, a native of Indiana, and both of English descent. 
Milton Nelson was a farmer in early life, and later was in business at 
Independence, Grant Co., Ind., which he followed until his death, Feb- 
ruary, 1870; his wife, Amanda, when but thirteen years of age, 
taught her first term of school, and after teaching her second term, she 
retired from this calling. She was a graduate of Fairview College, and 
is now a resident of Independence. Wilna 0. Nelson, during his boy- 
hood days, had access to the common schools, and when fourteen years of 
age began as an apprentice at house-painting, serving three years ; he 
then left the parental roof and has since worked at his trade during the 
summer seasons ; he, at the age of nineteen, finding his education quite 
limited, concluded to attend school at Greentown, which he did three win- 
ters, and in the fall of 1878 he began teaching, which profession he has 
since followed, proving himself to be a worthy and proficient tutor. Mr. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 47g 

Nelson was marriQ,d, March 27, 1878, to Miss Josie Gallion, of Howard 
County, born November 16, 1857, and the daughter of Ezra P. and Ma- 
tilda Gallion, both of English descent. Mr. Nelson is a Republican, and 
he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

DR. W. B. PAYTON was born in Kokomo, Ind., November 16, 
1856, and was the third of five children born to L. B. and Isabel (Bai- 
ley) Payton. Mrs. Payton died when our subject was but six years old, 
but he remainedvwith his father on the farm. They removed to Carroll 
County, Ind., in 1857, thence to Cass County in 1870, and after four 
years they returned to Carroll County, where Dr. Payton remained the 
most of the time for three years ; he had access to the common schools 
until he was sixteen, after which he attended the Normal School at Loc^ans- 
port one term, at Walton two terms, and Delphi one term. In 1876, he 
began teaching, and was considered a successful tutor in Cass and Carroll 
Counties. The summer of 1878, he began to read medicine at his leisure, 
and in 1879 entered Dr. IJradfield's office at Deer Creek, Carroll County, 
as a student, and in September of the same year entered the Medical 
College at Ann Arbor, graduating with honors in the spring of 1881. He 
then began practice at Wheeling, Carroll County, succeeding remarkably 
well for a young physician, and in April, 1882, he located at Greentown 
and entered a copartnership with G. B. & J. T. Scott, the oldest physi- 
cians in the town. Mr. Payton was married, April 26, 1882, to Rachel 
A. Reed, of Cass County, Ind. She is the daughter of Michael and 
Sarah Reed, both of German descent. Mr. Payton is a Republican 
in politics, is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and his wife of the 
Lutheran Church. 

JOHN W. PHARES is a native of Shelby County, Ind., and was 
born January 6, 1837 ; he was the third of twelve children born to John 
and Sarah (Wicker) Phares, natives of Ohio and North Carolina. John 
Phares removed to Shelby County, Ind., when but twelve years of age, 
with his father, who was one of the pioneers of that county. He there 
spent his boyhood days and was married in 1831. For the last thirty 
years, he has been actively engaged in the ministry of the Missionary 
Baptist Church, and is yet living in Shelby County. He and wife are now 
quite old, and have been members of the same congregation for about 
forty years. The subject of this sketch received a limited education in 
the common school, and later attended high school for some time, and 
in the winter of 1860 taught his first school ; he worked the farm in the 
summer and taught school in the winter for ten years, and in 1873 re- 
moved with his fiimily to Howard County, locating on his present farm of 
sixty acres ; he has always been a member of the Republican party, and 
was elected Justice of the Peace in 1874, serving one term. Mr. Phares 



474 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

was married, November 21, 1861, to Miss Samantha Carinony, born 
October 20, 1841, and the daughter of John and Sarah A. Carmony? 
born October 20, 1841, and the daughter of John and Sarah A. Carmony, 
of Shelby County, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Phares had five children — S. 
Emma, J. William, M. Elva, Anna F. and Espy Otto. Mrs. Phares 
died, April 23. IS'iT, an earnest Christian woman, a member of the Union 
Baptist Church. Mr. P. is a prominent worker in the same church, being 
a Class-Leader and Secretary of the Quarterly Conference. 

C. POWELL, merchant, handling a full line of dry goods, notions, 
boots and shoes and groceries, and doing a good cash business of $10,000 
per annum, was born in Fayette County, Ind., November 23, 1845, and 
is the son of John and Rebecca (Mappin) Powell, both natives of Ken- 
tucky. John Powell was a farmer who came to Fayette County near 
1826. Here he lived a pioneer life, made a good home, and reared a 
family of seven children. He located in Liberty Township, Howard 
County, in 1857. where he lived for several years, when he moved to 
Howard Township, and one year later located in Greentown and superin- 
tended a farm of 116 acres, having accumulated about $20,000 worth of 
property. He and wife were prominent members of the Methodist Epis- 
copjil Church, and both died in 1866. Mr Powell was in early life a 
Whig ; later he voted the Democratic ticket, but since the war had been a 
stanch Republican. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and 
received a fair education in the common schools. He was married, No- 
vember, 1866, to Miss Malissa E. Walker, of Howard County. She was 
born in Henry County, Ind., July 29, 1849, and is the daughter of 
William and Sarah (Templeton) Walker. Two children bless this union 
— Frederick G. and Mary Ethel. At the age of eighteen, he began 
teaching school, and farmed and taught seven years. lie sold his farm in 
1872, and came to Greentown, purchased property and built a new frame 
house. The following fall, he and his brother started a general store with 
a $3,000 stock. This partnership was dissolved when they sold out in 
1882. Mr. Powell began business again in November, 1882, and we find 
him to-day in the best business room in the town. He was appointed 
Postmaster in January, 1873, which position he held until May, 1882. 
He has filled the offices of Town Trustee and School Trustee. He is a 
member of the Republican party, and he and wife are active members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

ALEXANDER C. ROGERS is a native of Warren County, Ohio. 
He was born October 8, 1831, and is the son of William and Hannah 
(Welch) Rogers, both of English descent. William Rogers removed from 
Warren County to Clinton County, when our subject was but a small boy, 
and here remained until his death. A. C. Roiiers was the only son of a 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 475 

family of five children, and his mother supported them with her needle 
and by housework. When about fourteen years of age, Mr. Rogers went 
to live with A. T. Croesdale, a merchant of Highland County, Ohio. At 
the age of twenty, he entered a copartnership with his employer, and re- 
mained in this business seven years in the town of Samantha. He then 
abandoned this business and engaged in farming in the same county, and 
in 1871 removed to Howard County, locating on the farm where he now 
lives. He purchased 120 acres, fairly improved, but has since erected a 
fine brick house, the best country residence in the township. He has 
been an active politician in the Democratic ranks, having filled the office 
of Assessor in Ohio, and is now Justice of the Peace, having been elected 
in 1879. In the spring of 1862, he joined Company A, Forty-eighth 
Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was commissioned as First Lieu- 
tenant. This formed a part of the Army of the Tennessee. They were 
in battle at Shiloh, Red River, Lookout Mountain and Atlanta, after 
which they returned with Gen. Thomas into Mississippi. Mr. Rogers was 
promoted to the office of Captain in the fall of 1862, which office he held 
until he was discharged in July, 1865 ; he was married, January 20, 1850, . 
to Miss Sarah J. Fleming, of Clinton County, Ohio, of English parentage. 
She died July 28, 1876, leaving a family of nine children. January 20, 
1879, Mr. Rogers was married to Miss Martetia Davidson, of Howard 
County. They have two children — a son and a daughter. Mr. Rogers 
is an enterprising citizen, is a liberal supporter of all public improvements, 
and he and wife are prominent members of the Society of Friends. 

LEWIS SCHAAF was born in Bavaria, Germany, November 7, 
1832, and is the son of Daniel and Phoebe Schaaf. His father was a 
miller, and in 1850 emigrated to America and located at Shanesville, 
Ohio, where he worked at his trade. A few years later he removed to 
Ragersville, Ohio, where he made his home until his death, spending his 
last days working a small vineyard of two acres. Our subject attended 
the common schools until he was fourteen years of age, and later learned 
the cabinet-maker's trade, working three years as an apprentice. In his 
youth he worked at the miller's trade with his father, and at the age of 
seventeen came to America in company with a younger brother, locating 
at Shanesville, Ohio. In 1856, he removed to Miami County, Ind., 
and ten years later bought a farm in Liberty Township, this county, 
where he lived until 1875. He then exchanged his farm for his mill 
property, where he has since been doing a good business at custom work. 
He started in life empty handed, but through industry and economy has 
acquired a good home. Mr. Schaaf was married in 1855 to Miss Eliza 
Roli, of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. She is a native of Switzerland ; 
was born July 16, 1832, and emigrated to America vNith her parents in 



476 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

1850. Three children bless this union — Augustus, Caroline and Mary 
A. Mr. and Mrs. Schaaf are members of the German Reformed Church. 

J. T. SCOTT, M. D., is a native of Darke County, Ohio, and was 
born in 1836. His parents, Charles and Sarah (Bloxsom) Scott, came 
to Grant County, Ind., in 1845. The subject of this sketch was reared 
on a farm, and at the age of twenty-two began the study of medicine. 
He is a graduate of the Rush Medical College of Chicago, and began his 
practice in 1860 at Greentown, where he has continued ever since, ex- 
cept six months, when he practiced at Xenia, Ind. He has established 
a large practice in Howard County. In March, 1861, he was married 
to Miss Mary A. Davis, of Greentown. She was a native of Wayne 
County, Ind., and her parents were among the first settlers of Howard 
County, coming as early as 1847. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have had five 
children, two of whom are now living — Evert G. and Kate Adel. In 
1876, Mr. Scott was Township Trustee, during which time the graded 
schoolhouse of Greentown was built and the iron bridge on the Wild Cat 
at Greentown. For the last twenty years, he has been a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church ; has been Church Trustee for several years, 
and he is an Odd Fellow. His residence is the finest in Greentown. 
Dr. Scott is one of the enterprising men of Howard County, assisting in 
all measures of advancement and progress. 

GIDEON B. SCOTT, M. D., was born in 1838. His parents, 
Charles and Sarah (Bloxsom) Scott, in 1845 settled in Grant 
County, this State. Our subject taught school during his ear- 
lier years; in 1861, came to Howard County, and the following winter 
he enlisted in the Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. 
After seven months of active, arduous service and weary marches, he was 
discharged in 1862 on account of disability. He then returned home and 
taught school two winters at Sycamore Corners. In the spring of 1864, 
having regained his health, he again enlisted in the One Hundred and 
Thirty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and did post duty 
at Duck River. He was mustered out at Indianapolis and again re-en- 
listed in the One Hundred and Forty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, and served until the war was over. He was Sergeant in the 
last two regiments. He commenced studying medicine before the war, 
while he was teaching. He attended the Rush Medical College at Chi- 
cago one term, and graduated at the Indiana Medical College at Indian- 
apolis in 1871. He commenced practice in Tampico in 1868, and for the 
last eleven years has been practicing in Greentown. He was married, 
March 5, 1867, to Miss Tillie W. Lindley. They have had three 
children, one of whom is living. His wife died July, 1875, and in 1876 
he was married to Miss Mary P. Lindley. Her parents came into this 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 477 

county in 1848, and were among the first settlers. Mr. Scott has been 
a member of the Society of Friends all his life, and has been a Mason 
since 1862. He is a member of the Republican party, and has taken an 
active part in politics in his own community and the country at large. 
He has now one of the finest residences in Greentown, and is one of its 
most respected citizens. 

WILLIAM R. SEAGRAVE was born in Henry County, Ind., in 
August, 1834. His parents, Tarver and Rachel (Rooble) Seagrave, 
were of English and German descent. Our subject came with his parents 
to Howard County in 1847. His father entered land and afterward laid 
out a part of the village of Greentown. William Seagrave was reared on 
the farm and worked at the carpenter's trade for two years before the 
war. April 18, 1861, he enlisted in Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry. He was out three months, and was in a regular engagement 
at Garrett's Ford on Cheat River, and in some heavy skirmishes, the 
most notable one being that of Laurel Hill ; he was discharged at In- 
dianapolis and came home in August, and the following November he 
again enlisted for three years, in Fifty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry. He engaged with his regiment in the battle of Shiloh 
and siege of Corinth. He was discharged in 1862 on account of disabil- 
ty. May 14, 1864, he enlisted in the one hundred day service and 
served his time, being discharged December 17. Since the war, he has 
followed the carpenter's trade the most of the time. In 1865, Mr. Sea- 
grave was married to Miss Lucinda Adams. They have had six children, 
three of whom are now living — Lua May, Tarver C. and an infant. 
Mr. Seagrave has been a member of the Christian Church for a number 
of years. 

JOHN W^ SEGRAVE is the son of Tarver and Rachel Segrave, and 
was born in Ohio, in 1839. His father was a native of New Jersey, and 
his mother of Ohio. Our subject moved with his parents to this county 
in 1847, being then eight years of age. His father entered 160 acres of 
land near Greentown, and cleared and improved it until now it is one of 
the best farms in the township. John W. stayed with his father and 
assisted in clearing and improving the farm, until he was thirty years of 
age. They built a log cabin on the Indian trail running from Peru to 
the Wild Cat. They had but four neighbors, living within a mile of each 
other. The Indians passed their house frequently, but were very peace- 
able. Mr. Tarver Segrave, in company with three or four other men, 
walked to Fort Wayne to enter his land. In 1848, in connection with 
Mr. Jesse Osborn and C. 0. Fry, he laid out the town of Greentown. Mr. 
Segrave lived on the land he entered until his death, in April, 1881. The 
subject of this sketch followed farming until August, 1862, when he en- 



478 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

listed in the Eigthj-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He 
was taken prisoner at the battle of Munfordsville, Ky., September 17, 
1862, and was paroled the same day, and in a week he with the balance 
of his regiment was given a furlough of thirty days. Mr. Segrave was 
badly injured while in line of duty at Munfordsville, by over driUing. In 
the winter of 1862, he received an honorable discharge, and returned to 
Greentown, where he has remained ever since. March 15, 1866, he was united 
in marriage with Miss Sybila A. Scott, of Highland County, Ohio. They 
have had eleven children, four of whom are living — Rachel E., Emma J., 
Stella and James A. Mr. and Mrs. Segrave are members of the Chris- 
tian Church. Mr. Segrave is now holding the office of Town Council- 
man the second term. He has led an active life, working hard toward the 
improvement of the township, always lending a helping hand to public 
enterprise. He is now running the only hotel in Greentown, and is a 
highly respected citizen. Ho had three brothers in the array — M. K., 
Luther S. and William R. M. K. Segrave, is still in the army, holding 
a Captain's commission. 

HENRY SHROCK was born in Holmes County, Ohio, February 
18, 1845, and is one of twelve children born to Benjamin J. and Mary 
Shrock, both natives of Ohio, and of German descent. Our subject was 
small when his parents moved to Miami County, Ind., where he assisted 
his father on the farm, and had access to the common schools. At the 
age of eighteen, he began teaching, and taught his second term in Liberty 
Township, in 1866-67, having removed to this county in 1865, locating 
on eighty acres, where he now lives. He found this in its native state, 
and here began to improve his farm and build a log cabin. In 1881, he 
built a fine brick residence, and now has 120 acres of well-improved land, 
which he has accumulated through industry and economy. He began 
buying and shipping stock in 1869, and has been actively engaged each 
season since, and in the fall of 1878, he bought and shipped about 4,000 
hogs. He is an active worker in the Democratic party, and has filled 
many of the minor offices of his township. Mr. Shrock was married, in 
May, 1866, to Miss Lucinda Gerhart of Miami County, Ind., daughter 
of Michael and Margaret Gerhart, natives of Germany. Mrs. Shrock 
died November 7, 1875, leaving three small children — William, Philip 
and Harvey. He then married, in May, 1876, Mary Gerhart, his sister-in- 
law. They had two children — Arminda and Milton (both deceased). 
Mr. Shrock is a member of the Dunkard Church, and his wife belongs to 
the Lutheran denomination. 

N. D. STANBROUGIL born July 6, 1844, in Hamilton County, 
Ind.; is the eldest of ten children born to John and Lydia J. (Mills) 
Stanbrough. His parents were among the pioneers of Hamilton County, 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 479 

and there lived on a farm. John Stanbrough, after his fiither's death, 
took charge of the homestead farm, which he improved, and where he 
lived until his death, December 28, 1878, his wife having died in Febru- 
ary, 1875, The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days upon the 
farm with his father, receiving a common school education. At the age 
of eighteen, in August, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, One IIun<lred 
and First Regiinent Indiana Volunteer Infantry. His regiment was the 
Second Brigade of the Fourteenth Army Corps. He was in the battle at 
Milton, Tenn., Chickamauga and Mission Ridge. He was with Sher- 
man on his march to the sea, and for sixty days his regiment was within 
the sound' of musketry. He was always present at roll-call during serv- 
ice, and was with his company whenever it stacked arms, unless while 
out foraging, or on detached duty. He was honorably discharged July 1, 
1865, having proved himself to be a brave and loyal soldier. He then 
returned to Hamilton County, engaged in the carpenter's trade at jour- 
neyman work for eight years, when he began contracting for himself. In 
February, 1875, he moved with family to this county, locating at Green- 
town, where he has since lived, actively engaged at hia trade. He was 
married, February 24, 1869, to MissEltruda Hollis, of Hamilton County, 
Ind. She was born September 12, 1851, and is the daughter of Rich- 
ard C. and Susan Hollis. Six children blessed this union — only one now 
living — Leslie Paul. Mr. Stanbrough is an active member of the Re- 
publican party, casting his first Presidential vote for U. S. Grant in 1868. 
He is a prominent member of the I. 0. 0. F., and he and wife are mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

SOLOMON STONE was born in Franklin County, Ind., March 11, 
1823, and is the son of Henry and Mary (Wilfing) Stone, natives of Cul- 
peper County, Va., and of German and Irish descent. His parents were 
married in Virginia, and soon removed to Franklin County, Ind., where 
they entered land on White Water, and built a log cabin. 'I'hey re- 
mained until 1843, when they sohl out and located in Rush County, 
where they purchased an improved fiirm. In 1857, they came to How- 
ard County, purchased eighty acres of forest land, just north of Green- 
town, and here lived the remainder of their lives. Mr. H. Stone was a 
hard-working man, reaping his grain with a sickle, and threshing it with 
the flail, while his wife for years spun from flax and wool, and wove clotli 
for her family. Mr. Stone was a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and died in 1862, at the age of sixty-four. His wife belonged to 
the United Brethren Church. She died in 1877, at the age of eighty- 
two. The subject of this sketch was reared a farmer's boy, and received 
a limited education from the pioneer school. In 1842, he removed with 
his parents to Rush County, where he was married, October 17, 1844, to 



480 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Mary Ann Hatfield, of Rush County. She is the daughter of John and 
Elizabeth (Cook) Hatfield, natives of Virginia. This family was among 
the early settlers in Rush County, where Mr. Hatfield died in 1853. 
His wife (now aged seventy-eight) still survives him, and resides with 
her children in Wayne County, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have had five 
children — John H., Marion T., Sanford (deceased), George W. and Elmer 
E. Mr. Stone farmed on rented land, and with the profits, $1,100, came 
to this county in the fall of 1857, and lived one year on a rented farm. 
In the meantime, he built a cabin and made a small beginning on the farm 
where he now lives. The family experienced many of the privations 
of pioneer life, and for years made their own clothing from flax and 
wool. They now have a good farm, well fenced and drained, and fur- 
nished with good buildings. His farm is well stocked with horses, cattle 
and hogs. Mr. Stone is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, 
and a member of the Masonic order, and he and wife are prominent 
members of the New-Light Church. 

WOODSON W. THRASHER was born in Fayette County, Ind. 
December 11, 1840, and is the son of William ami Elizabeth (Parish) 
Thrasher, of English descent. William Thrasher was a mechanic and farmer, 
and in 1862 enlisted in Company C, Twelfth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, and after being out about three weeks was killed in battle at 
Richmond, Ky. His second son was in the same battle, and was taken 
prisoner, but was soon paroled, after which he joined his regiment and 
served for two years. The subject of this sketch enlisted in Company 
H, One Hundred and First Indiana Volunteer Infantry, at the town of 
Webes, and was mustered into service at Indianapolis. His regiment 
was in the Fourth Division of the Fourteenth Army Corps. Soon after 
enlisting, he was detailed as teamster of the company, and two months 
later was placed in charge as teamster in the supply train, and after the 
Chickamauga battle, this corps was re-organized, and the One Hundred 
and First Regiment was placed in the Third Division, at which time Mr. 
Thrasher took his musket and participated in the battle of Missic^p 
Ridge. He was then detailed again as teamster, and served until July, 
1865, when he was honorably discharged. When Mr. Thrasher was but 
ten years of age, he moved with his parents to Grant County, where he 
assisted his father on the farm, and received a common-school education. 
He was married, in 1859, to Miss Harriet Main, of Grant County. She 
Avas born June 1, 1837. Three children bless this union — Ida, Lizzie 
and William L. After the war, Mr. Thrasher located near Greentown, 
and purchased forty acres of land. In 1869. he moved to Kokomo, and 
three years later returned to the vicinity uf Greentown, where he has 
since lived. Mr. Thrasher is a worthy citizen, and an active worker in 
the Republican party. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 481 

HENRY R. THRASHER was born in Fayette County, Ind., Novem- 
ber 3, 1847, and was the fifth of nine children born to William P. and 
Elizabeth (Parish) Thrasher. Mrs. Thrasher is now living in the village 
of Greentown, having lost her husband in the battle at Richmond, Ky. 
Henry R. Thrasher, when he was three years of age, removed with his 
parents to Grant County, where he remained until the fall of 1864. He 
received a common school education, and at the early age of seventeen 
began to make his own living. For six years, he worked at whatever his 
hands found to do, during the time visiting a number of the Western 
States. He was married in 1870 to Miss Sophia Fry, of Howard County. 
She was born in Rockingham County, Penn., November 2, 1845, and is 
the daughter of Noah and Elizabeth Fry, of German descent. Five chil- 
dren bless this union — Noah, Charles, Frank, Delia and Bertha. Mr. 
Thrasher soon after his marriage began farming, renting land for three 
years, when he bought forty acres west of Greentown. Three years later, 
he located on the Kokomo & Greentown pike, where he lived until the 
fall of 1882, when he removed to Greentown, and the following March 
engaged in the livery business, which he is still following. Mr. Thrasher, 
by labor and economy, has made for himself a home, and is now in com- 
fortable circumstances. He is a Republican in principles, and is a worthy 
citizen in the community in which he lives. 

JOHN S. TREES is a native of Rush County, Ind., and was born 
June 5, 1838 ; he is the eldest son of John and Rhoda (Simmons) Trees, of 
German and English descent. His parents married in Rush County, Ind., 
and lived a pioneer life in that and Shelby County. In 1858, they removed 
to Howard County, locating on the farm where our subject now lives; 
here they toiled and improved their farm until they had a good home. Mr. 
John Trees died in May, 1874, at the age of sixty-two years. Mrs. Trees 
(aged sixty-nine) is still living, and makes her home with her children. 
Mr. Trees was in early life a Whig, and later a Republican, and his re- 
ligious views were with the Methodist Episcopal Church. The subject of 
this sketch was reared on a farm, and received a common school education, 
and February 10, 1858, he was married to Miss Fannie E. Floyed, of 
Shelby County, and the same year moved to this county, stopping with 
his father on the farm ; he shortly after returned to Shelby County, where 
Mrs. Trees died. Mr. Trees then returned to this county, and assisted to 
farm the home farm, and in December, 1859, he married Miss Mariah 
Hazzard, of this county. She died September 20, 1870, leaving four 
children — Rolla A., Denny M., Lizzie L. and Effie L. Mr. Trees was 
married to his present wife, Miss Alice Curlee, of this county, March 1, 
1872. She was born in Johnson County, Ind., September 21, 1852. 
This union has been blessed with four children — Rhoda S., Fred L., Susie 



482 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

M. and John G. Mr. Trees purchased a farm in 1859, and November 8^ 
1870, he removed to Kokomo, having been elected Sheriff of the county 
by the Republican party. After serving one term, he entered the gro- 
cery business, continuing: eighteen months, and in the winter of 1881 he 
purchased the farm where he now lives. In 1863, he enlisted in Company 
E, Eleventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry, formi ng a part of the 
Army of the Cumberland, and was engaged in battle at Columbia, Spring 
Hill, Crasked Creek, and December 15 went out to meet Gen. Hood, at 
Nashville, and Avas here struck in the riglit thigh by a minie ball. He 
lay all night on the battle-field, and the next morning was taken to Co- 
lumbia Hospital, where his wound was dressed, A few months later, he 
was transferred to Jefferson Barracks, and later came home on a furlough. 
He was honorably discharged in June, 1865 ; he was compelled to go on 
crutches for nine months, and is a cripple for life. Mr. and Mrs. Trees 
are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Trees is 
a Republican in politics, and a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 

JESSE WARE, a retired farmer and old settler of Howard County, 
was born in Warren County, Ohio, in 1825, and was the son of John and 
Margaret (Roberts; Ware, natives of New Jersey. In 1833, he moved 
with his parents to Henry County, Ind., and in 1847, his father entered 
240 acres of land in Howard County. At the same time Jesse entered 
160 acres in Union Township, on which he lived eleven or twelve years ; 
he lived on several different farms in the county until he finally purchased 
200 acres east of Greentown ; he also has twenty acres of timber land in 
Jackson Township. Mr. Ware has always lived a farmer's life ; he has 
been a hard-working man, and has cleared over 100 acres of land in this 
county. Besides his farm land, he has a comfortable residence in Green- 
town, in which he is now living a retired life. Mr. Ware was married in 
1846 to Miss Phebe Moon, of Henry County, Ind. By this union they 
had five children, three of whom are living — Sarah E.. Mary J. and Sophia. 
Mrs. Ware died in 1857, and Mr. Ware was married to Lucinda Main. 
They had five children, only one of whom is living — 0. P. Morton. 
Mr. and Mrs. Ware are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. 
Ware has held the office of Supervisor several times. 

ANDERSON WILLITS is a native of Iowa, born May 24, 1838 ; 
he was the son of Charles and Hannah (Kirlin) Willits, natives of Ohio 
and Virginia. His fither was of Welsh descent, and was reared on a 
farm in Wayne County, Ind., and there married about 1835 ; he moved 
to Iowa, where he farmed until 1846, when he returned to Henry County, 
Ind., and in the fall of 1848 he entered 120 acres of land in Howard 
County, and erected a log cabin. In 1860, he entered the mercantile 
business in Greentown, handling a general stock of goods. Here he re- 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 483 

mained the rest of life, except one year he was selling goods at Aledo, 
111. He died in April, 1872, and his wife followed in April, 1881. Mr. 
Willits was an enterprising citizen, and served as Township Trustee and 
Assessor. The subject of this sketch received a limited education in the 
common schools, and has always led a farmer's life. In 1872, he purchased 
his present place of 135 acres, moderately improved ; besides he has good 
village property in Greentown. He has been a hard-working, industrious 
man, and has made a good home, and is a liberal supporter of all public 
enterprises. Mr. Willits was married March 11, 1857, to Miss Harriet J. 
Hazzard, of Howard County, Ind. The result of this marriage has been 
nine children, four now living — Dora E., Eva Leota, Charles 0. and an 
infant. Mrs. Willits died March 30, 1883. She and her husband were 
both faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. Willits 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is an active politician in the 
Republican ranks. 

WILLIAM WOODS was born March 20, 18:^0, in Wayne County, 
Ind., and is the second of ten children born to Benjamin and Mecca 
(Boon) Woods, natives of Kentucky, and of Irish and English descent. 
Benjamin Woods was reared on a farm near Waynesville, Ohio, and upon 
reaching manhood, removed to Wayne County, Ind., where he was 
married in April, 1819. In 1848, he came to Howard County, locating 
on the " Big Spring Farm, " one and a half miles east of Greentown. 
He purchased 160 acres, on which there was a log cabin. He improved 
this farm and made a good home for his family. His house was used by 
the Baptists as a place of worship for twelve years. Mr. Woods was first 
a Whig, and later a Republican ; he and wife were prominent members 
of the Baptist Church. June 29, 1877, Mr. Wood died, having survived 
his wife only four months. William Woods was reared on a farm and 
received a common school education. At the age of nineteen, he began 
teaching school. Later he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 
1844, but soon returned to farming and teaching. In 1850, he came to 
Howard County, locating on the farm where he now lives. He started 
in a log cabin, but now has 204 acres of fine land, with good, comfortable 
frame buildings, which he has accumulated through labor and economy. 
Mr. Woods is one of the leading citizens : has held the ofiice of Town- 
ship Trustee, and has served as County Commissioner for a number of 
years^ making an efficient officer. He was married, August 7, 1845, to 
Miss Mahala Burgoyne, born February, 1821, and the daughter of James 
and Mary (Minor) Burgoyne, of Dutch descent. Five children blessed 
this union, three of whom are living — Allie, Willard and Arthur. Mrs. 
Woods died March 3, 1859, and Mr. Woods was again married, February 
24, 1860, to Miss Matilda Burgoyne, a sister to his first wife. They had 



484 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

five children, three now living — Ellsworth, Willie and Oscar. Mrs. Woods 
died March 1, 1872, and Mr. Woods married his present wife February 
27, 1873 — Mrs. Nancy A. Morris, of Howard County. 

JEREMIAH YOUNG was born in England, August 9, 1841, and 
in his infancy his parents came to America. When but eight years of 
age, his parents located in Franklin County, Ind., where he was reared a 
farmer's boy. In July, 1861, he enlisted in the first call for three years' 
men, in Company F, Eighteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
and was mustered into service at Indianapolis. Their first engagement 
was at Pea Ridge and lasted three days, after which they marched through 
to the Mississippi River, and on into Arkansas after Gen. Price, having 
skirmishes almost daily. In the spring of 1863, he was transferred to 
the Array of the Cumberland, and was at the siege of Vicksburg, after 
which he was transferred to the Army of the Gulf, under N. P. Banks, 
at Baton Rouge. Thence they went to Matagorda Island, where they 
stormed the fort, and captured all its occupants. In January, 1864, 
Mr. Young re-enlisted in the same company, and returned home on a 
veteran furlough, after which he joined his regiment at Washington. In 
August, 1864, he went into Shenandoah Valley, and September 19 en- 
gaged in battle at Winchester" and Cedar Creek, where he was severely 
wounded in his left arm, by a minie ball. He was taken to the hospital 
at York, Penn., where he remained until November, 1864, when he came 
home on a thirty-day furlough to vote for President Lincoln. His furlough 
was extended thirty days, and June 8, 1865, he was discharged, 
after serving nearly four years. He returned to Franklin County, where 
he lived until the spring of 1883, when he removed to this county. He 
is a Master Mason, and an active member of the Christian Church. 

WILLIAM ZERBE was born in Schuylkill County, Penu., October 
25, 1818, and is the eldest child born to David and Elizabeth Zerbe, 
both natives of Pennsylvania, and of German descent. David Zerbe was 
a millwright by trade, which he followed until 1841, when he removed 
with his family to Shelby County, Oliio, where he engaged in farming. 
Our subject, when seventeen years of age, began to learn the wagon- 
maker's trade, at which he worked two years, after which he worked in a 
ship yard, and later on the canal one season. The next two years he 
worked on a farm for a man at $75 per year, after which he removed to 
Shelby County, Ohio. He worked as a farm hand for a few years, un- 
til he was able to buy a team, after which he rented land and began 
farming. Later he purchased thirty acres and two town lots in Sidney, 
and continued working on a farm, except one summer, which was spent 
working with an engineer in locating the Bellefontaine k Indianapolis 
Railroad. In the spring of 1866, he moved with his family to this county, 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 486 

locating on the farm where he now lives, and redeeming a good home, 
and erecting good buildings. He started in life empty handed, and now 
has a good home of 100 acres fairly improved. He took care of his aged 
father and mother for a number of years. His father died in 1857 and 
his mother two years later. He was married in October, 1841, to Miss 
Mary A. Butcher, born February 22, 1824, in Lancaster County, Penn. 
Eight children have blessed this union — Sarah A., George, Mary E., 
Charles C, Robert D., John L., Clara T. (deceased), and William H. 

DANIEL ZOOK was born in Holmes County, Ohio, July 25, 1843, 
and is the son of John and Mary (Miller) Zook, both natives of Penn- 
sylvania, and of German descent. His parents moved to Ohio when 
single, and were there married in 1841. John Zook was left a poor boy 
and was truly a self-made man. He came to Howard County in the fall 
of 1851, and purchased thirty-five acres of timber land in Liberty Town- 
ship, erected a log cabin, and here made a good home. Mr. Zook died 
in 1876 and his wife in 1872. He and wife were prominent members of 
the Mennonite Church. Our subject was reared on a farm and received a 
limited education in the subscription schools. At the age of twenty -one, 
he began working for himself at job work, and after his marriage moved 
upon the farm where he now lives, finding it as nature had left it. Here 
he erected a log eabin, and began to improve his land, until now he has 
one of the model farms of the township. Mr, Zook votes the Democratic 
ticket, and is an enterprising citizen. He was married in the spring of 
1869 to Miss Elizabeth Schraucker, born in Holmes County, Ohio, in 1846, 
and the daughter of Christian and Susanna (Miller) Schmucker. Mr, 
and Mrs. Zook have had six children — Henry, John, Lewis and Albert 
(twins), Susanna and Catharine (deceased). Mr. Zook and wife are active 
members of the Mennonite Church. 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 
JOWN W. BLAKELY is the fourth son of twelve children born to 
Thomas and Eliza (Blair) Blakely, the former a native of Ireland, the 
latter of Ohio. John W. was born April 10, 1847, in Franklin County, 
Ohio, where he remained twenty-four years. His boyhood days were 
spent on the farm, working to help support the family, and he received 
but a limited education. He was married, January 24, 1871, to Miss 
Mary F, Teegardin, daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth (Crum) Teegar- 
din, natives of Pennsylvania. She was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, 
November 22, 1845. Four children crowned this union — Irvin W., 



486 BIOGRArHICAL SKETCHES: 

born September 8, 1872; Laura E., born October 30, 1875; Jennie L. 
(deceased), born February 9, 1877, and Homer A., born January 21, 
1881. When he was married, he was in very limited circumstances ; 
he moved to Allen County, Ohio, where he remained ten years working 
on a farm; he then came to this county, locating in Howard Township, on 
his father-in-law's place, where he is now living ; he is an energetic 
farmer and worthy citizen ; he is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and is one 
of the most active workers in the Democratic party. 

N. U. CARTER is the son of Elijah and Maria (Wilkinson) Car- 
ter, of English and Irish descent. Our subject was born in Barthol- 
omew County, Ind., August 17, 1829, and spent his youth on the farm 
and attended the common schools. At the age of twenty-three, he was 
married to Mary F. Browning, daughter of Eiza and Frances (Florence) 
Browning, of Bartholomew County. Mr. Carter came to Howard County 
in 1869 and purchased a farm of ninety-seven acres in Howard Town- 
ship, and has since by industry and economy been able to add to this 
until now he has 147 acres of choice land with all necessary improve- 
ments. Upon this pleasant place he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Car- 
ter have two children — William T. and Elza M. Mr. Carter adheres 
closely to Republican principles and has held the office of Supervisor of 
his district for eight successive years. Both he and wife are identified 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are among its most active 
workers. 

JOHN H. COOMLER, a prominent farmer, is the fifth in a fam- 
ily of thirteen children born to Jacob and Mary (Hoifman) Coomler. 
natives of Pennsylvania, and of German descent. John H. Coomler was 
born in Montgomery County, Ohio, December 12, 1837, and was reared 
on the farm and received a common school education. He married Susan 
Thomas, daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Good) Thomas, natives of 
Maryland and Pennsylvania, and of German descent. He enlisted 
August 16. 1862, in Company K. One Hundred and Firsc Regiment In- 
diaija Volunteer Infantry, under Capt. Makahan ; he served three years 
and participated in the battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge ; 
he was with Sherman on his march to the sea, and was discharged June 
24, 1865. Mr. Coomler came to Wabash County, Ind., in 1842, and 
there remained until the fall of 1880, when he came to Howard County 
and purchased 220 acres of land near Cissville, where he now resides. 
Mr. and Mrs. Coomler have had ten children — Elmer E., Lizzie M., 
Cora L., Benjamin F., Mattie 0., John Sherman, Ovid Cecil, Nettie A., 
Ettie L. and Charley C. (deceased). Mr. Coomler is at present Super- 
visor of his district in Howard Township ; he held the position of Steward 
in the Grange organization during its existence, and his wife is a prom- 
inent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 487 

HANS EK is the second of eleven children horn to Peter and Emma 
(Pierson) Ek, natives of Sweden, and of Swedish descent. Hans was 
born November 2, 1831, and was reared in Sweden, and there received 
his education. He landed in New York City June 19, 1850, and thence 
went to Chicago, where he remained three years. Pie subsequently came 
to Kokomo, Ind., and here labored in a saw mill as head sawyer for 
about two years, and in April, 1861, enlisted in Company E, Thirteenth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in June 19. 
He was in the service three years and three months, and participated in 
battles at Rich Mountain, Greenbrier, Alleghany, Winchester, Cold 
Harbor, Fort Wagner, Foster's Plantation and Petersburg. He received 
no wounds, was stout and well, and was never oft' from duty while in the 
service. He was discharged June 19, 186-1, at Indianapolis. Mr. Ek 
was married, November 21, 1859, to Sarah Custer, daughter of Chris- 
topher and Elizabeth (Clark) Custer, natives of Indiana. This union 
has been blessed with seven children — Emma Henderson, Elizabeth, 
Rhoda, Lewis (deceased), Charles, Lienvel and Blanche (deceased). Mr. 
Ek owned and managed the saw mill at Cassville for fifteen years, and is 
now the owner of a steam threshing-machine. He is at present located 
upon a farm near Cassville, and he and wife are prominent members of 
the Christian Church. 

VESPASIAN GOYER is the eldest of nine children born to John 
and Margaret (Spangler) Goyer, natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania. 
He was born November 5, 1820, in Franklin County, Penn., where he 
passed a few years of his childhood, when he removed with his parents to 
Muskingum County, Ohio. In 1847, he came to this county, taking a 
pre emption claim, and is now living on the same ground. He afterward 
entered 160 acres before the land sale. He now has a good farm, with 
substantial buildings. He has added to the original until his farm con- 
tains 240 acres, which he has accumulated mostly through his own efforts, 
having received a little assistance from his father's estate. He received 
a common school education in his youth, and taught two terms of school 
of three months. After he had entered land, he was married, August 2, 
1851, to Lucy Remington, a native of New York. She was the second 
of seven children born to Russel and Lydia (Barns) Remington, both 
natives of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Goyer have had eleven children — 
Lydia A., John R., Martha, Viola (deceased), Evaline, Luther, Ulyssus, 
Isabelle, Cyrus (deceased), Minnie and Edgar V. Mr. Goyer was in an 
early day a Whig, but of late years is a strong advocate of Republican 
principles. He is a liberal giver to all public interests, and he and wife 
have been identified with the Christian Church for over thirty years. 

HENRY G. HEMPER is the second of six children born to Henry 



488 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

F. and Caroline (Retburg) Heraper, both natives of Germany and of 
German descent. Henry G. was born September 6, 1825, in Germany. 
His father was in the battle of Waterloo under Wellington, and emigrated 
to this country in 1837. He landed in New York and settled in Con- 
necticut, where he remained about eighteen months. In the fall of 1839, 
he moved to Columbus, Ohio, and in 1847 removed to Madison County. 
The following year, he came to this county, locating in Howard Township, 
and remained in this county until his death. The subject of this sketch 
made his home with his parents until he was twenty-three years of age. 
He worked on the farm, and through his own efforts received a common 
school education. He came on a prospecting tour to this county in 1846, 
returned home, and in 1848 came again with his father. He returned 
to Ohio the same year and began business for himself, where he remoined 
ten years. He then returned to Howard County and located in the 
forest in Howard Township on eighty acres which he had entered ten 
years before. He has added to this and now owns 120 acres of well- 
improved land. He was married, March 4, 1852, to Elizabeth Kisner 
(deceased). She was a native of Ohio, and was the first of four children 
born to Henry and Casander Kisner, both natives of Maryland. Six 
children crowned this union — Mary C. Spraker, Joanna (deceased), 
Emma C, Casander, Fannie K. and Addie M. Mr. Hemper has taken 
a great pride in educating his children, and Fannie and Addie are among 
the best teachers of the county. He has always voted the Pemocratic 
ticket, and is one of the party's most active workers. 

CHARLES L. HUTSON is the eldest of a family of eight children 
born to William and Frankie (Lewis) Hutson, natives of Kentucky, and 
of Irish and English descent. His father came to Indiana in an early 
day and settled in Boone County, and subsequently located in Howard 
County. He entered 160 acres of land in Howard Township, erected a 
log cabin, and cleared a home for himself and family. He endured al 
the privations of a pioneer life in the wilderness, and has since, by 
industry and economy, been able to add to his farm until he had 480 
acres of the choice land of Howard Township. Mr. Hutson has since 
divided this land with his children, and is at present located upon a farm 
of 280 acres near Kokomo. In an early day, Mr. Hutson was Trustee of 
Howard Township for several terms. Charles L. was born February 5, 
1843, and was reared upon the farm, where he received a common school 
education. At the age of twenty-two years, he was married to Miss 
Clarcy Ring, daughter of James and Melvinia (Reeder) Ring, natives of 
Indiana. This union has been crowned with four children — Effa (de- 
ceased), Elcy (deceased), William 0. and James D. Mr. Hutson, since 
his marriage, has followed agricultural pursuits, and is at present located 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 489 

upon a farm of 129 acres near Kokomo, with all necessary improve- 
ments. Mr. Hutson is an active politician in the Democratic ranks, 
casting his first ballot for G. B. McClellen in 1864. 

WILLIAM LAMASTER, a prominent farmer and resident of Cass- 
ville, is the eldest of a family of eight children born to Isaac and Susan 
(Nabours) Lamasters, natives of Kentucky and A'^irginia, of French de- 
scent. William was born, January 12, 1827, and received a limited 
education in tho common schools ; he remained upon the farm with his 
father until October 10, 1852, when he was married to Charlotte Crone, 
daughter of Henry and Mary (Clines) Crone, natives of Pennsylvania, 
and of German descent. Mr. Lamaster, shortly after his marriage, 
moved upon a farm near Waupecon, and here remained until the spring 
of 1865, when he sold out and purchased 160 acres in Howard County, 
adjoining Cassville ; to this he has added more land, and now has 240 
acres of well-improved land, with all necessary improvements. Mr. and 
Mrs. Lamaster have had six children — Rosie Henderson, William H., 
Martha J. Woody, Sarah Lovinia, Charles Wesley and Mary Ettie, four 
of whom are living. Mr. Lamaster is an active worker in the Republican 
ranks, having cast his first ballot for Zachary Taylor in 1848. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Lamaster are prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

DAVID MARKLAND, an enterprising farmer of Howard Town- 
ship, is the second of seven children born to William C. and Sarah (At- 
kinson) Markland, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New 
Jersey. Daniel was born April 10, 1836, in Hamilton County, Ohio, and 
came with his parents to this county in the fall of 1855 ; he made his 
home with his father until he was twenty-four years of age, working on 
the farm and attending the pioneer schools of that day. He subsequently 
attended a select school in Kokomo for three months, and thereby received 
a good common school education ; he has taught six terms of school, of 
which four terms were taught in one district ; he began teaching at the 
age of twenty- two, and was considered a success in his profession, but ill- 
health compelled him to leave the school room and lead a farmer's life ; he 
received a little money at his father's death, and now owns 188 acres of 
good land, with all modern improvements ; he is an enterprising, energetic 
farmer; through economy has secured sufficient means tc live comfortably 
the rest of his life ; he was married to Margaret Goodwine October 17, 
1860. She was the fifth of ten children born to Charles P. and Cathe- 
rine (Miller) Goodwine, natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Markland 
have six children — Catherine, William C., Benjamin F., Eliza, Charles 
P. and Edward C. Mr. Markland was elected Justice of the Peace in 
1864, and held this position for sixteen successive years ; he is a Repub- 



490 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

lican in politics, having cast his first vote for President Lincoln, and he 
and wife have been members of the U. B. Church for several years. 

SAMUEL IIICHEY was born in Wyandot County, Ohio, June 17, 
1840, and is the son of John C. and Sarah A. (Prebble) Richey, of Irish, 
French and German-English descent. Samuel Richey was reared on the 
farm, and being of a patriotic disposition, enlisted in August, 1861, in 
Company D, Thirty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry as a private, and 
was mustered in at Indianapolis under Gen. Woods ; he served about 
eighteen months' and engaged in battles at Shiloh and Stone River ; he 
was wounded in the battle of Shiloh, losing his left arm, near the shoulder 
joint, and for his disability was discharged March 25, 1863. The follow- 
inor July, he began organizing Company H, One Hundred and Eighteenth 
Regiment of six months' men, and in September the company was mus- 
tered in. Mr- Richey was elected Captain, but as a choice accepted the 
position of Second Lieutenant. They were sent to Cumberland Gap, 
where Mr. Richey was placed in command to guard the gap. 
He had about 320 men under his command, and in less than three days 
had reduced this number to about three men, having given them passes 
with which to return home ; he then joined his regiment at Walker's 
Ford, and was made Mail Agent to Knoxville ; he was there during the 
engagement at that place, after which he returned to his command, and 
subsequently returned home. He was married, July 5, 1865, to Meldah 
Soughers, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Miller) Soughers, natives 
of North Carolina. This union has been crowned with seven children — 
J. C. S., Rodney A., Emily C, Lorenzo F., Sarah L., Samuel A. and 
Joshua P., four of whom are yet living. Mr. Richey is at present located 
in Cassville, Howard Township. He became a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 
in Kokomo, in 1868, and is an active working politician in the 
Republican ranks ; he has held the office of County Recorder eight years, 
and is at present holding the office of Notary Public, which he has held 
for eight years ; he was the first man to establish an abstract office in 
Howard County. Both Mr. and Mrs. Richey are identified with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and are among its most prominent members. 

WILLIAM S. SALE, son of James and Aurelia (Gray) Sale, na- 
tives of North Carolina, and of English descent, was born December 6, 
1826, and remained with his parents until he was twenty- one years of 
age ; he worked on the farm and received a limited education, and subse- 
quently left North Carolina and located in Huntington County, Ind., 
where he farmed for seventeen years. In his youth he followed clearing 
for a livelihood, and in the fall of 1864 came to this county, locating in 
Howard Township, on a farm of eighty acres, where he still lives. He 
has accumulated what he possesses through his own labors, and has just 



HOWARD TOWNSHIP. 491 

completed a handsome brick residence at a cost of $2,500. Mr. Sale was 
first married in 1857, to Aana Crandal, a native of Ohio. They had five 
children — Emma, Laura, Freeman and two infants deceased. He was 
married, the second time, to Martha A. Rowlings Tharp, a native of 
Kentucky. Four children crowned this union — Owen A., Fay (de- 
ceased), Clyde and Maud. Mr. Sale has been an Odd Fellow since 1870; 
is a member of the Baptist Church, and is an active worker in the Repub- 
lican party. 

JESSE C. STEWART, son of Stephen and Elizabeth (Corn) Stew- 
art, natives of Kentucky, and of Irish descent, was born June 24, 1827. 
He was reared upon the farm, but owing to necessities of labor received 
but a limited education. By the early death of his father, he was left to his 
mother's care. March 28, 1854, he was married to Mary A. Luery, 
daughter of Solomon Luery and wife, natives of Virginia. They had one 
child — William L. Mrs. Stewart (now deceased), was a prominent mem- 
ber of the United Brethren Church. Mr. Stewart was married, the 
second time, June 6, 1856, to Emma Start, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. 
Palmer, of this county. Three children blessed this union — Elizabeth 
A. Smith, Caroline and Stephen A. Mr. Stewart enlisted in August, 
1862, under Capt. Burns, in Company F, Eighty-ninth Regiment In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry, and served three years. He participated in 
the following battles : Munfordsville, Ft. De Russey, Pleasant Hill, 
Bayou, Lamore, Marksville, Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. While 
marching from Vicksburg to Meridian, he was wounded by the kick of a 
horse to such an extent as to cripple him for life. He was discharged July 
22, 1865, and in May, 1869, married Susana Brown, daughter of 
Abijah and Sarah (Lewis) Brown, natives of Kentucky. This union has 
been blessed with two children — John W. and Elmer B. Mr. Stewart 
is one of the prominent farmers of Howard Township, and his wife is an 
active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

JACKSON TRIPPEER, merchant at Cassville, carrying a |2,000 
stock of goods, and doing a first-class business, is the youno-est of thir- 
teen children born to John and Catharine (English) Trippeer, of French 
tind Irish descent. His father came to Miam i County, Ind., in 1844 
and engaged in farming near Peru until his death in 1874. His mother 
was a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Jackson 
Trippeer was born August 4, 1844, and farmed with his father and 
brother until November 14, 1866, when he was married to Alice Ann 
Conn, born February 14, 1849, daughter of Joseph and Alice Ann 
(Pierce) Conn, natives of Ohio. Mr. Trippeer continued to farm after 
his marriage until April, 1878, when he engaged in the mercantile bus- 
iness in Peru, Ind. There he remained thirteen months, when he sold 



492 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his Stock and removed to Rich Valley, Wabash County, where he con- 
tinued in business about four years. He then removed his stock to 
Cassville, Howard County, where he is now located and doing a thriving 
business. Mr. and Mrs. Trippeer have had three children — William, 
born March 14, 1868 ; Ida (deceased), born November 25, 1870, and 
Lewis, born April 14, 1874. Mrs. Trippeer is a member of the United 
Brethren Church, and is one of its most prominent workers. 

ERASTUS WELSH is the son of Benjamin and Catherine (Beard) 
Welsh (both deceased), of Irish descent. His parents were married in 
Muskinc^um County, Ohio; removed to Iowa in 1856, and in 1868 located 
in this township, where his father died soon afterward. Erastus was 
born November 29, 1834, in Muskingum County, Ohio, and remained on 
the farm until he was twenty-two years of age. He worked during the 
summer months, and attended school in the winter. In 1856, he came 
to this county, locating in Howard Township, on eighty acres of land in 
the green woods, given him by his father-in-law. He is still living upon 
this farm, which he has cleared and improved. Mr. Welsh was married, 
June 19, 1856, to Miss Susan Goyer, a native of Muskingum County, 
Ohio, and is the daughter of John and Margaret (Spangler) Goyer. Mr. 
Welsh has always been a friend to orphan children. He took Alfred 
Pugh at the age of eight years and reared him to manhood, and now has 
Mildred McClure, a little girl, living with him. He is a member of the 
Masonic order, and is an active member of the Republican party. He is 
a liberal giver to all public improvements, and his wife has been a member 
of the United Brethren Church for over ten years. 



CLAY TOWNSHIP. 

ROBERT McClelland, son of Samuel and Margaret (Cooper) Mc- 
Clelland, was born in Lawrence County, Ind., February 16, 1834, and is 
of Scotch-German descent. His father emigrated from Pennsylvania to 
Kentucky, and in 1827 located in Lawrence County, Ind. ; his mother 
emigrated from Virginia to Indiana in 1819. The subject of this sketch, 
when but two years old, removed with his parents to Hendricks County 
and there remained until 1842. His father, desirous of finding a home, 
in the reserve, took a claim in Harrison Township, Howard County, and 
commenced the erection of a cabin. But cold weather set in before it was 
completed, and they moved into a cabin on the south part of the tract Robert 
now owns. This claim his father held and by hard work he and his sons 
cleared up the heavy forest. Robert McClelland received a somewhat 
limited education, and worked for his father until he was twenty-four 



CLAY TOWNSHIP. 493 

years of age. He taught one term of school in the winter of 1858. He 
experienced a great loss in the death of his father in 1855, and in 1863 
located on his portion, eighty acres, of the homestead. He still lives up- 
on this, and has made it an excellent grain and stock farm. He was 
Assessor of Clay Township in 1867-68. He has for several years been 
an active member of the Masonic fraternity, and casts his ballot with the 
Democratic party. He was married, April 30, 1859, to Mary E. Smith, 
of Clay Township. They have had two children— Margaret A. and Ed- 
win A. His wife died February 6, 1880 ; his mother still lives with him, 
a veritable monument of the pioneer days. 

EDWIN P. MEYERS, Postmaster at Jewell, is a native of Hamilton 
County, Ohio, where he was born December 25, 1836. His parents, 
James and Mary (Powell) Meyers, were natives of Virginia ; they came 
to Daviess County, Ind., in 1840, where our subject was reared until he 
was twelve years old. He then went to Franklin, Johnson County, 
where he attended college. Upon the breaking-out of the war, he enlisted 
and was in service over three years. During this entire period he served 
as Orderly upon the StaflFs of Alexander McDowell, McCook, and sub- 
sequently with Gens. Kirk and Rosecrans. He was honorably dis- 
charged in 1864, and returned to Franklin, Ind., where, November 3. 
1864, he was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Wiley, daughter of 
Spencer Wiley, of Franklin. His next venture was in the mercantile 
trade at Galveston, Cass County, which proved disastrous. In 1875, he 
came to Howard County, locating at Jewell, Clay Township, where he 
has since resided. He has been Postmaster of Jewell since his residence 
there, and is now serving as Justice of the Peace. He is a member of 
Galveston Lodge, No. 244, A., F. & A. M., and a member of the Mis- 
sionary Baptist Church. Mr. Meyer was formerly a Republican, but is 
now a Greenbacker in politics. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have two children 
— Louis S. and Charles E. 

M. S. REAVES is a native of Greene County, Ohio, where he was 
born February 2, 1825. His father, George Reaves, was a native of 
Virginia. The subject of this sketch remained in his native State until 
April, 1851, when he removed to Illinois ; there he remained only a few 
months, and in November of the same year he came to Howard County, 
where he has resided up to the present writing. Mr. Reaves was one of 
the early school teachers of this county. He has been identified with all 
progressive measures and served as Trustee and Justice of the Peace in 
Clay Township eight years each. He is a member of the Old School 
Baptist Church, and is a Democrat in politics. He owns fortj? acres of 
good land located in Clay Township. Mr. Reaves was united in marriage 
February 5, 1846, to Harriet Blystone, They have one child living, 
Angeline, wife of John Jones, of Kokorao, and one. Louise, deceased. 



494 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

HENRY W. SMITH, son of Fielding and Rhoda (Carpenter) 
Smith, was born in Madison County, Va., in 1817, and is of Franco- 
German descent. He was reared on a farm in Virginia and received a 
fair Engiish education. His father died when he was twelve years old, 
and he and his brother continued to farm the old homestead. At the 
age of twenty, he removed to Kentucky and settled near Brownsboro, in 
Oldham County, and three years later located on a farm in Jeflferson 
County, Ky., where he remained thirteen years. He was married 
October 1, 1840, to Permelia M. Gaw, of Jefferson County. They had 
ten children, eight of whom are living. In 1853, he purchased land in 
Clay Township and added to this till he had over 600 acres, but has 
since divided with his children and now has about 300 acres. On this he 
has erected a barn and brick residence, and has one of the best arranged 
grain and stock farms in the county. He has always belonged to the 
Democratic party, and has taken a great interest in the public improve- 
ments of his county and community. 

WILLIAM W. SMITH, son of Henry W. and Permelia (Garr) 
Smith, was born in Jefferson County, Ky., August 10, 1841. He was 
reared on a farm, and attended school during the winter months, de 
voting himself studiously to his books. He attended the common schools 
until he was twenty years of age, when he attended the Kokomo Normal 
one term. In 1853, his father having purchased a large tract of land in 
Clay Township, Howard Co., Ind., he came with him to the newly 
opened reserve. Mr. Smith was married December 22, 1863, to Sarah 
E. Spraker, of Rush County. They have five children — Addison E., 
aged eighteen ; Amelia, aged fifteen ; Charles M., aged nine years ; 
Omer J., aged seven, and an infant. In 1864, he purchased a tract of 
land, and in 1872 bought the land he now owns. His farm now consists 
of 240 acres of fine land, and lies a quarter of a mile west of Shiloh 
Church, in Clay Township. He is preparing to erect an elegant brick 
residence and commodious out-buildings. He belongs to the Missionary 
Baptist Church, and is identified with the National party. 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 
JOHN B. BUTCHER was born in Decatur County, Ind., near 
Greensburg, January 20, 1843, and is the son of William and Sadona 
(Hancock) Butcher. His father is a native of Virginia, and his mother 
of Kentucky. They came to this county in 1854, and settled in Ervin 
Township. At that time J. B. Butcher was eleven years old, and since 
has lived in this county, where he received a common school education. 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 495 

In the summer of 1861, he attended the graded school seven weeks at 
Kokomo, under Prof. Baldwin, at which time, when only eighteen years 
of age, September 21, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Thirty-fourth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He served three years, and was 
mustered out at Indianapolis September 24, 1864. He was in battle at 
New Madrid, Mo. ; Riddle's Point, Mo. ; Fort Pillow, Tenn. ; Grand 
Prairie, Ark. ; Grand Gulf, Miss. ; Port Gibson, Miss. ; Fourteen Creek, 
Miss. ; Champion Hills, Miss. ; siege of Vicksburg ; Jackson, Miss. ; 
and Grand Coteau, La. After the war, Mr. Butcher returned home and 
worked with his father three years. He was married October 27, 1867, 
to Sarah J. Thomas, a native of Cass County, Ind. They have three 
children — Orville 0., Mary M. and Angie Monette. When he was 
married, he purchased the land where Hiram Pickett now lives, and the 
next fall purchased the farm where he now resides. He has a farm of 
164 acres, about 110 under cultivation, and raises grain and stock. He 
is at present Trustee of the township, and he and wife are members of 
the United Brethren Church. 

I. W. MARTIN, M. D., born March 1, 1829, in Lebanon County, 
Penn., is the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Wetterhold) Martin. His 
father was born in Montgomery County, Penn., July 1, 1805; his 
mother is a native of Lebanon County, Penn. ; born in 1809 ; died in 
1848. His parents had eleven children — John Henry (deceased); 
Samuel A., a farmer near Arcadia, Ind. ; Sarah, wife of A. P. Erbaugh, 
a farmer of Montgomery County, Ohio ; Mary A., wife of Jerome 
Martin (deceased) ; William, a farmer in Kansas ; Lydia, wife of Andrew 
Robinson, a farmer of Carroll County, Ind. ; Charles, a plasterer; Eliza, 
wife of Samuel Couffer, of Steelton, Penn. ; Ruth, deceased wife of 
John W. Biesecker ; Hiram (deceased) ; and the subject of this sketch. 
Mr. Martin's second marriage was on July 4, 1849, to Nancy Grundon, 
which union was blessed with three children. I. W. Martin was reareil 
in Dauphin County, Penn., and there received a common school educa- 
tion. He also attended the academy at Danville. At the age of twelve, 
he drove a team on the Ohio Canal, after which he assisted his father in 
plastering, and learned hat and bonnet pressing in Philadelphia. In 
1852, he commenced the study of medicine under Dr. Gideon Fahnstock, 
at Danville, Penn., and read with him three or four years. He was 
married May 24, 1849, to Sarah C. Light, a native of Lebanon County, 
Penn. They have had thirteen children — John Henry, Mary Louisa, 
Thomas W., Samuel L., Albert E,, Amanda I., Amos A., Kate E., 
Milton M., Ella Jane, Israel A. (deceased), Sarah A. (deceased), and 
Howard E. (deceased). In the fall of 1849, Mr. Martin came to this 
county, and in 1860 moved his family here, locating in Ervin Township, 



496 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

where he now resides. In six months after moving here, he purchased 
four acres of ground, and built a log cabin. The day after moving into 
it it burned, and they lost everything they had. He now has forty-nine 
acres, well improved, with good house and barn. Mr. Martin cast his 
first Presidential vote for Buchanan and his second for Lincoln. Feb- 
ruary 6, 1863, he was commissioned by Montgomery Blair as Postmaster 
at Ervin, which office he has held ever since. In 1875, he was com- 
missioned Notary Public, which office he now holds. He is a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, and has had a continuous practice of medicine in 
his township since his location there in 1860. Mr. Martin has a print- 
ing press, and the editors of Kokomo say he is the best self-made printer 
in Northern Indiana. He does all his own printing, besides job work of 
all kinds. He keeps a general store, and is the sole proprietor and man- 
ufacturer of Martin & Son's Blood Invigorater, and his Cough Elixir. 

WILLIAM MITCHELL was born in Parke County, Ind., December 
9, 1840, and is one of eight children born to Perley and Phoebe (Lewis) 
Mitchell. The father was a native of New Hampshire, and the mother 
was a native of New York, and is living in Terre Haute on the home- 
stead. William Mitchell was reared in Parke County, where he received 
the benefit of the common schools, after which he attended school at the 
Bloomingdale Academy. September 5, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, 
Thirty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, at Terre Haute, Ind. 
He was in battle at Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Stone River, and 
several skirmishes. He served three years, and was mustered out at 
Chicago September 5, 1864, when he returned to his father's, in Parke 
County, and engaged in farming. In October, 1867, he came to this 
county and purchased eighty acres of land in Ervin Township, partly 
under cultivation. He has since added 173 acres, and now raises grain 
and stock. Mr. Mitchell has served one term as Trustee of the township. 
He was married, November 5, 1868, to Miss Rhoda Tucker, a native of 
Ohio. His wife died in 1871, leaving one child, Nora. May 23, 1872, 
he married Hulda Morris, a native of Miami County, Ind. They have 
six children — Belle, Frank. John, Herman, Sumner and Reyburn. 

WILLIAM J. SIMPSON is the second in a family of six children 
born to William and Sarah (Turner) Simpson, natives of North Carolina 
and Pennsylvania, and of English and Irish descent. William J. was 
born in Fayette County, Ind., March 8, 1827, and was reared upon the 
farm, receiving a limited education. He served an apprenticeship of 
three years at the carpenter's trade, and, shortly after his majority, was 
married to Miss Sarah Fiant, born June 7, 1832, the daughter of Peter 
and Elizabeth (Bilman) Fiant, of Fayette County. Shortly after his 
marriage, Mr. Simpson engaged in farming in Fayette County, where he 



ERVIN TOWNSHIP. 497 

remained three years. He then removed to Montgomery County, Ohio, 
thence he located in Darke County, and later removed to Preble County. 
In October, 1857, he came to this county, purchased eighty acres of land 
and resided in the first log cabin built in Ervin Township. Here he 
cleared out a home for himself and family. He enlisted, in December, 
1863, in Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, organized at Camp Still well, Kokomo, Ind., under 
Capt. Garrett. He participated in battle at Nashville, Tenn. Mr. 
Simpson, while in Camp Carrington, Indianapolis, was thrown from the 
barracks and had his leg broken and received a severe wound in his side. 
After he recovered from this, he was placed upon detail duty, and was 
discharged June 22, 1865. Upon his return home, he engaged in farm- 
ing, and is now located upon a farm near Ridgeway. He is an active 
politician in the Republican party, but cast his first vote for Zachary 
Taylor in 1848. Mr. and Mrs. Simpson have been blessed with six 
children— Elizabeth H. A. (deceased), born April 18, 1851 ; Francis S., 
born January 21, 1857; Sarah E., born April 6, 1859; William H., 
born August 19, 1862 ; John M. (deceased), born October 1, 1866 ; and 
Marion T., born February 10, 1869. Mr. Simpson is a prominent com- 
rade in the G. A. R., and his wife is identified with the German Baptist 
Church. 




PART III. 

HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



HISTORYOF TIPTON COUNTY. 



EVENTS PRIOR TO THE COUNTY ORGANIZATION. 



BY WESTON A. OOOIISPEEU. 



THE county of Tipton possesses the historic peculiarity of having 
had the southern portion thrown into mai'ket and settled quite ex- 
tensively for a number of years before the Indian title to the northern 
portion was extinguished. It appears that the territory now comprising 
the county was foi'merly the andisputed domain of the Miamis; but at 
some period during the latter part of the eighteenth century, the Dela- 
wares seem to have acquired a claim to that portion watered by White 
River, as is shown by the second article of the treaty of Fort Wayne, 
September 20, 1809, between the United States and the Delawares, Pot- 
tawatomies, Miamis and Eel River Miamis, the article reading as fol- 
lows: " The Miamis explicitly acknowledge the equal right of the Dela- 
wares with themselves to the country watered by the White River. But 
it is also to be clearly understood that neither party shall have the right 
of disposing of the same without the consent of the others, and any im- 
provements which shall be made on the said land by the Delawares, or 
their friends, the Mohecans, shall be theirs forever." By the first article 
of the treaty of St. Mary's, between the United States and the Dela- 
wares, on the 3d of October, 1818, such tribe relinquished their claim to 
all lands in the State of Indiana. Thus it seems that all that portion of 
the county "watered by White River became the property of the United 
States in 18] 8. Three y^rs later (1821), the Government survey took 
place. 

If any white persons located permanently within what is now Tipton 
County, prior to the thirties, such fact is not now known. White people 
began to enter what is now Hamilton County as early as 1819, or within 
a year after the Delaware title to the soil was extinguished, and so rapid 
was the settlement that, during the session of the State Legislature in 
1822-23, the act was passed creating the county of Hamilton. The 
lands of Hamilton County were subject to entry at Brookvtlle, and later 



2 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

at iBdianapolis. The lands of Tipton County (those south of the old 
Miami reservation) were subject to entry at Fort Wayne, and remained 
thus until about the year 1848, when the land office was transferred to 
Indianapolis. But the settlement of southern Tipton County was post- 
poned until about twelve years after the county of Hamilton was created, 
and was thus a howling wilderness for that entire period, when the 
county on the south was undergoing rapid settlement and improvement. 
It is, of course, certain that the county of Tipton was often traversed 
by white hunters and speculators from the south, and by traders who 
crossed the county on their way to traffic with the Miamis in Howard and 
northern Tipton Counties. Various Indian trails were the highways 
over which the traders traveled. Wild animals were found abundantly 
in all portions of the county, especially along the streams, where im- 
penetrable swamps abounded, and where the animals sought refuge when 
pursued by hunters. Old settlers of Hamilton County state that bears 
were numerously found in all the region bordering Cicero Creek, and 
that such region was a favorite hunting-ground of the Miamis on the 
north. The country (vas constantly invaded by hunters and trappers 
from the south, and, erelong, the bears had nearly all been killed or 
driven away, and even the deer had become comparatively scarce and 
quite shy. Cicero Creek is said to have derived its name from the fol- 
lowing circumstance: The survey took place in 1821, under Judge (Will- 
iam B.) Laughlin, of Brookville. One of his assistants was his son 
Cicero, who undertook to drink, one day, from the stream, but while 
stooping down missed his hold, and plunged into the water. This mis- 
hap so amused the father that he is said to have then and there named 
the creek Cicero, to commemorate the event of the ducking. This oc- 
curred in Hamilton County. Much more regarding wild animals and 
Indians will be found in other portions of this volume. 

THE FIEST PURCHASE OF LAND. 

The following, taken from the "Tract Book," in the Kecorder's 
office, exhibits a number of the first pieces of land entered in the 
county: 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



PURCHASER. 



Nicholas McCarty. . . 
Nicholas McCarty. . 
Absalom Summers . . 

P. W. Sharger 

P. W. Sharger 

James Beeson 

James Goodpasture . . 
Absalom Summers . . 

Eli Wright 

Eli Wright 

Eli Wright 

Henry Etchison 

Henry Hill 

Samuel King 

George R. Kelley. . . . 

John Wade 

John Wade 

Humphrey Stevens. . 
Humphrey Stevens. . 

G. R. Keiley 

.Samuel King 

Henry Ward 

D. J. Wood 

Charles Trial, Jr.... 

John Frazier 

A. J. Redding 

William Bishop 

John Emehiser 

Elias Overman 

Newton J. Jackson. . 
Zadoc W. Darrow. . . 
Samuel Darrow 



29 
29 
31 
30 
31 
33 
25 
36 
29 
29 
29 
29 
25 
24 
25 
11 
12 
13 
13 
25 
19 
30 
36 
13 
17 
19 

25 

14 & 15 
33 
19 
32 
32 



TOWN- 
SHIP. 



DATE OF ENTRY. 



LOCATION. 



21 
31 
21 
21 

21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
31 
21 
21 
21 
21 
21 
31 
31 
31 

21 

21 
21 
21 
21 
21 



80 

80 
136.53 
145.84 
143.84 

80 

80 
330 
16« 

80 

80 

40 

40 
160 

40 

80 

80 
160 

80 

80 

65 
160 
330 

80 

80 
160 



400 
160 
330 

8!) 



4 
5 
6 
6 
6 i 160 



Sept. 19, 1839. 
Sept. 19, 1839. 
Sept. 1, 1834. 
Sept. 1, 1834. 
Sept. 1, 1834. 
Jan. 3, 1835.. 
March 9, 1835. 
'Mav 30, 1835. 
July 6, 1835.. 
July 6. 1835.. 
July 6, 1835 . . 
August 33, 1835. 
August 37, 1835. 
August 39, 1835. 
August 39, 1835. 
Sept. 36, 1835 . . . 
Sept. 36, 1835.... 
Sept. 36, 1835... 
Sept. 36, 1835... 
Sept. 26. 18 i5... 
Sept. 36, 1835... 
October 13, 1835. 
October 13, 1835. 
iOctoberSO, 1835. 
October 34, 1835. 
October 34, 1835. 



4 ! 160 iNov. 3, 1835 . . ■! 



iNov. 30. 1835 . 
Nov. 13, 1835 . 
Dec. 3, 1835. . . 
[Dec. 24,1835.. 
.Dec. 34, 1835. . 



W. N. W, 

w. s. w. 
s. w. 
s. w. 

N. W- 
E. S. E. 
E. N. E. 
E. half. 
S. E. 
W. N. E. 
E. N. W. 
N. WS.W. 
S. W. S. E. 
N. E. 

N.W. S. E. 
E. S. E. 
W. S. W. 
N. E. 
E. N. W. 
E. S. W. 
N. S. W. 
N. E. 
W. half. 
E. S. E. 
E. S. E. 
S. E. 

E. N. W. & 
W. N. E. 
Parts. 
S. W. 
E. half. 
W. S. E. 
N. E. 



SUBSEQUENT SETTLEMEiTt. 

The purchase of land and the settlement in the southern portion of 
the county continued quite extensively during the years 1836, 1837 and 

1838, so that in 1839 it was found expedient to make some provision for 
the taxation of the settlers, and for the administration of justice. Ac- 
cordingly, by an act of the General Assembly, approved February 16, 

1839, the boundary of the county of Eichai'dville was formed, the Miami 
title to the old Miami reservation having been extinguished in 1838, 
though the tribe was not to be removed therefrom nor molested until 
1842 and 1843, so that no oi-ganization of such county could take place 
until 1844. A portion of the coiinty of Richardville, as thus defined, 
now belongs to Tipton County, as will be seen by considering what fol- 
lows. Section 2 of that enactment attached all of the Miami reservation 
south of Cass County and north of the line dividing Townships 22 and 
23 north, to Cass County. These sections were 6, 5. 4 and possibly 3, 
in Township 23 north. Range 3 east, now in the extreme northwestern 
part of Tipton County. Section 3 of the enactment attached all of the 
reservation south of Miami County and north of the line dividing Town- 
ships 22 and 23 north, to Miami County. Thus, Sections 1, 2 and per- 



4 HISTORY OF TIITON OOUNTV. 

haps 3, in Township 23 north, Range 3 east, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 
6 in Township 23 north, Range 4 east, and Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 in 
Township 23 north. Range 5 east, now forming a portion of the northern 
tier of sections of Tipton (bounty, were attached to Miami County. Sec- 
tion 4 of the enactment attached all of the reservation east of the eastern 
boundary of Miami County, and north of the line dividing Townships 
22 and 23 north, to Grant County. The territory thus attached to Grant 
was Sections -5 and (3 in Township 23 north, Range 6 east, and Sections 
1 and 2 in Township 23 north, Range 5 east. Section 5 of the enact 
ment was as follows: 

Section 5. .So much of said reservation as is north of the county of Hamilton 
and south of the line dividino- Townships 22 and 23 north, is hereby attached to the 
said county of Hamilton for judicial purposes ; and the said counties to which the 
said territor_y is hereby temporarily attached shall exercise all the rights, privileges 
and jurisdictions in and over said territory that to said counties belon;;- according to 
law in other cases, and when the population in such attached territory will warrant 
shall form the same into townships, and order the election of Justices of the Peace' 
and other township officers; and the inhabitants of such attached territory shall be 
entitled to and exercise all the rights and privileges that other citizens of said coun- 
ties are entitled to. Tj-^icy 

It should be noticed, that all this teiritory, at least ^11 of the old 
Miami reservation referred to above, was created as Richardville County, 
which was not to be organized until the Indians were removed and the 
white population warranted. In the meantime, tiie lanii was attached to 
the surrounding counties, as above stated. It is clear, then, that all of 
the Miami reservation now in Tipton County was, by this enactment, 
included within the boundarias of the old Richardville County. There 
seems to have been no direct provision made for that portion of Tipton 
County south of the Miami reservation. An indirect reference seems to 
be made to it in the first part of Section 5 of the enactment of 1839, 
quoted above, as the reservation south of the line dividing Townships 22 
and 23 north could scarcely have been attached to Hamilton County, un- 
less that portion of Tipton County south of the reservation was attached 
at the same time, or had been before. But it was not attached before, 
and subsequent references render it almost absolutely conclusive that 
Section 5, above quoted, provided that all of the present Tipton County 
south of the line between Townships 22 and 23 north should be attached 
to Hamilton County. Whether the southern portion of the county — that 
south of the reservation — was included within the boundaries of the 
county <^f Richardville fixed by the enactment of 1839, cannot be cer- 
tainly stated by the writer, though that seems to have been the inten- 
tion. 

The Commissioners of Hamilton County no sooner became aware of 
the passage of the enactment of 1839, than (in January, 1839) they or- 
dered, " That all the territory north of White River, Jackson and 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 5 

Adams Townships (the northern tier of townships of Hamilton County), 
to the reservation, be attached to and form a part of said townships, and 
Allen Cole is ordered to obtain all the held notes for the territory north 
of White Kiver, Jackson and Adams Townships to the reservation." At 
the March (5th) session of 1839, the same Commissioners divided the 
attached territory on the north into the following townships: Cicero — 
Beginning at the southeast corner of Section 32, Township 21 north, 
Kange 6 east, thence north twelve miles, thence west ten miles, thence 
south twelve miles, to the southwest corner of Section 35, Township 21 
north, Range 4 east, thence east to the place of beginning. Jeffemon 
— Beginning at the southeast corner of Section 34, Township 21 north. 
Range 4 east, thence north twelve miles, thence west ten miles, thence 
south twelve miles, to the southwest corner of Section 31, Township 21 
north, Range 3 east, thence east to the place of beginning. The two 
townships, Cicero and Jefiferson, were made to include all of the present 
Tipton County except the tier of sections on ^the northern boundary, 
such tier having been attached to other counties, as previously stated. 
For Cicero Township, an election of two Justices of the Peace was or- 
dered held at the house of James Goodpasture, on the first Monday in 
April, 1839, and Dempsey St. Clair was appointed Inspector of such 
election. An election of two Justices of the Peace in Jefferson Township 
was ordered held the first Monday in Aj^ril, and John Deal was ap- 
pointed Inspector. Immediately after this, and possibly before the elec- 
tions were held, the Commissioners of Hamilton re- adjusted the bounda- 
ries of Cicero and Jefferson Townships, and created the new township of 
Madison, giving each the following boundaries : Jefferson — Beginning 
at the southwest corner of the county, thence east eight , miles, thence 
north as far as the jurisdiction of Hamilton County extended, which was 
to the line dividing Townships 22 and 23 north, thence west eight miles, 
to the western boundary of Tipton County, thence south to the place of 
beginning. Cicero — Beginning at the southeast corner of Jefifersoa 
Township, thence east six miles, thence north as far as the jurisdiction 
of the county extended, thence west six miles to the northeast corner of 
Je£ferson Township, thence south to the place of beginning. Madison — 
Beginning at the southeast corner of Cicero Township, thence east six 
miles to the southeast corner of Tipton County, thence north along the 
eastern boundary as far as the jurisdiction of Hamilton County ex- 
tended, thence west six miles to the northeast corner of Cicero Town- 
ship, thence south to the place of beginning. No other changes were 
made until Tipton County was created. The settlers continued to pour 
into the southern portion of the county, and in the northern part many 
tracts of land were pre-empted by families that became actual residents, 
and by speculators who expected to hold the land until it had risen 
greatly in value, after which it would be sold to such men as would 



6 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

contract to become actual residents. Every inducement was offered to 
emigrants seeking homes, and the sale of lands aud town lots in the 
three villages that were laid out was advertised far in the East, to lure 
actual residents to the county, and thus hasten the improvement of the 
new country, increase the population and the blessings which follow set- 
tled communities, and multiply the value of the land and the farms. 

In 1842 and 1843, the Miamis were removed west of the Mississi ppi 
River, after which the pre-emption of lands in the reserve (though they 
were not yet thrown into market) was rapid, and the settlement and 
improvement as extensive as if the land had been placed in the land 
offices for sale. The settlement in the present counties of Howard and 
Tipton was so rapid that the Legislature was formally petitioned to 
create two new counties, which was done during the sessoin of 1843-44, 
the enactment in full being as follows: —^-■■" 

Be it enacted by the Oeneral Assembly of the State of Indiana. That all the 
country included within the followini^ boundaries shall form and constitute the 
county of Tipton, to wit : Beginning at the northeast corner of Section 36, Town- 
ship 23 north, Range 2 east, thence east to the northwest corner of Section 33, 
Township 23 north, Range 6 east, thence south to the line dividing Townships 20 
and 21 north, thence west to the line dividing Ranges 2 and 3, thence north to the 
place of beginning. 

Section 2. That all the country included within the following boundary 
shall form and constitute the county of Richardville, to wit : Beginning ai the 
northeast corner of Section 36, Township 23 north, Range 2 east, thence north to 
the southeast corner of Section 13, Township 23 north, Range 2 east, thence west to 
the line dividing Ranges 1 and 2, thence north to the line dividing Townships 24 
and 25 north, thence east to the northwest corner of Section 4, Township 24 north. 
Range 6 east, thence south to the northwest corner of Section 33, Township 23 north. 
Range 6 east, thence west to the place of beginning. 

Sec 3. Daniel P. Alder, of Grant County ; Jesse Carter, of Clinton 
County; Samuel Cunningham, of Hamilton County; Giles W. Thomas, of Cass 
Countyt James Nowland, of Madison County; and Lewis D. Adkins, of Miami 
County, be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners for the purpose of fixing 
the permanent seat of justice in the said county of Tipton, agreeably to the provis- 
ions of an act to establish seats of justice in new counties, approved January 14, 
1824. The said Commissioners, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of 
Jesse Brown, in said county of Tipton, on the second Monday in May next, or as 
soon thereafter as a majority of them shall agree upon. 

Sec. 4. John Moulder, of Parke County; Himelias Mendenhall, of Miami 
County; John Armstrong, of Carroll County; Oliver Raymond, of Wabash County; 
and Samuel Coiip. of Hamilton County, be, and they are hereby appointed Com- 
missioners for the purpose of fixing the permanent seat of justice in the said county 
of Richardville agreeably (etc., as in Section 3). The said Commissioners, or a 
majority of them, shall meet at the house of John Harrison in said county of Rich- 
ardville on the second Monday in May next, or as soon thereafter as a majority of 
them shall agree upon. 

Sec. 5. The said Commissioners shall locate the permanent seats of justice of 
said counties as near the center thereof as a convenient site can be obtained, taking 
into consideration the amount proposed to be donated for the public buildings in 
said counties. Provided, hotcever, if the land where the said county seats are to be 
located is not surveyed, and a good and sufficient title cannot be obtained, then th 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 7 

said Commissioaers shall convene for the purposes aforesaid as soon as such survey 
is made and a title can be obtained. 

Sec. 6. From and after the first day of May next the said counties of Tipton 
and Richardville shall enjoy all the rights and jurisdictions which to separate 
counties do or may belong. 

Sec. 7. It shall be the duty of the Sheriff of Hamilton County to notify the 
Commissioners hereby appointed to locate the seat of justice in the county of Tip- 
ton by writing of their appointment and the time and place of their meeting, and 
the county of Tipton shall make such Sheriff a reasonable compensation for his 
services. 

Sec. 8. It shall be the duty of the Sheriff of the county of Carroll to notify 
the Commissioners hereby appointed to locate the seat of justice in the county of 
Richardville by writing of their appointment, and the time and place of their 
meeting, and the county of Richardville shall make such Sheriff a reasonable com- 
pensation for his services. 

Sec. 9. The Circuit and other courts of the county of Tipton shall be held at 
the house of Jesse Brown, in said county, or at any other place where said courts 
may adjourn to until suitable accommodations can be had at the seat of justice. 

Sec. 10. The Circuit and other courts of the county of Richardville shall be 
held at the house of John Harrison, in said county, or at any other place where 
said courts may adjourn to until suitable accommodations can be had at the seat of 
justice. 

Sec. U. The boards doing county business in said counties, ;When elected and 
qualified, may hold special sessions not exceeding three the first year after the 
organization of said counties, and shall make all necessary appointments, and do 
and perform all other business that might have been necessary to be performed at 
any regular session, and take all necessary steps to assess and collect the State and 
county revenue. 

Sec. 12. The county of Tipton 'shall be attached to and form a part of the 
Eleventh Judicial Circuit for judicial purposes, and shall be attached to the county 
of Hamilton for Representative purposes, and to the counties of Hamilton and 
Boone for Senatorial purposes, and to the Fifth Congressional District. 

Sec. 13. The county of Richardville shall be attached to and form a part of 
the Eleventh Judicial Circuit for judicial purposes, and shall be attached to the 
county of Carroll for Representative purposes, and to the counties of Carroll and 
Clinton for Senatorial purposes, and to the Eighth Congressional District. 

Sec. 14. The Circuit Courts in the county of Tipton shall be held on Mon- 
days succeeding the courts in Jay County, and shall continue three days if the busi- 
ness require it. 

Sec. 15. The Circuit Courts in the county of Richardville shall be held on 
Thursdays succeeding the courts of Tipton County, and shail continue three days if 
the business require it. 

Sec. 16. The sixth section of an act, approved February 16, 1839, entitled 
"An act attaching certain territory to the counties therein named," and for other 
purposes, be and the same is hereby repealed. 

Sec. 17. The act entitled " An act to compel speculators to pay a road tax 
equal to that paid by actual settlers," approved January 31, 1843, is hereby extended 
to the county of Tipton. 

Sec. 18. This act to be in force from and after its passage. 

Approved January 15, 1844. 

THE FIRST election. 

On the 27th day of March, 1844, William Harrington was commis- 



8 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



sioned Sheriff by Gov. Whitcomb. and empowered to order an electi<)n 
. f the necessary officers to organize the new coianty of Tipton. The 27th 
of May, 1844, was accordingly selected as the day upon which the first 
election in the county should be held. Elections wer« advertised for 
three Commissioners, two Associate Judges, one Clerk of the Circuit 
Court and one Recorder, to be held in Cicero, Madison, Jefferson and 
Prairie Townships. The result of this election was as follows: 



CANDIDATES. 



CLERK. 

N. J. Jackson 

David Kemp •■•11 

Alexander M. Young ' 4 

.James Foisee 7 

RECORDER. 

AmasaP. Cassler 15 

Benjamin McCaslaud 13 

Reuben Farlow 1 

James Cooper i 9 

Sylvester Turpen j 3 

ASSOCIATE JUDGES. ' 

Daniel Smith i 17 

Silas Blount 29 

Thomas Cooper 1 

Joseph Goar 31 

John Holmes 6 

Nicholas Fox ' 6 

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. j 

Thomas Jackson '. '40 

J.N.Wright 6 

Isaac Parker 17 

Robert Davison 27 

John Smith 34 

William Black 7 

Enos Mills 

Eli Teeter 



a o 



46 
12 



21 
10 
19 



7 
40 

5 
46 

5 
15 

51 
12 
22 
32 
39 
7 
11 



o s 

m to 

BJ Zi 

« & 



11 

33 



12 
9 

29 

18 
18 

28 

10 

25 

5 

29 

13 

3 

1 



Total voters i 47 i 63 i 43 






1 I 75 

5 38 

38 i 52 

10 \ 40 



13 
36 



28 
20 
41 
73 

24 



4 19 

40 : 146 

37' 66 

1 1 40 

18 ' 137 
11 39 

2 66 
20 i 84 
29 131 

19 ' 46 
.. I 14 

7 , 8 



56 I 208 



VOTERS AT THE FIRST ELECTION. 

The names of the voters at this lirst election were as follows in Cicero 
Township: David Miller, Jacob Whisler, T. C. Parker, Samuel Ledger- 
wood, M. L. Thomas, George McNeil, Daniel Welshous, Jesse Brown, 
Edward Good, George Van Buskirk, E. D. Thomas, Samuel S. White, 
Andrew Carpenter, David Webbert, D. G. Wilkes, John Beck, Lewis 
Beck, Stephen Weller, Green Lilly, George White, Solomon Miller, 
James Lechner, James Johnson, Sylvester Tiu-pen, J. C. Belzer, James 
Mynerty, William Welshous, William Sharp, Abi-aham Goody koontz, 
S. H. Newlin, John Johnson, Solomon Smith, Joseph Van Buskirk, 
March Tucker, Joseph Sumner, George Tucker, E. R. Conner, Harvey 
Goodykoontz, Allen Goodpasture, John Emehiser, George Smith, Joseph 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 9 

McMnrtry, James Cooper, A. M. Young, Jonatliaii Keed, Arthur Davison 
and E. S. White; total, 47. The voters in Madison Township at the 
same election were as follows: Henry Harbet, D. G. Wright, John Mor- 
ris, Spencer Etchison. Isaac Shaw, C. T. Jackson, Isaac Harbet, Gran- 
ville Gibson, Josiah Gilliland, James Merritt, George Leamar, Henry 
Sloan. H. H. Hobbs, Bert Wright, T. Starkey, William Harrington. 
Philip Ledsinger, Reuben Farlow, James Cross, Zimri Brown, Joseph 
Henderson, Gabriel Martin. William Townser, William Orr, Silas 
Blount, William Birch, Colbern Birch, Jr., Thomas Cooper, John Bel- 
hamer, Richard Miner,. R. E. Davison, L. T. Hobbs, Charles Thurman, 
William Stevenson, James Forsee, John B. Cole, Benjamin McCashland, 
John Little, Amasa P. Cassler, W. H. Stokesberry, Harvey Stokesberry, 
J. L. Jack, George Rhodes, Samuel Judy, John Etchison, Adam Elder, 
John W. Bolser, George Little, Samuel Townser, Samael Bottorff, Ed- 
ward Sharp, Absalom Hobbs, James Shaw, Sr., James Shaw, Jr., Ira 
Plummer, Daniel Etchison, George Myerly, Thomas Jackson, Nicholas 
Fox, John Russell, Joseph Goor and Enos Mills; total, 62. The voters 
in Pi-airie Township at the same election were William Bickerson, Joseph 
McConnelly, Elijah Harder, Joseph Harness, Jesse Stepp, George Teeter. 
Hardin Stepp, S. T. Harlow, John Parker, William Parker, Eli Teeter, 
Edward Jackson, Wesley Herron, Jesse Coleman, Eben Teeter, Benja- 
min Stewart, Daniel Campbell, Perry Evans, Robert Armstrong, Solomon 
Edmundson, John Herron, J. W. T. Duvall, David Humphreys, John 
Fariow, John Cooper, William Pfoff, John Sharks, Edward Stivens, G. 
A. Search, A. Small, Abraham Plew, John Nutter, George Forsee, J. A. 
W^right, G. W. B. Parks, George Tucker, Daniel Kemp, William Black, 
Levi Dunn, William Campbell, D. S. Pritchett, A. Pitmore, Daniel 
Stephens, W. H. Richardson, Amdrose Conn, James Miller, E. M. Sand- 
ridge, William Stewart, William Die, George Die, 'Archibald Mont- 
gomery, G. N. Ferris, W^illiam Terpine, Curtis Pritchett and Robert 
Alexander; total, 56. The list of voters at this election in Jeflferscm 
Township could not be found. ^ 

ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY. 

On Monday, the 3d of June, 1844, the three County Commissioners 
who had been elected met at the house of Jesse Brown, to set the official 
machinery of the county in motion. William Harrington produced his 
commission as Sheriff from Gov. Whitcomb, and the County Commis- 
sioners, in turn, exhibited their certificates of election. These fir^ 
Commissioners were Robert E. Davison, John D. Smith and TEoinas 
Jackson. Their first act was to cast lots for the long and short terms, 
which was done with the following results: Davison, one year; Smith, 
two years, and Jackson, three years. N. J. Jackson was appointed tem- 
porary County Auditor, and Jesse Bi'own, County Assessor. Mr. Brown 



10 HkSrOKY OF TIPTON COUNTY'. 

had served as Assessor under appointment from the Commissioners of 
Hamilton County, and he now presented his assessment list, which was 
formally received, and he was paid $18.75, for his services for twelve and 
a half days. The Board then proceeded to create townships as follows: 
Madison, to be six miles square, in the southeast corner of the county; 
Cicero, to be six miles square, and to adjoin Madison on the west; Jef- 
ferson, to bo six miles from north to south, and eight miles from east to 
west, and to bo located west of and adjoining Cicero; Prairie, to be all 
of the county north of Jefferson Township. Elections in Madison were 
ordered held at the house of John B. Cole; in Cicero, at the house of 
Jesse Brown; in Jefferson, at the house of Stephen Eleven, and in Prairie 
at the Montgomery Schoolhouse. John Hogan was granted a license to 
vend merchandise for six months for 50 cents, his capital amounting to 
$60. This gentleman, at that period, was not an Astor or a Stewart. 
All Koad Supervisors, who had previously been appointed under Hamil- 
ton County jurisdiction, were ordered to open all roads that had been 
properly laid out and granted. Two Justices of the Peace were ordered 
elected in each of the townships, Madison, Cicero and Jefferson, and 
one in Prairie. At the September term, 1844, N. J. Jackson was again 
appointed temporary Auditor, as he had not yet qualified as Clerk, to 
which office he had been elected. Elias S. Conner was appointed Con- 
stable of Cicero Township, Madison was divided into four road dis- 
tricts, Cicero into three, and Jefferson into four. Jesse Frasier was ap- 
pointed Constable of Prairie Township. The county was divided into 
three Commissioners' Districts, as follows: All east of an extended line 
between Sections 31 and 32, Township 21 north, flange 5 east, to be 
District No. 1; all east of the extended eastern boundary of Sec- 
tion 36, Township 21 north, Range 3 east, to be District No. 2; 
all the remainder of the county to be District No. 3. On Mon- 
day, October 14, 1844, David P. Alder, Jesse Carter, Samuel H. Cun- 
ningham and G. W. Thomas, four of the five Commissioners appointed 
by the Legislature to locate the county seat, appeared, and after investi- 
gating the merits of several locations, formally drove the stake and per- 
manently fixed the seat of justice of Tipton County on Section 11, Town- 
ship 21 north, Range 4 east, on a tract of 100 acres that was donated to 
the county by Samuel King, in consideration of having the county seat 
located thereon. These Commissioners were paid $159 for their services 
and discharged. The county seat was named Canton. William H. Nel- 
son was appointed County Agent, and directed to lay out the new county 
seat, after the design of a plat furnished by the Locating Commission- 
ers, and was ordered to sell not exceeding fifty of the lots so laid out. 
As the county had no funds to carry on expenses, the Auditor was di- 
rected to procure a quire of printed county orders, which were to be 
issued to raise money. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 11 

In December, 1844, Charles Thurman was appointed County Sur- 
veyor. In laying out Canton (now Tipton), he was assisted by John 
Criswell, Jesse Brown, M. L. Thomas and E. "D. Thomas. Andi'ew 
Evans was Clerk of the first public sale of town lots, and James Graves 
was Auctioneer. A. M. Young became Sheriff in the fall of 1844. N. 
J. Jackson was formally cpialified as Clerk and e.v officio Auditor. George 
Tucker was licensed to sell liquor in January, 1845. The buyers of lots in 
Canton up to March 3, 1845, were Daniel Smith, Lewis Jones, Si las Blount, 
E. S. White, Lewis Beck, Jesse Frasier, Daniel Lister, J. M. Chew, 
Samuel Neese, D. G. Wilkes, N. J. Jackson, George Tucker. L, C. 
Fairie, Daniel Welshous, William Ballard, M. L. Thomas, Brown & 
Whisler, Samuel Dale, J. N. Starkey and Wilson Thompson. The total 
receipts of the sale, thus far, wer^ $702.75, one-foui-th of which was 
cash. Almost all the early funds of the county came from the sale of 
town lots. This was a very important soui'ce of revenue, but the county 
was forced to issue ordei's, at a considerable discount, which discount 
continued to increase as time passed, and the orders were not re- 
deemed. 

In June, 1845, Joseph Van Buskirk was paid, in orders, $27.75, for 
assessing the county. The first county tax levied was in 1845, upon the 
basis of this assessment, 21J-cents on each $100 valuation, and 75 cents 
on each poll. The cash receipts on the county levy was small indeed, 
and the delinquent list began to run up. The first court house was com- 
pleted early in 1846, and a jail was built during the previous winter. 
Roads began to be laid out in the more needy locations of the county. 
Township officers and county officers were paid in county orders, at a 
discount of about 10 per centum. The rapid settlement of the county 
began to be felt in the presence of money brought in by the new settlers. 
Business was done, however, largely by a system of exchanges, balances 
often being disposed of by the transfer of some article of value. Butter, 
eggs, pork, etc., were worth so much sugar, coffee, calico, tobacco, etc. 
Deer skins were marketable at about $1 each. The county only gradual- 
ly grew out of its early financial difficiilties. 

THE CIRCUIT COURT. 

The first term of the Tipton County Circuit Court was held at the 
house of Jesse Brown, on Monday, the 12th of May, 1845, before Silas 
Blount and Joseph Goar, Associate Judges. Alexander M. Young, 
Sheriff, returned the following persons as grand jurors: Robart Arm- 
strongs Benjamin Leavell, James Shaw, Allen Pitman, Alexander Mills, 
David G. Wilkes, George Smith, Andrew Evans, Jackson Hill, Joseph 
Henderson, George Leman, Edward Good, Robert Davison, Harvey 
Goodykoontz and Jesse Brown. They were sworn, charged and sent into 
the grand jury room. On motion, William Gaiwer, Marcus Lindsey, 



12 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

James Forsee, William Stewart, Earl S. Stone and Amasa P. Gassier 
were sworn and admitted to practice in the court as attorneys. The first 
case called was an appeal from the Justice's court — William Welshous 
vs. Daniel Wcbbert— both parties being represented by attorneys. The 
case was continued until the next term of the court, when Mr. Welshous 
was non-suited and required to pay costs of suit. The second case seems 
to have been an appeal from Justice's court — William Garver rs. James 
Teachner. The defendant made default, whereupon judgment was ren- 
dered against him for costs. The third case — Joseph A. Wright vs. John 
B. Cole, trespass on the base for slander — was fixed for trial at 1 o'clock 
of the same day — Monday, May 12, 1845. At the time set, the defend- 
ant filed a plea of general issue and two special pleas of justification, 
and was given more time. The first grand jury, mentioned above, after 
being out a short time, came into court and reported that they had 
found no bills of indictment, whereupon they were discharged. The 
next, or fourth case was for trespass — John Hogan vs. Whisler & Web- 
bert. The plaintiff, not being a resident of the State, was required to 
give bond for costs, which he did in the sum of $50. The defendants 
demanded a jury, which was called and selected as follows: Levi Hobbs, 
Joseph Henderson. Samuel Deal, Michael Mitchell, James ^haw, John 
Farley, James Goar, William Orr, John B. Wright, Joseph Van Bus- 
kirk. Carter Jackson and John B. Cole. This was the first petit jury in 
the county. The trial proceeded; the jury were sent out, and soon re- 
turned with the following verdict: "We, the jury, find the defendants 
guilty of the trespass, and assess the plaintiff's damages at the sum of 
$13.20." Judgment was accordingly rendered against the defendants to 
the amount of the verdict and costs of suit, the total sum being $54. 56. 
The case of Wright vs. Cole then came up, the plaintiff filing his siinil- 
iter to the general issue of the defendant, and a x'eplication to the 
second and third special pleas. More time was granted to prepare for 
the trial. 

The first business performed on the third day of this court was the 
assessment of a fine of $1 each against Earl E. Stone and William 
Garver for contempt of court. Peace and apparent harmony having been 
restored by this act of the two Associate Judges, other business was con- 
sidered. As yet, the Presiding Judge had not been in attendance upon 
the coiu-t. The case of Wright vs. Cole came up, and a jury was called 
as follows: Joseph Van Buskirk, Jacob Whisler, George Smith, Edward 
Good, Daniel Lister, March Tucker, James Goar, John Farley, Joseph 
Sumner, Robert Davison, William Divon and Samuel Deal. The trial 
was begun, but before concluded court was adjourned until next morning 
at 9 o'clock. The verdict brought in by this jury was as follows: "We, 
the jury, find the defendant guilty as charged, and assess the plaintiff's 
damages at $75.84." Judgment included this sum and costs, amounting 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. IB 

to $47.24. On this day, the first grand jury, above mentioned, were 
allowed 75 cents each for one day's services. At the same time, several 
of the petit jurors were allowed $4 for three days' services. John Nutter 
was Bailiff, as were also Jesse Brown and John K. Smith. Thus ended 
the first term of the Tipton County Circuit Court. *s 

In November, 1845, John W. Wrig-ht, President Judge, and Siias 
'Blount and Joseph Goar, Associate Judges, were in attendance. The 
following grand jury was returned by the Sheriff: Richard Farlow 
(foreman), James Leavell, Michael Mitchell, James S. Jack, Isaac Shaw, 
Gilbert Wright. Malachi Cooper, James Pickard, John McHolmes, 
John Deal. Samuel Batorff, Daniel Smith, Solomon Smith, James Egler 
and Absalom Hobbs. By the .second day of this term, this grand jury 
had returned " true bills " of indictment in the following cases: " State 
of Indiana r.s. Daniel Bales, for public indecency," and " State of In- 
diana vs. David Bishop and Jonathan Reed, for affray." On the first day 
of this term, the first plea for divorce was filed by Catharine Sharpe vs. 
William Sharpe. The complainant, however, appeared by counsel, and 
dismissed the case at her own costs. The second plea for divorce, filed 
the same day. was by Jacob Whisler vs. Lavina Whisler. A demurrer 
was filed to the complainant's bill, and was sustained by Judge Wright, 
whereupon the case was dismissed. Ten cases were considered by the 
court at this term, and eight bills of indictment were returned by the 
Grand Jury. 

At the April term, 1846. Jeremiah Smith, President Judge, and Silas 
Blount and Joseph Goar, Associate Judges, were, present. Judge Smith 
produced his commission from the Governor, for the term of seven years, 
as Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. The rules of court previously 
adopted were repealed, and a long series of new and better ones was 
adopted. Among the attorneys admitted to practice in the early Cir- 
cuit Courts oE the county were Andi-ew Batorff, Nathaniel R. Lindsey 
and Charles D. Murray in November, 1845; John Davis, J. S. Buckles 
and William F. Brady in March, 184G. Joseph S. Buckles was the 
Prosecutor of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit from September, 1846, to 
September, 1848. Gustavus H. Voss was admitted to the bar in Octo- 
ber, 1846. William H. Nelson was admitted during the same term, and 
James F. Suit and John M. Conan in April, 1847. A metallic seal was 
adopted at the October term, 1847 ; this is described further on. Amasa 
P. Cassler became District Prosecuting Attorney in September. 1848. 
John Green was admitted to the bar in April, 1849, and David Kilgore 
and Joseph A. Lewis at the same term. Carlton E. Shippey and Rich- 
ard D. Markland were admitted to the bar in April, 1852. Among the early 
cases before the Circuit Court were the following: Trespass on the case, 
trespass, divorce, assumpsit, public indecency, affray, assault and bat- 
tery, debt, official negligence, cases in chancery, illegal voting, trover 



14 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

and conversion, foreclosure of mortgage, retailing, perjury, betting, 
ferfeited recognizance, rape, winning, losing, adultery, extortion, riot, 
larceny, selling liquor to intoxicated person, scire facias, etc., etc. The 
first charge of murder was in April, 1852, against Harvey Moon, who 
took a change of venue to the Marion Circuit Court. An account of this 
case will be found fiu'ther on. The first person admitted to citizenship 
was Laurence Beck, a German, from the Dukedom of Hesse-Darmstadt. 
This was the 10th of November, 1845. John Green, the attorney long- ' 
est a practitioner of the Tipton County bar, is yet an honored resident of 
the county, and still continues a disciple of Blackstone, with but little 
diminution in his former intellectual celerity and vigor. 

THE PROBATE COURT. 

The first probate business on record in the Clerk's office, was the ap- 
plication of Thomas Cooper for letters of administration of the estate of 
Alexander S. Wallace, deceased, which application was granted on the 
6th of July, 1844, by Newton J. Jackson, Clerk of the Court. Mr. 
Cooper must have been a Quaker, or something of that sort, as, instead 
of making oath for the faithful performance of his duties as adminis- 
trator, he " affirmed." On the 5th of September, he returned an inven- 
tory of the goods, chattels and effects of Wallace, deceased, the amount 
being $199.49. He produced a bill of sale of the property, which 
amounted to $214.62. All this was done before the first session of the 
com't. On the 11th day of November, 1844, the first Probate Court was 
held by William H. Nelson, Probate Judge, the first business coming 
before the court being the above. The bond of Mr. Cooper was pro- 
nounced insufficient, and he was required to give additional security, 
which he did by securing the signature of Alexander M. Young to his 
bond, which amounted to $150. The lynx-eyed Judge also pronounced 
the bill of sale insufficient, and ordered it "returned to Mr. Cooper for 
correction, to be completed and returned by the 25th of November. Be- 
fore the court was held, or on the 27th of September, 1844, letters of ad- 
ministration had been granted to Edward Sharp, on the estate of James 
P. Woods, deceased. His bond was fixed at $500. At the above- 
mentioned first term of the court, the bond was approved, but the inven- 
tory of the property of the deceased, amounting to $357.27, was rejected, 
owing to the want of sufficient affidavits from the appraisers. Time was 
given the administrator for correction. Upon petition of Jeremiah 
Moty, infant son of George Moty, deceased, Erasmus D. Thomas was 
appointed guardian, to take care of the person and property of the said 
Jeremiah Moty. The guardian's bond was fixed at $200; rather an in- 
significant amount, judging from appearances. Thus ended the proceed- 
ings of the first term of Probate Court of Tipton County. 

At the February term, 1845, Thomas Cooper was charged with the 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 15 

bill of sale of the estate of A. S. "Wallace, the same amounting to 
$214.62; and Edward Sharp was charged with the estate of J. P. Woods, 
which amounted to $357.25, a portion of the estate ($114.61) having been 
paid over to Anna Woods, widow of the deceased. And here the Febru - 
ary term of the court ended. 

At the May term, 1845, Daniel Higer was appointed guardian of the 
estate of Henry Higer, John Higer and Martha Higer, his own (David 
Higer's) infant children, under fourteen years of age, who had been willed 
property worth about $105 by Charles Baker, deceased, of Hamilton 
County. And thus ended the May term of the court. 

At the August term, 1845, H. H. Hobbs was appointed guardian of 
the estate of his infant children — Amanda, Elizabeth, Nancy and John 
Hobbs. At the November term, 1845, Andrew J. Sharp was appointed 
administrator of the estate of Anna Woods, deceased, and Jesse Brown 
was appointed administrator of the estate of James Goodpasture, de- 
ceased. The inventory of Mr. Goodpasture's property, with the ap- 
praised value, was as follows: One wagon, $40; one yoke of oxen, $30; 
one milch cow, $9; one lot of bedding, $9; one table, $2.50; one small 
chest, 50 cents; one lot of sundry articles, 31 cents; one tea-kettle, 37 
cents; one stew pot, 37 cents; one lot of cupboard ware, $1.75; one meal 
sieve, 25 cents; one Dutch oven, 87^ cents; one lot of potatoes, $2; one 
lot of cabbage, 25 cents; one lot of corn, $1.75; one rifled gun, $2.75; 
total, $101.67. This inventory is a fit representation of the "goods, chat- 
tels, rights, credits, moneys and effects" of each of the early settlers. 
There was the wagon and yoke of oxen; there was the one cow; there 
were the meager household furniture, domestic utensils and vegetables, 
and there was the rifle, which played an important part in the desolate 
drama of pioneer life. A volume of self-denial is told in that inventory. 
Ruth Armstrong, widow of Robert Armstrong, deceased, filed a petition 
in November, renouncing all claim to administer the estate of her de- 
ceased husband, and asking that Alexander M. Young, or some other 
suitable person, might be appointed. Mr. Young was accordingly ap- 
pointed. Andrew J. Sharp, administrator of the estate of Anna Woods, 
deceased, was cited to appear at the next term of the court to show cause 
why he should not be removed or give a new bond and give an inventory 
of the estate, and present a bill of sale of the property. 

And so the probate matters ran on until 1853, when the Common 
Pleas Court assumed jurisdiction of all probate business. 'Mr. Nelson 
served as Probate Judge until February, 1851, when he was succeeded 
by Joseph A. Lewis. In November, 1851, Mr Lewis was succeeded by 
Richard Minor, who served until probate business was transferred to the 
Common Pleas Court. 

The first commission of lunacy was issued in May. 1849, at which time 
Amos Pharis petitioned the issuance of such commission to inquire into 



IG HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

the sanity of Barbara Pilaris. After consideration, the court directed 
the Sheriff to summon a jury of twelve men, to determine as to the com- 
pos m,mtis or non compos mentis oi thp said Barbara Pharis. The jury 
found that for the space of about four years next preceding the in- 
(juiry, the lady had been of unsound mind, and was wholly unfit to man- 
age her property or person; whereupon Amos Pharis was appointed her 
guardian, and rerpiired to give bond in the sum of $150. The second 
seal of the Probate Court was of the usual circular form and size, in- 
closing the representation of a coffin, with the words on the margin of 
the seal, "Probate Court of Tipton County, Indiana." This took the 
place of the seal adopted in 1847, which was really the seal of the " Tip- 
ton Circuit Court, Indiana," those words inclosing a cluster of growing 
wheat, a harrow, a rake, a fork and a plow. The second probate seal, 
above, was adopted November 13, 1849. 

THE COMMON PLEAS COURT. 

The first term of the Common Pleas Court of Tipton County was 
begun and held at the court house in June, 1853, by Earl S. Stone, sole 
Judge, whose district was composed of the counties of Hamilton, Howard 
and Tipton. The first business of a probate nature was the confirmation 
of the letters of administration granted to James A. Junis, on the estate 
of James Junis, deceased; and the second was the confirmation of the 
letters of administration granted to Joseph Shank, on the estate of 
Joseph H. Shepard, deceased. The first business other than of probate 
Uciture was the case of the State vs. Lewis McEIhaney charged with as- 
sault and batteiy. The third case was a charge of the same nature, 
against Jane Shane. Subsequent ca«=ies were petition for a deed, assump- 
sit, suit on a promissory note, trespass, account, divorce, suit on bond, 
attachment, injury to the person, assault and battery, for the conveyance 
of real estate., complaint on note, petition for partition, surety of the 
peace, etc., etc. 

MURDER TRIALS. 

The first murder trial on record in the county was the killing of Mr. 
Hornbeck by Henry Moon, in about 1852. The men were cousins, and 
became involved in a dispute regarding a few cattle. It seems that 
Hornbeck went into a field to thrash Moon, but the latter stabbed the 
former with a pocket-knife, inflicting a mortal wound. Moon was ar- 
raigned, took a change of venue to Indianapolis, where he was sentenced 
to the penitentiary for three years, but was set at libetry at the end of 
eighteen months. 

The murder of a man named Eshelman caused much excitement in 
the county. He was hunting, and disappeared, and, as he did not return 
within a I'easonable time, his folks became uneasy tmd instituted a 
strict search, which resulted in finding his decomposed body in the 



HISTOKY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 17 

woods. A young man named Ellison was arrested, some strong evidence 
existing as to his guilt. He was sent to the penitentiary, but was par- 
doned by the Governor and released, and a man named David Whel- 
chel was arrested, charged with the murder. At the first trial, Whelchel 
was sentenced to the penitentiary for life; but he gained a new trial, 
where the jury " hung," which resulted in his acquittal. Subsequently 
young Ellison was hung for murder in Missouri 

Another important case was the death, by poisoning, of a Mrs. Snyder 
and her little girl. The two died with spasms, and under suspicious 
circumstances, and the husband and step-father was arrested, charged 
with poisoning them with strychnine. On the tirst trial, Mr. Snyder 
was sentenced for life to the penitentiary. At the first new trial, he 
was sentenced for twenty- one years, but at the second new trial was again 
sentenced for life. Many have doubted this man's guilt, thinking that 
the mother poisoned her child and herself. 

Joel Harvey and Jane Goflf were arraigned for the murder of Mr. 
Gofi', husband of Jane Gofl'. The wife was sentenced to two years in the 
penitentiary, as an accessory, while Harvey was set free, owing to a 
feeble prosecution. 

Two boys In Tipton, named Groves and Paul, became involved in a 
quarrel, when the former struck the latter on the head with a brick-bat, 
causing his death. An indictment was returned, but Groves has been 
missing since the tragedy. 

A year or two ago, two boys, named respectively Doles and White, 
quarreled, when the former stabbed the latter, causing his death. The 
murderer was sentenced to the penitentiary for twenty-one years. 

At Windfall, a man named Armstrong shot and killed a Mr. Thomas, 
but on the trial was acquitted. A woman was at the bottom of the case. 
Various other murders have occurred, but the above are the most im- 
portant. 

EARLY JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 

Among the early Justices of the Peace were Jesse Brown, 1844; 
Solomon Miller, 1844; Joseph McMurtry, 1844; Levi T. Hobbs, 1845; 
David Lilley, 1845; Andrew Evans, 1845; Reuben Farlow, 1845; 
Robert Alexander, 1845; Richard Humphrey, 1845; William Black, 
1845; D. B. Redmon, 1845; David Decker, 1847; Alexander Suit, 1848; 
Johnson Farley, 1848; Thomas Jackson, 1849; Philemon Plummer, 1849; 
Harvey A. Wells, 1849; H. A. Woodruff, 1849; Jesse Brown, 1849; 
Jesse Smiley, 1849; Richard Miner, 1849; Jonathan Endicott, 1849; 
John Murphey, 1850; Reuben Jackson, 1850; Green Lilley, 1850; Da- 
vid Lilley, Sr., 1850; John Longfellow, 1850; William Ray, 1850; 
Robert Alexander, 1850; John Smith, 1850; George Wlmbraugh, 1850, 
and James Barrow, 1850. 



18 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

SUBSEQUENT TOWNSHIP BOUNDARIES. 

In June, 1847, Wild Cat Township was created as follows: Begin- 
ning at the northeast corner of Section 32, Township 23 north, Range 6 
east, thence south five miles, thence west twelve miles, thence north five 
miles, thence east twelve miles to the place of beginning. The other 
townships were made to correspond. At the March term, 1849, the 
townships were given the following boundaries: Madison, located in 
the southeast corner of the county, to be eight miles from north to south 
and five and a half miles from east to west, just its present size; Cicero, 
located next west of Madison, to be seven and a half miles from east to west, 
on the south, thence north six and a half miles, thence east one mile, 
thence north one and a half miles, thence east six and a half miles, 
thence south eight miles to the place of beginning; Jefferson, located 
next west of Cicero, to be seven miles from east to west, and six and a 
half miles from north to south; Prairie, to commence at the southeast 
corner of the northeast quarter of Section 32, Township 22 north, Range 
4 east, thence west eight miles, thence north six and a half miles, thence 
east eight miles, thence south six and a half miles, to the place of be- 
ginning; Wild Cat, to commence at the southeast corner of Section 20, 
Township 22 north, Range 6 east, thence west twelve miles, thence north 
five miles to the county line, thence east twelve miles, thence south five 
miles to the place of beginning. In June, 1849, Liberty Township was 
created as follows: To commence at the northeast corner of Secti^^n 31, 
Township 23 north, Range 5 east, thence west five miles, thence south 
five miles, thence east five miles, thence north five miles, to the place of 
beginning. At the same time, W^ild Cat Township was bounded as fol- 
lows: Commence at the northeast corner of Section 32, Township 23 
north. Range 6 east, thence west seven miles, thence south five miles, 
thence east seven miles, thence north five miles, to the place of begin- 
ning. In September, 1851, a portion of eastern Prairie was attached to 
Liberty, and a portion of southeastern Prairie to Cicero. 

In September, 1855, the boundaries of Cicero and Jefi"erson were 
altered to what they are at present. In 1857, fifty-four citizens of 
Liberty and Wild Cat Towiiships petitioned the Board to create a new 
township out of certain portions of those two townships, but action 
thereon was postponed and finally dropped. In 1860, a petition to 
change the|boundary between Madison and Cicero Townships to a half 
mile east of where it now is was not granted. No other alterations have 
been made in the boundaries of the townships. 

COURT HOUSES AND JAILS. 

Early in 1845, Jesse Brown was ordered to advertise for sealed pro- 
posals for the erection of a frame court house, 20x24 feet, two stories 
high, to be covered with poplar shingles, to be erected on Lot 3, Block 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 19 

10, Canton, and to be ready by the Ist of June, 1845. In February, the 
contract was awarded to George Tucker, who was paid the first install- 
ment March 5, 1S45. The building was up by June, according to con- 
tract, and the contract of completing, partitioning and furnishing the 
house was let to Jacob W. Whisler and Christian Eshelman, for $238, 
the work to be completed by November, 3845. This was accomplished 
according to contract, the contractoi's receiving their pay, $285.50, in 
March, 1846. Under orders, N. J. Jackson purchased two stoves, ft* 
$37.77, in December, 1845, for the court house, using the " town lot 
fund " for that purpose. The cost of this building was about $1,200. 
It had a hall running through from east to west, and on each side of the 
lower story were two rooms for the county officers. The upper story was 
the court room. In September, 1845, the County Agent, W. H. Nelson, 
was ordered to have built a log jail, 14x20 feet, eight feet high, with 
walls of hewed-oak timber, one foot square, the rooms to be lined with 
heavy oak plank, spiked firmly in their places. Charles A. Thurman 
took the contract at $115, and completed the same in December, 1845. 
It is stated that no criminal broke out of this old jail, after he was once 
locked in. It answex-ed all purposes until the present jail was con- 
structed, and possessed a merit, it is stated, that the present building 
does not — criminals could not escape. Daniel Smith was the first jailer. 
In June, 1846, Solomon Smith, who had donated to the county 2,000 
feet of good lumber for the public buildings, was directed to deliver the 
same at the court house. In September, 1846, James Cassler contracted 
to clear the court house square for $13.12. At the same time, George 
Tucker, under orders, secured twelve chairs for the court house. In the 
autumn, quite an extensive addition was built to the court house, at a 
cost of several hundred dollars. This was rendered necessary by the 
crowded condition of things. In 1855, the i:)ublic square was fenced 
anew. In December, 1855, Samuel Deal and Harvey Goodykoontz were 
appointed to see to the erection of much-needed county offices on the 
public square, the building to be frame, 14x28 feet, nine feet high, with 
a partition in the center, the rooms to be ceiled and plastered. The 
building was completed in June, 1857, at a cost of $329.09. About this 
time, the county courts began to meet in the Methodist Church, which 
had been erected about three years before, as the court house had been 
destroyed by fire. 

In June, 1858, Nelson Dauben speck, of Hamilton County, contracted 
to build a new court house for Tipton County, within two years, for 
$10,000, of which $1,000 was to be paid the 1st of November, 1858, 
$3,000 the 1st of January, 1859, $3,000 the 1st of January, 1860, and 
$3,000 when the building was completed and accepted. The foundation 
of the building was to be three and a half feet high, two feet thick at 
the bottom nnd twenty inches thick at the top. The outer wall was to be 



20 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

of hammer-dressed limestone, and the inner walls either of brick or lime- 
stone, eighteen inches thick. The walls oi the building proper were to 
bo of brick, the outside wall to be eighteen inches thick, except the 
gables, which were to be thirteen inches thick, and the inside walls were 
to be thirteen inches thick. The tirst story was to be ten feet high, and 
the second story seventeen feet high. A hall was to extend north and 
south through the lower story, on the sides of which were to be the 
county offices. The upper story was to be the court room. The bond of 
the contractor was fixed at $20,000, with the following sureties: D. S. 
Hurlock, S. D. Cottingham, J. W. Eoss, J. W. Cottingham and W. Dau- 
benspeck. In September, 1858, in order to meet the expense of con- 
structing this building, the Board ordered issued and sold eight county 
bonds of $500 each, payable at the banking house of Winslow, Lanier & 
Co., New York: $2,000 to be paid in two years, and $2,000 in four 
years. The first $2,000 of these bonds sold at a discount of $84.15. 
The erection of the house was rapidly pushed, and in December, 1859, 
Mr. Daubenspeck announced that it was finished. He was soon paid the 
remainder due him under the contract, besides $500 additional for extra 
work, and enough more to run the cost up to nearly $15,000. This build- 
ing is yet in use. In 1862, John W. Axtell re-covered the court house 
with tin roofing, at $9 per square. At the same time, a fire and burglar 
proof safe for the Treasurer's office was purchased of W. B. Dodd & 
Co. , for $550. In December, 1862, John Cox repaired the court house 
roof to the extent of $60. 

In April, 1866, advertisements were ordered for the erection of a 
combined jail and jailer's residence. In May, bids were received from 
J. H. McConnell, Alpheus Lay and J. H. Coifman, but neither was ac- 
cepted then. N. R. Overman was appointed agent, to take th« plans 
and specifications to Indianapolis, to have them corrected by a competent 
architect. The plans had been submitted by B. F. Hough & Co. The 
contract was finally awarded to J. H. Coffman. for $6,000, the building 
to be completed by the 1st of November, 1866. The old jail was soon 
sold to John Cassiform for $13. G. W. Boyer was appointed Superin- 
tendent to oversee the work on the jail. It was again found necessary 
to issue several thousand dollars' worth of county bonds, to meet ex- 
penses, and N. R. Overman was appointed agent to negotiate their sale. 
The building, a fine brick structure, was completed in June, 1867, the 
time allowed the contractor having been extended. This is the present 
jail In the autumn of 1866, the right to use Seider's Improved System 
of Keeping Accounts was bought for $350, 

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. 

In 1848, the name of the county seat was changed from Canton to 
Tipton. Both the county and the county seat were named in honor of 



1 



HISTORY OF TIl'TON COUNTY. 21 

Gen. John Tipton, who played such a prominent part in the early his- 
tory of Indiana. Late in 1847, George Tucker, Zimri Brown and O. 
H. Perry were appointed agents to see that proper donations of land for 
the necessary depot buildings were given the Peru 6c Indianapolis Eail- 
road Company. On the first Monday in April, 1847. the townships were 
required to vote on the question of licensing the sale of liquor within 
their borders. Every township voted for the license. In March, 
1848, the county subscribed fifty shares of stock in the Peru & Indianap- 
olis Kailroad. In 1849, lots were ordered deeded to various religious 
organizations, provided chtu'ches were erected thereon within a specified 
time, which was not done, and the time was afterward extended until 
the buildings were constructed. In April, 1849, the townships again 
voted on the liquor question. Madison was the only township which 
voted against granting a license. Saloons were called in those days 
" wet groceries. " 

A petition to incorporate the county seat was favorably considered 
by the board in March, 1851. This project again came up by petition 
with thirty-seven signatures, in September, 1853, at which time 101 
acres were incorporated. A new public graveyard was purchased in De- 
cember, 1853. A set of standard weigths and measures were bought of 
William Huddart in 1855. In June, 1858, the board received a peti- 
tion, with thii'ty-six names appended thereto, praying that, after proper 
investigation, so much of Cicero Creek as lay within the limits of Tip-- 
ton County and was suitable, might be declared navigable. Sylvester Tur- 
pen, who had presented the petition, was appointed to examine the creek 
and report its length in the county, depth, width, etc, etc. , and upon receipt 
of his report, and after due deliberation, the board formally declared that 
fifteen miles of the twenty miles of the creek in the county were to be con- 
sidered a navigable water-course, and the various Road Supervisors along 
the stream were ordered to take charge of such highway. This very novel 
and useless proceeding occurred only twenty-five years ago. In June, 1861, 
the board began paying out county funds for the support of soldiers' fami- 
lies, and continued to do so until the war ended. The expense of hold- 
ing a County Teachers' Institute began to be paid in 1807. Several 
county officers in past years have proved defaulters to large amounts. 

GRANGE ASSOCIATION. 

In 1876, the Tipton County Grange Association was organized with 
a capital stock not to exceed $20,000, the organization to last five years. 
All necessary officers were appointed, but for some reason the organiza- 
tion did not come up to the hopes of its founders and friends. The 
following was the grange directory within three or four years after the 
organization of the association: 

Star Grange, No. 814, W. J. Owen, M. ; K. W. Payne, Sec. Post 



22 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

office, Sharpsvillo, Ind. West Grange, No. 1011, W. W. West, M. ; 
Sidney Jenkins, Sec. Post office. Windfall, Ind. Washington Grange, 
No. 1)49, Thomas Cole, M. ; C. M. Harman, Sec. Post office, Oakford, 
Ind. Liberty Grange, No. 205. Reuben Parish, M. ; Newton Graham, 
Sec. Post office, Windfall. Mount Zion Grange, No. 1069, John Car- 
ter, M. , John W.Wallace, Sec. Post office, Sharpsvi lie. Hope Grange, 
No. 356, S. H. Dillman, M. ; F. M. Harbet, Sec. Post office. New Lan- 
caster. Richland Grange, No. 1225, Oliver Dickey, M. ; Oscar Hoover, 
Sec. Post office, Tipton, Ind. Duck Oeek Grange, No. 563, John 
Busenbark, M. ; W. P. Gates, Sec. Post office, New Lat3caster, Ind. 
Jimtown Grange, No. 278. E. J. Goar, M. ; William H. Goodnight, Sec. 
Post office, Normanda. Pleasant View Grange, No. 252, G. W. Ham, 
M. ; I. A. Hulick, Sec. Post office, Tipton. Irwin's Creek Grange, 
No. 440, G. W. Cass, M.; John Thrawl, Sec. Post office, Windfall 
Faith Grange, No. 026, E. B. Decker, M. ; Freeman Decker, Sec. Post 
office, Curtisville. Dixon Grange, No. 135, J. J. Paiil, M. ; George 
Thompson, Sec. Post office, Tipton. Plum Grove Grange, No. 181, 
Erasmus Tech enor, M. ; William Achenbach, Sec. Pi>st office, Tipton. 
Greenwood Grange, No. 201, John Potts, M. ; H. N. Bishop, Sec. Post 
office, Shielville. Walnut Grange, No. 186, F. Van Ness, M. ; Harris 
Eshelman, Sec. Post office, Shielville. Hoback Grange, No. 133, Har- 
rison Smith, M.; T. J. Grayson, Sec. Post office, Normanda. Turkey 
Creek Grange, No. 1493, W. Garris, M. ; Perry Wisman, Sec. ; Post 
office, Tipton. Mud Creek Grange, No. 1,537, George S. McKay, M.; A. 
D. Riffe, Sec. Post office. Windfall. Independence Grange, No. 192, 
J. Woiverton, M. ; Jehu Van Buskirk, Sec. Post office, Tipton. Teters- 
burg Grange, No. 227, J. A. Campbell. M. ; H. H. Bunch, Sec. Post 
office, Tetersburg. Ind. Bennett Grange, No. ]75.Merril Townsend.M. : D. 
T. Swing, Sec. Post office, Sharpsville, Ind. Madison Grange, No. 
355, John P. Hobbs, M. ; Thomas Cook, Sec. Post office. New Lan- 
caster, Ind. Clay Grange, No. 136, R H. Keller, M.; G. W. Fippen, 
Sec. Post office, Tipton, Ind. Addison Grange, No. 597, I. N. Ploughe, 
M. : H. W. Osborn, Sec. Post office, Pickard's Mills, Ind. Cicero 
Grange, No. 74, Henry Goar, M. ; James Clark, Sec. Post office, Jack- 
son Station, Ind. Union Grange, No. 258, L N. Bouse, M.; W. W. 
Clark, Sec. Post office, Jackson Station. Rock Prairie Grange, No. 
259, W. J. Ham, M.; J. K. P. Carson, Sec. Post office, Tipton, Ind. 
Taylor Grange, No. — , Henry Thomas, M. ; James K. Harmon Sec. Post 
office, Oakford, Ind. Custisville Grange, No. — , C. S. Snook, M. ; D. 
M. Kirkwond, See. Post office, purtisville, Ind. Fairmount Grange, 
No. 660, Job Hobbs, M. ; Jackson Knox, Sec. Post office, Tipton, Ind. 
Elm Hill Grange, No. 824, R. A. Stack, M. ; T. J. Couch, Sec. Post 
office, Windfall, Ind. Nearly all of these organizations are now non est. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 23 



EARLY MARRIAGES. 



The first marriage in the couaty after the organization was August 8, 
1844, between Joseph G. Brown and Dorinda Sharp, solemnized by John 
B. Cole, Justice of the Peace, the license having been issued July 31, 
1844. The second marriage was on the 8th of August, 1844 (same day 
as the above — which was lirBt?) between Hickman Smiley and Elizabeth 
Mills, the license having been issued August 3. The ceremony was per- 
formed by Judge Goar. The third marriage was between Harvey Den- 
ney and Sophia Shaw, September 12, 1844, by J. B. Cole, Justice. 



POPULATION OF THE COUNTY. 



The population in 1840 was (estimated) 200; in 1850, 3,532; in 1 60, 
8,170; in 1870. 11,953; in 1880, 14,402. ft 



COUNTY AND STATE ROADS. 



State roads were extended across the county during the thirties — 
one from Indianapolis north to the Wabash Eiver, and one from 
"Muncietowu" to La Fayette. Several others were also built late in the 
thirties. So far as can be learned, the first county road had the follow- 
ing limits: " Beginning on the line of Hamilton County, on the east 
side of Section 28, Township 21 north, Range 4 east, thence by the best 
route to King's mill on Cicero Creek." More than twelve residents of 
Cicero Township petitioned the board of Hamilton County, to which 
Tipton was then attached, for this road. About a dozen other roads were 
extended across the county prior to 1844. The first road petitioned for 
and built after the county was organized was to extend as follows: From 
near Michael Mitchell's residence to Zimri Brown's; thence to Charles 
Griffith's, thence to near William Going's and James Jack's, thence 
north to the Miami Reserve. Charles Thurman, Carter T. Jackson and 
Samuel Townsend were Viewers. The " Three Per Cent Fund " fur- 
nished by the State for the construction of roads was a godsend to Tipton 
County. A special road tax, however, was levied, so great was the press- 
ure for better highways. The special road tax in 1845 was $74.90; in 
1846, was $289.58; in 1848, was $320.65; in 1849, was $472.02. ' In 
1849, Joseph Price, and in 1850, Andrew McMurtry were permitted to 
hang gates across the State road from Muncie to La Fayette. What 
did that mean ? By September, 1852, there had been projected a total 
of seventy-five county roads, the greater number of which had been 
built. By September, 1854, ninety-two had been projected; by June, 
1858, one hundred; by March, 1860, 125; by June, 1806, 208; by Sep- 
tember, 1869, 285; by December, 1876, 413; by 1882, to over 500. These 
roads have cost the county hundi-eds of thousands of dollars. 



24 HISTOUY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

GRAVEL KOADS. 

A total of eleven gravol roads have peen petitioned for within the past 
three years, Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 7 having been granted and fully completed, 
and No. 5 having been granted and partiallj'^ completed. No. 1 extends 
about eight miles from Tipton to the north line of the county, and cost 
over $16,000. No. 4 extends northeast of Windfall about five miles, 
and cost $10,000. No. 6 begins about three miles northwest of Windfall 
and extends to Sharpsville, being in length about six and one-half miles, 
and cost about $12,000. No. 7 extends north of Windfall one mile, 
thence west two miles, being three miles long, and joining No. 6, and 
cost $5,000. No. 5, now in course of constructon, extends a little east 
of south from Tipton to the Hamilton County line, an will cost about 
$17,000. Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 7 have cost over $48,000, which large 
amount was raised by the sale of cou.nty bonds. If to this amount be 
added the estimated cost of No. 5, it will be seen that the county has 
already expended over $60,000 in gravel roads. This amount of indebted- 
ness has already been incurred, $10,000 of which has been paid, leaving 
the present gravel road debt over $50,000. If to this is added the debt 
of $25,000 incurred in erecting county buildings, the total county debt 
foots up to the large amount of aboiit $78,000. 

COUNTY DRAINAGE. 

The length of county ditches and the amounts used in their con- 
struction are told in large figures. As early as the latter part of the 
fifties, private drainage companies began to be organized in the county, 
and since then not less than twenty such companies have been organized 
with a membership varying from a few to fifty-two. It is estimated 
that private companies and individuals have expended in drainage not 
less than $200,000. There are about a dozen tile factories in the county 
also, and thousands of rods are laid down in all parts of the county 
annually. Within the last eight or ten years, there have been constructed 
at county expense about 190 ditches, the aggregate length of which is 
estimated at more than 100 miles, and the aggi-egate cost at more than 
$200,000. This extraordinary activity, if continued, will render Tipton 
County the garden spot of Indiana, as the soil is of the richest and most 
enduring alluvial character. The futui'e has wonderful results in store 
for the county. 

RAILROADS. 

The Peru & Indianapolis Railroad was built in 1854. The county 
donated certain lands for depots and freight houses, and the citizens 
u-iually gave the right of way. Besides this, the county took $10,000 
worth of stock in the company. In 1869, the county voted on levying a 
tax of $60,000 to aid the La Fayette, Muncie & Bloomington Railroad^ 
now the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. There were cast 1,026 votes 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 25 

for the levy and 515 against it. Half of that large appropriation was 
to be levied in June, 1870, and half in June, 1871. The Great Eastern 
Railway, now the Cincinnati, St. Louis & Chicago Railway, was con- 
structed about twenty-five years ago, but what help was given f.annot be 
learned. In 1871, Cicero, Jefferson and Wild Cat Townships voted on the 
question of aiding the Toledo, Thorntown& St. Iiouis Railway, but as the 
election was illegal for some reason, another election was held in 1873 for 
the same purpose in all the townships with the following results, the 
amount of aid to be 150,000: For the tax — Cicero, 568; Jefferson, 170; 
Wildcat, 832; Prairie, 7; Liberty, 16; Madis(.n, 74. Total, 1,173. 
Against the tax— Cicero, 52; Jeffersou, 20; Wild Cat, 2; Prairie, 248; 
Liberty, 218; Madison, 19U. Total, 739. This road has not yet been 
built, and the Erie road was not until about six years ago. 

The Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago Railroad has in the county 13.55 
miles of main track, valued at §7, 500 per mile, and 1.61 miles of side track. 
The Lake Erie & Western Railroad has 20 milea of main track, worth 
$6,000 per mile, and 1,23 miles of side track. The Pittsburgh, Cincin- 
nati & St. Louis has 11.56 miles of main track, valued at $8,250 per 
mile, and 1.12 miles of side track. 

THE COUNTY PAUPERS. 

As near as can be learned, the first poor person was " farmed out " 
in September, 1846, to Josiah Gilliland, of Madison Township, for $40 
per year. About the same time, Rachel Cummings, a helpless old woman, 
was removed at county expense to the poor-house of Hamilton County. 
The poor expense for the fiscal year ending June, 1847, was $18.93; for 
the following year, $126.63; for the year ending June, 1849, it amounted 
to $131.28; for the year ending June, 1850, to $97; for 1851, to $107.62; 
for 1852, to $332.19; for 1853, to $238.99; for 1855, to $236.59; for 
1858, to $1,320.24; for 1860, to $1,086.08; for 1864, to $3,067.52; for 
1867, to ^4,812.98; for 1870, to $2,059.06; fof 1875, to $3,937.42; for 
1876, to $10,599.11; for 1880, to $7, 730.. 77. It now amounts to about 
$12,000 per annum. The plan continued to be followed of farming the 
paupers out to the lowest bidders. Considerable township aid was fur- 
nished independent of county help. Physicians were employed by the 
year to doctor the county poor. Drs. R, R. Douglas and H. M. 
Vickrey were employed in 1853; J. M. Gi'oves served as such in 1857 and 
J. M. Sanders, Abraham Reeves and Isaac Parker in 1858. In Decem- 
ber, 1863, an agent was appointed to view several locations and to pur- 
chase the most favorable for a poor farm. This action was followed by 
the purchase of 78. 72 acres on Sections 14 and 15, Township 21 north, 
Range 4 east, of James Recobs for $1,000 cash and $1,490 on the first 
Monday in March, 1865. Tpon this farm was a small frame dwelling, 
insufificient in size and comfort to accommodate the poor, and bids were 



26 • HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

called for to repair the old house and erect a new one of modest size 
and pretensions. As many poor persons as could be accommodated were 
ordered removed from private families to this house and the new one as 
soon as the work was finished. John H. McConnell contracted to repair the 
old house and build a new one, 10x30 feet, frame, for $580. This was 
in the spring of 1864. William Morris became the first Poor Superin- 
tendent, taking the farm for all he could make with it and boarding the 
poor for so much per week. He was succeeded by D. J. Caldwell, in 
1 S'08, and he in turn by R. W. Mullis in 1869. The latter continued 
for several years, first boarding the poor for $2. 50 per week and later re- 
du«!ing that figure to $2.40 and then to $2.20, and in 1872, i-aising to 
$2.25. In 1872, the contract of biiilding a new poor-house was let to 
William Rubosh and J. H. McConnell, but for some reason the work was 
abandoned until 1876, when the contract was given to William Young 
for $7,000. The building, a fine, commodious, two-storied brick 
structure, was erected immediately, and the poor were soon in better 
quarters. In 1873, John Emehiser became Superintendent. He agreed 
to board the poor for $1.75 per week and the use of the farm. In 1875, 
Thomas B. Bates succeeded him, bidding in the care of the poor for 
$1.65 per week and the use of the farm. Mr. Bates continued Superin- 
tendent until 1883, reducing the costs of the weekly care of the paupers 
somewhat as time advanced. In 1883, John Q. Shaw succeeded Mr. 
Bates, bidding in the care of the poor at $1.50 per week and the use of 
the farm. There are at present about forty inmates of the poor-house. 
Tliere have been as high as sixty-one and as low as fourteen. Fifty-five 
acres of the poor farm are under cultivation. The county, though se- 
vere, takes good care of its indigent and helpless. 

THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

The Tipton County Agricultural Society was first organized on the 
11th of August, 1855, and on the 1st of September a constitution and 
by-laws was adopted. The first county fair was held on the 4th and 5th 
of October of the same year. Considerable time and expense were em- 
ployed in fitting up the temporary grounds near the down- town depot 
with suitable sheds, etc., in which to make the display, but when the 
time came, so heavy were the rains on both days, that the display of stock 
and farm productions was very small. The rain on the 5th fell so con- 
tinuously that not a lady appeared upon the grounds. A start had been 
made, however, and it remained for the future to continue the enterprise. 
The society at this first fair numbered about seventy-five members. N. 
J. Jackson was President and John Green Secretary. A few very large, 
tine pumpkins were exhibited. A decided disposition for the improve- 
ment of stock was manifested. The second fair was almost a failure, 
but little interest being manifested. The third fair, held near Judge 



HTSTOllY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 27 

Green's residence, was more of a success, both the I'eceipts and expendi- 
tures amounting to more than 1100. Considerable stock was entered, 
and the ladies appeared with a creditable display of domestic and fancy 
articles. For two or three years during the war, no fair was held. At 
the close of the war, however, the society was again revived. A fair 
ground was secured south of town, and the County Commissioners were 
induced to donate $200 to fence the same. After several year?, the soci- 
ety again almost died out, but was fully re-organized in 1874, and be- 
came known as the " Tipton County Joint-Stock Agricultural Society. " 
This society purchased ten acres adjoining the poor-farm of Thomas 
Smith and rented for ten years a strip of the poor-farm, eighty rods 
long by twenty-three and one-half rods wide. These two tracts of land 
constitute the present fair ground. There were 128 stockholders at the 
commencement of this new organization. Stock was $10 per share, and 
the total amount of stock Avas $3,000, all of which was not subscribed. 
For two or three years excellent fairs were held, the interests in all de- 
partments running high, especially in the fast stock department. In 
1879, an entirely new organization, called the " Tipton County Fair 
Company, " was effected. This has endured until the present. In 1878, 
$1,247.25 was paid in premiums, and in 1882 nearly $1,700. The cash 
receipts of 1882 were $1,793. In 1878, there were 690 entries; in 1882, 
there were 937. The present officers are J. T. Hunter, President; D. A. 
Fish, Vice President; William Barlow, Secretary; W. M. Grimshaw, 
Treasui-er; W. A. Maze, General Superintendent; T. B. Bates, Samuel 
Loucks, Jonathan Wolverton, J. J. Paul, Newton Campbell, George Weed, 
P. F. Legg, D. B. Vice, G. W. Myerly. D. Wilkins, T. G. Pratt, Joseph 
Turner and Lot Thomas, Directors. The fair ground and the interest 
shown will compare favorably with other counties of the State. 

COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES. 

As early as 1864, a society of this nature was organized at the county 
seat, the following physicians being among the members: M. V. B. New- 
comer, C. N. Blount, J. J. Mathers, M. M. Bundy, J. M. Gossett, Reuben 
Harvey, Isaac Parker, J. C. Driver, T. K. Sanders, J. K. Baxter, James 
Lindsey and A. M. Vickrey. This society did well for about one year, 
reading essays on important medical topics, thoroughly discussing chosen 
subjects and examining several interesting clinics. At the end of that 
period it died out. In 1874, the " Tipton County Medical Society" was 
organized with the following membership: M. V. B. Newcomer, H. B. 
Pitzer, G. W. Collins, S M. Conner, J. M. Grove, A. J. Barker, W. A. 
Heath, J. S. Manity, J. C. Driver, W. N Glass, J. Parker, J. N. Schell, 
N. W. Doan, A. F. White and M. V. B. Vickrey. The object of the society 
was " the advancement of medical knowledge, the elevation of profes- 
sional character, the protection of the interests of its members, the ex- 



28 HISTORV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

tension of the bounds of medical science and the promotion of all meas- 
ures adapted to the relief of the suffering and to improve the health and 
protect the lives of the community. " The members must be " any grad- 
uate in medicine of a respectable medical school or licentiate of any 
regularly organized medical society in good moral and professional 
standing." This society became auxiliary to the State Medical Society. 
The members were quite active for a number of years, reading essays, 
examining clinics and discussing the leading medical topics, including 
methods of treatment. Late in the seventies, the society became divided 
in opinion on several important prof essional questions, and in April, 1881, 
partially broke up, and a oew society was organized, with the following 
first membership: Winser Austin, A. J. Barker, J. C. Driver, J. W. Cris- 
mond, J. A. Bouse, A. E. Rhodes, D. P. Rubush, M. V. B. Newcomer, 
A. S. Dickey, G. Repp, A. P. Parker, D. R. Campbell, J. P. Jessup, J. 
D. Armtield, H. G. Evans and M. S. Johnson. This organization be- 
came independent of the State Medical Society. The old society did 
not die, thougrh it ran down very low. The county now has these two 
medical societies, neither of which is at present very active. 

LEGAL PRACTITIONERS. 

James Forsee was the first lawyer in town. He was an eccentric 
Virginian, and would not be considered a good lawyer at the present 
time. Amasa P. Gassier came after him and was quite an able man, a 
good judge of law and a successful practitioner. W. H. Nelson came about 
this time also. The ablest lawyer at the Tipton County bar in early 
years was William Brady. He had been liberally educated, and, pos- 
sessing as he naturally did intellectual ability of a high order, he took 
the lead in all important cases. His early death in 185'2 was a serious 
loss to the county and to the local legal fraternity. Memorial services 
were held in his honor and ordered spread upon the county court rec- 
ords. John Green came in 1848, from Jefferson (bounty. He was for- 
merly from North Carolina, his native State. He immediately took the 
lead, and has been one of the ablest legal practitioners ever in the coun- 
ty. He served the county in the State Senate and as Judge of the Com- 
mon Pleas Court, and is yet a resident of the county seat and the oldest 
lawyer of the Tipton County bar. Joseph A. Lewis came soon after 
Green, and was a man of bright intellect. For years he and Green were 
antagonists in nearly all the important court cases. Nathan R. Overman 
was the successor of the mass of legal business that had been left by 
the removal of Mr. Lewis to the capital of the State. Overman and 
Green were then the rival lawyers. William Jones came in early, and 
is yet in successful practice. Daniel Waugh came late in the sixties, 
and soon had all the work he could do. Many others deserve special 
mention. Among the lawyers who have resided and practiced in the 



HISTOKV Of TIP ION CO.UNTV. 29 

county have been James Forsee, William Nelson, A. P. Gassier, William 
Brady, John Green, Joseph A. Lewis, N. R. Overman, Daniel Waugh, 
John Q. Green, John M. Goar, Aaron P. Thompson, M. Bristow, Charles 
Swaim, Frank Trissel, J. T. Cox, John W. Kobinson, Noah Parker, 
Joshna Jones, Edward Hatfield and the present practitioners, John 
Green, N. E. Overman, Daniel Waugh, R. B. Beauchamp, George H. 
Gifford, John P. Kemp, M. F. Cox, J. M. Tippen, J. I. Parker, J . N. 
Waugh, B. Giltner, J. W. Metlen. W. H. Clark, J. A. Swoveland, Perry 
Behymer, W. O. Dean, William Jones and G. F. Isgrig. 

EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS. 

In 1848 and 1849, the county was called upon to vote on %e question 
of free public schools. The vote of 1848 was as follows: For free 
schools— Cicero, 86; Jefferson, 95; Prairie, 39; Wild Cat, 6; Madison, 
47. Total, 273. Against free schools— Cicero, 11; Jefferson, 8; Prairie, 
35; Wild Cat, 6; Madison 33. Total, 93. The vote on the same ques- 
tion in 1849 was as follows: For free schools— Cicero, 65; Jefferson, 
60; Prairie, 41; Wild Cat, 8; Madison, 25; Liberty, 2.* Total, 201. 
Against free schools— Cicero, 65; Jefferson, 26; Prairie, 28; Wild Cat, 
12; Madison, 48; Liberty, 10. Total, 189. 

Does it not seem strange that so many votes should have been cast 
against the common school system of today? The present common school 
system was founded in 1853, at which time, for 1853 only, the condi- 
tion of the county school fund from the sale of school land was as fol- 
lows: 

RECEIPTS. EXPENDITURES. 

Sale of land 12,155 00 Fund loaned $2 138 00 

Interest on residue 267 00 Advertising fees ' 9 50 

Interest on fund loaned 149 66 Auditor's services.. ' 4 34 

Bank tax and saline funds; 27 68 Soecial fund re-loaned. ... " 19 50 

Interest on the same 4 20 Treasurer's fees 66 60 

Special funds refunded 47 18 Auditor's fees 66 60 



Total $2,650 72 



Balance in Treasury 346 18 

Total $2,650 72 

The total school fund '(Congressional) in 1854, was $11,991.40, of 
which $11,246.11 was safely invested at interest. The total school fund 
in 1855— school fund of all kinds— was $30,317.08, of which $29,899.11 
was loaned on real estate security. In 1863, the common school fund 
amounted to $7,639.56, and the Congressional fund to $25,988.89. In 
1867, the common school fund was $8,457.45, and the Congressional 
fund $25,988.89. In 1877, the common school fund was S14,132.0S, 
and the Congressional fund $26,008.42. The following statistics are for 
the year 1860: 

* Created bufure tlie August election. 



30 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 





CHILDREN BETWEEN 

FIVE AND TWENTY- 

ONK YEARS. 


NUMBER OF 
DISTRICTS. 


NUMBER ATTEND- 
ING SCHOOL. 


NUMBER OF 
TEACHERS. 


Madison 


443 
555 
463 
532 
417 
328 
239 


12 

10 

9 

9 

4 

2 
1 

47 


299 

527 
352 
310 
232 
180 
223 


9 


Cicero 


10 


Jefferson 


9 


Prairie 


8 


Liberty 

Wild Cat 


8 
4 


Town of Tipton 


o 






Total 


2,977 


2,123 


50 







In 1853, there were only eight schoolhouses in Tipton County. In 
1878, there were 76, and in 1883, there were not less than 90 — a gain in 
thirty years of nearly 1,200 per centum. In 1878, there were 5,180 
children of school age in the county, six of them being colored. The 
average daily attendance was then 2,529. There were 78 districts where 
school was taught, and the average number of days of school during the 
year was 120; 86 public teachers were paid for their services, the aver- 
age wages paid in the country being, males, $2.06, females, $1.86; and 
in towns, males, $2.99, females, $1.98; 32 township institutes were 
held in 1878. The apportionment of common school revenue was $14- 
132.32; amount of Congressional fund, $26,008.42. Township and 
county institutes and county normal schools are held annually, usually 
with large attendance. The county schools are above the average. 



J 



.^ SEMINARY AND LIBRARY. 

An early law of the State provided that certain fines and penalties in 
each county should be applied, when the amount had reached $400, 
toward the erection and maintenance of a county seminary. As fast as 
the fund accumulated in Tipton County it was loaned at interest. In 
June, 1848, the fund amounted to $108.70; in June, 1849, to $132.20; 
in June, 1851, to $199.56; and in June, 1852, to $233.61. Soon after 
this, by legislative enactment, the fund was transferred to the common 
schools. 

Another early law of the State provided that ten per centum of the 
proceeds of the sale of county lots should be used to purchase and main- 
tain a county library. A special law of 1845 constituted the county 
board the Library Trustees, and soon after this J. S. Eessler was elected 
Librarian, A. P. Cassler, Clerk, and N. J. Jackson, Treasui-er. In 1846, 
fifty-five volumes of miscellany were purchased. Each volume was 
rented out for 10 cents per quarter. The library was added to from time 
to time as the funds admitted. The total cash receipts from August, 
1853, to March, 1857, were $109.51, of which $55.62 had been expended 
for books. Probably' twice that amount of receipts had been received 
previously. At this time there were about 300 volumes on hand; this 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 31 

number was afterward increased to nearly 1,000 volumes. The town- 
ship libraries were first distributed in about 1855, and finally amounted 
in the aggregate to several thousand volumes. These old libraries have 
lost their usefulness in this age of newspapers and cheap books. 

THE COUNTY PBESS. 

In 1855, Drs. Rooker and A. M. Vickrey, of Tipton, pm-chased an 
old-fashioned Franklin press and a small quantity of type and other 
printing materials of Mr. Chapman, of Indianapolis, and commenced 
issuing a small six-column folio newspaper of Democratic proclivities, 
called the Tipton County Democrat. The material was bought on time, 
and the first printer was James Mahaffie, who a year later was suc- 
ceeded by Archibald Ramsey, who did more, perhaps, to render the county 
press successful than any other man, not even excepting the proprietors 
of the papers themselves. Dr. Rooker, qaite an able gentleman, assumed 
the editorial mantle for about one year, when he permanently retired, 
leaving his portion of the indebtedness to be settled by his partner. In 
1857, the name was changed to the Western Dominion, and about this 
time O. P. Baird was editor, though the ownership really remained with 
Dr. Vickrey. It is stated that Baird bought the office, but being unable 
to pay for it, permitted it to go back to Dr. Vickrey. In 1858, the office 
was again sold to G. W. Fisher, under whom the name became the Tipton 
County Argus. Mr. B. Geltner was connected with the office in some 
capacity. In 1859, the office having run down to low water tide, and 
the prominent Democrats, feeling the need of an organ, bought the whole 
outfit, changed the name to Tipton County Times, and began issuing 
the sheet with John Chambers as principal eidtor and A. Clark as local 
editor. Ten prominent Democrats owned the paper, among whom 
were John Chambers, William Stivers, A. J. Redraon, Hugh Dickey, J. 
V. Cox, A. Clark, Barcibus Geltner and A. Mc Vickrey. The office at 
that time was valued at $400. In 1860, interest in the enterprise so 
ran down that the issue was susjDended for about six months. Early in 
1861, the issue was resumed, with J. V. Cox at the helm. Mr. Cox wrote 
" leaders " about a dozen lines in length, it is said, while the remainder 
of the work was done by Archibald Ramsey, the faithful printer. Late in 
1861, Judge N. R. Overman secured an interest in the sheet, and became 
" heavy editor," as he humorously remarks, and " wrote ' leaders ' about 
a dozen lines in length." Ramsey was still the local editor and printer, 
and the paper was still owned by the company of Democrats, jMr. Over- 
man owning several shares. In 1862, for partisan reasons, the name of 
the paper was changed to the Democratic Union, which circumstance 
created the impression throughout the S^ate that the politics had been 
changed to Republicanism. But such was far from the case. Early in 
1864, the office was sold to William J. Turpen, who, at the time, was in 



82 HISTORY OF TIITON COUNTY. 

the urmy, and who begau writing a series of very interesting letters 
from the scenes of war. He was mustered out before the war ended, 
changed the name to Tipton County Times, and took personal control of 
his paper, which he successfiilly conducted until 1S09, when he sold 
out to C. J. Brady and removed to Nashville, Tenn , where he became 
connected with another paper, though his subsequent efforts were far 
from being -successful. It is stated that in some manner he so incurred 
the displeasure of the citizens down there that he was given so long to 
leave town — and he left. Mr. Brady was fairly successful with his pa- 
per. He put in the first job press ever in the county. In 1874, he sold 
out to Judge N. R. Overman, who employed J . T. Cox to edit the sheet. In 
the spring of 1875, Emsley A. Overman bought a half interest in thf> office, 
and about this time the first cylinder power press ever in the county was 
purchased for about $400 and placed in the office. E. A. Overman became 
editor and financial manager. In January, 1876, William Haw bought 
the office, and isstied the paper imtil January, 1877, when, being unable 
to pay for the same, he relinquished it, and the office went back to Over- 
man & Overman. E. A. Overman conducted it then until September, 
1878, when he purchased N. R. Overman's interest and became sole 
owner and proprietor. Early in 1880, the office was sold to P. & J. O. 
Behymer, bi'others, but a year later it went back to E. A. Overman, who 
continued it until November, 1881, when it passed to S. Ray Williams, 
who, in January, 1882, tooJr as a partner D. A. Alexander. In Septem- 
ber, 1882, Mr. Williams retired, leaving Mr. Alexander sole owner, but 
about the Ist of April, 1883, the latter was joined by Jeremiah Fish, 
who continued with the paper until May, 1883, when he retired, leaving 
the Tipton Times as it is at present. The paper has suffered severely by 
the numerous changes of owners, but it has always been an earnest if 
not an able exponent of the Democratic party of the county. State and 
nation. Under several of the managements it was extremely able ' and 
bitter, and at no time has it been in better hands than at present. It 
enjoys a large circulation, and a liberal job and advertising patronage. 

Early in 1860, S. T. Montgomery founded at Tipton a Republican 
sheet, called the Tipton Republican, which was hailed by members of 
that party throughout the cctunty with great joy. For a time during 
that year, it was the only paper issued in the county. Late in 1860 the 
office was sold to G. W. Lowby, who issued the paper until September, 
1861, when he enlisted in the army, and soon afterward the office was 
sold to satisfy the indebtedness hanging over it on account of the pur- 
chase. Thus orever died that short-lived paper. 

In August, 1872, Joel Reece began issuing at Tipton a Republican 
paper called the Tiptou Enterprise ,-vf\ih. Frank Ristine, printer. It was 
not long ere tliis paper left the Republican party, going off with great 
earnestness on the " Grange movement," but after the October election in 
1874, the sheet died easily, without hope of resurrection. 




^ 



'><?^^ 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 35 

In the early spring of 1874, W. J. Turpen and L. H. Emmons issued 
the first number of the Tipton Advance, an independent Democratic 
newspaper. It continued with a fair degree of success until the sprino- 
of 1870. when it was bought by William Haw and merged in with the 
Times. 

The Tipton Republican was started in April, 1876, by John Greeves, 
at the solicitation of numerous Republicans, and was at the outset so 
poor that the sheet had barely enough type to dress itself in proper cos- 
tume for the public eye. After one or two issues, M. W. Pershing went 
to Chicago and bought $150 worth of office material, which he loaned to 
Mr. Greeves; but about this time a number of prominent Republicans 
of the town, concluding that the party should have a permanent organ 
at the county seat, purchased the office of Mr. Greeves and employed 
M. W. Pershing to edit the paper temporarily until a permanent editor 
could be secured. These Republicans were Daniel Waugh, Park Russell, 
J. H. Fear, M V. B. Newcomer. R. B. Beauchamp, S. I. Davis, W. P. 
Weed, S. Lowby, M. Rosenthal, J. C. Gregg, William Barlow, H. Mehlig 
and W. M. Grishaw. This company owned the office with the exception 
of the $150 worth of material purchased by Mr. Pershing. In August, 
1876, Mr. Solonsnook took the office on the same terms under which Mr. 
Pershing had issued it, i. e., to maintain its Republicanism and to have 
all he could make from the office, the ownership, of course, still remain- 
ing with the company. In October, 1876, J. C. Gregg took the editorial 
chair on the same terms and successfullv issued the paper until August, 
1878. 

In September, 1878, T. M. Smith started a Greenback and Repub- 
lican campaign sheet, subscription price 25 cents for the campaign. Mr. 
Smith was the Greenback editor and Mr. Pershing the Republican edi- 
tor of this sheet, which died suddenly and permanently after the cam- 
paign. It was called the Advocate. In October, Mr. Pershing was ao-ain 
placed at the editorial head of the Republican by the company, the issue 
continuing the number and volume of the Greenback-Republican sheet 
that had just become defunct. During the first three months after this the 
cash receipts were $12.50, but after that the paper began to " boom. " 
In six months the paper was enlarged to a seven-column folio, and at the 
end of the first year to an eight-column folio, its present size. Mr. Per- 
shing early bought the office and is the present editor. The success of 
the sheet is unprecedented in the histoiy of the county, and but few 
men would have had the courage to continue the issue in the face of 
the bitterest obstacles and in the teeth of the severest threats. The suc- 
cess of the paper is also largely due to the persistent skill with which 
the editor unraveled the unlawful depredations of certain public officials. 
A large circulation and large office patronage ai'e enjoyed. 

Late in the decade of the fifties, a small folio sheet, called the Car of 

3 



36 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Progress, was started at Tipton by a Mr. Kelsaw. The paper an- 
tagonized the Democratic- doctrines of that period and became involved 
with the Democratic paper on the leading issues of the day, the princi- 
pal questions being the extension of slave territory and the probability 
of war with the South, with the surrounding influences. The paper 
lived only about ninejjmonths. 

Early in 1882, J. O. Behymer began issuing at the county seat a 
Democratic paper, called the Saturday Express, which was designed to 
be the organ of the county Democracy. The paper was issued with fair 
success until the early part of 1883, when it became defunct. 

Windfall has not been without its newspaper enterprises. In about 
May, 1876, Sweet & Fugit established there an independent sheet called 
the Windfall News, which was conducted by them for a period of about 
one year, when the office was sold to P. & J. O. Behymer, who issued 
the paper until the spring of 1880, when it was discontinued. In the 
fall of 1876, Sweet & Fugit also issued there the first number of 
a monthly paper for children, called Our Home, which soon at- 
tained a circulation all over the United States — the actual circulation 
eing over 3,000. At the time of the sale of the News to the Behymer 
bBrothers, the office of Our Home went with it, which circumstance ter- 
minated the fvu'ther issue of the children's paper. 

THE TIPTON COUNTY PIONEER SOCIETY. 

In September, 1879, a preliminary meeting of the old settlers of the 
county was held at the Clerk's office, pursuant to call, Jud ge John Green be- 
ing elected President and John Lang Secretary. The following old set- 
tlers, with their respective ages, were present: Joseph Puntney, eighty; 
Peter Hough, eighty-nine; John Green, seventy-two; Thomas Murphey, 
seventy-two; D. F. Hutto, seventy; James Egler, seventy-six; George 
Baldwin, sixty-nine; Squire Hill, seventy; John Long, sixty-seven; 
John Burkhart, sixty-five; Alexander Pennock, sixty-two; John McVay, 
sixty-five; Thomas Cole, sixty-seven; Boston Day, sixty-five; Samuel 
Louck, sixty- one; D. J. Caldwell, sixty; D. M. Hill, seventy- four; John 
Evans, sixty-five; W. S. Bunch, sixty-six; Joseph Oram, seventy-two; 
Frederick Snyder, seventy-one; S. Patten, seventy -eight; Jesse Stone, 
seventy six; Martin Kleyla, sixty-five; Barbara Kleyla, sixty- four; and 
Elizabeth Carr, seventy- three. After the organization the society ad- 
journed, to meet again at the court house on September 25, 1879, at 10 
o'clock A .M. On the 4th of July, 1880, the society again met at 
Green's grove, on which occasion the leading address was delivered by 
Hon. John Green, and a constitution and by-laws were adopted. A 
most enjoyable time was passed. In the succeeding September, the fol- 
lowing additional members were secured: Silas Blount, aged seventy- 
nine; Thomas Lemon, sixty-nine; Barbara Blount, seventy; B. Gra- 



HISTORY OF TirrON COUNTY. 37 

son, sixty-five; E. M. Sharp, seventy-two; C. S. Samuels, sixty-one; 
Isaac Shaw, seventy-two; Susan Samxiels, sixty; N. I. Springer, 
sixty-nine; Ralph Shelton, sixty-eight; C. Philip, sixty-five; Rebecca 
Coff, seventy-one; H, S. Clark, sixty- four; C. Barlow, sixty-nine; James 
Bosey, sixty-two; M. Baldwin, sixty; Naoma Lakey, seventy-one; A. 
S. Mott, seventy; Levi Lakey, — ; Thomas Rarey, seventy; Felix Dray- 
estren, eighty-two; B. Richardson, seventy-six: J. T. Hancock, sixty -six, 
Elizabeth Richardson, sixty-three; Milton Mozingo, seventy-four; Eliz- 
abeth Whisler. sixty-two; Mary Caldwell, sixty-four; Nancy Long, sixty- 
four; Elizabeth Clark, sixty-eight; R. Tucker, sixty-five; Harrison Dunn, 
sixty-three; Squ.ire Tucker, seventy-two; J. M.Thompson, sixty-nine; John 
Bunday, sixty-seven; H. M. Henderson, seventy- three; and S. P. Mar- 
tinsdale, fifty-nine. The old officers were re elected for the following 
year, and the meeting adjourned to meet again July 4, 1881, when a 
large "turnout" assembled to enjoy the occasion. Many others joined 
whose names cannot be given. The President reported the names of 
those who had died since the last meeting. Annual meetings are held, 
eloquent speakers are secured to entertain the <.>ld people, and long re- 
views of the past are socially talked over. The present officers are John 
Green, President; R. AV. Wright, Secretary; John Long, Treasurer; Vice 
Presidents, Silas Blount, Green Lilly, J. P. Thomas, Boston Day, 
Riley Suit, Thomas Cole and Elisha Pickering. Meetings of old set- 
tlers were held as long ago as 1856, but as the proceedings were not pre- 
served, no facts can be given here. 

TIPTON COUNTY POLITICS. 

The first Presidential election held in the county was in 1844. the 
same year the county was organized. Before that, it is true, in 1840, 
when the county was yet attached to Hamilton County, the citizens were 
called upon to vote either for the Whig candidate, Harrison, or the Dem- 
ocratic candidate. Van Biiren; but although the court house at Nobles- 
ville was ransacked by the writer, the result of this election in the town- 
ships of Tipton County could not be found. In 1844, the question be- 
fore the people was the probable future application of Texas for admis- 
sion into the Union. The Democratic party highly favored the admis- 
sion, mainly upon the ground of an increase of slave territory, while the 
Whig opposed the measure for an opposite reason. The campaign was 
conducted with great spirit, approaching in many places extreme parti - 
san bitterness, but the Democratic party proved victorious, and after- 
ward, early in the spring of 1845, beFore John Tyler had retired from 
the Presidential chair, Texas was formally admitted into the Union. 
The full vote in Tipton County in November, 1844, was as follows: 
Democrat, for Polk and Dallas — Madison, 32; Jeffeison, 23; Cicero. 35; 
Prairie, 29; total. 119. Whig, for Clay and Frelinghuysen — Madison, 



38 



HISTOKV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



20; Jeiferson. 26; Cicero, 29; Prairie, 25; total, 100. The county took 
a Democratic stand at the start, though there was little or no excitement 
over the contest. In 184(5, David Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, introduced 
a bill into Congress prohibiting slavery in the newly acquired territoiy 
of Texas. This was followed by protracted debates of the most fiery in- 
tensity, and the partisan spirit of the whole country was stirred as it 
had never been before. Many of the hot speeches then delivered in 
Congress are the most perfect specimens of American eloquence and 
oratory in existence. A Free- Soil party was organized, and although 
the bill was finally defeated, the issues which it incited were carried 
into the campaign of 1848, and the new party placed a ticket in the field. 
The election in Tipton County in November, 1848, resulted as follows: 



TOWNSHIPS. 


Dem. 
Cass and But- 
ler. 


Whig. 

Taylor and 

Fillmore. 


Free Soil. 
Van Bureu 
and Adams. 


Madison 


61 
53 

61 
52 

8 


35 

58 

51 

30 

9 




Jefferson 




Cicero 


1 


Prairie 




Wild Cat 


2 






Total 


235 


183 


3 







No attempt to organize a Free-Soil party in Tipton County had been 
made, though a number of the citizens, notably the Quakers, had de- 
clared in favor of that party. The hot partisan spirit in Congress and 
throughout the country continued with unabated intensity. California 
adopted a constitution prohibiting slavery, and asked for admission into 
the Union; but the measure was promptly and violently opposed by the 
Southern members of Congress, who insisted that, as part of the State, 
at least, was south of Mason and Dixon's line, it should be admitted as 
a Slave State. The excitement and bitterness continued to increase un- 
til, in 1850, Henrj" Clay, the " great pacificator." introduced in Con- 
gress his celebrated "Omnibus Bill," which provided, among other things, 
that California should be admitted as a Free State, that Texas should be 
divided into not more than four States, without or with slavery, as the 
citizens might decide, that a more stringent fugitive slave law should be 
adopted, and that slavery in the District of Columbia should be abol- 
ished. The bill was violently assailed by both parties for months, but 
was finally adopted. People felt, however, that the issue was simply 
postponed, and in the election of 1852, the questions involved in the bill 
came again before the country, though the Democratic and Whig parties 
agreed as to the wisdom of the compromise. The Free- Soil party had 
grown stronger, maintaining that slavery should be excluded from all 
the territories. The vote in Tipton County, November, 1852, was as 
follows: 



HISTORY OF Tiri'ON COUNTY, 



39 



TOWNSHIPS. 


Dem. 

Pierce and 

King. 


Whig. 
Scott and 
Graham. 


Free Soil. 

Uale and 

Julian. 


Madison 


108 
88 

128 
67 
34 
36 


62 
81 
95 
41 
55 
6 




Jefferson •. 

Cicero . . . . , 


's 


Prairie 


1 


Liberty 




Wild Cat 








Total 


461 


340 


6 







The question of the expansion of slave territory continued to stir up 
partisan hostility. In January, 1854, Stephen A. Douglas introduced 
into Congress his famous " Kansas-Nebraska Bill," which provided for 
the formation of those States, and for the adoption or rejection of slav- 
ery, as the citizens should determine at the polls. Great excitement pre- 
vailed throughout the North when the measures of this bill became 
known, as, in case of its adoption, the Missouri compromise and the 
compromise of 1850 would be virtually repealed, as both new States lay 
north of the Mason and Dixon line. The debates in Congress were pas- 
sionate, vehement, artful and eloquent, and despite the utmost efforts of 
the Whigs, the bill was finally adopted. The soil of Kansas was imme- 
diately invaded by pro-slavery and anti-slavery partisans, to decide the 
question of slavery, and soon open war and bloodshed ran riot. The 
election was held, and the pi'o-slavery delegates, who claimed to have 
been elected, assembled at Lecompton and adopted a constitution with 
slavery as its corner-stone. The anti-slavery delegates, who claimed to 
have been rightly elected, met at Topeka and adopted a constitution 
prohibiting slavery. The excitement continued, but finally, as it was im- 
possible to tell which party was truly in the ascendency, President 
Pierce appointed John W. Greary Governor of Kansas, and comparative 
order was soon restored. The new party, Republican, came into li £e upon 
the various issues agitating the country, drawing its strength from that 
sentiment in all parties opposing slavery. The election of November, 
1856, came on. resulting as follows in Tipton County: 



TOWNSHIPS. 


Dem. 
Buchanan and 
Breckinridge. 


Rep. 

Fremont and 

Dayton. 


American. 

Fillmore and 

Donelsou. 


Madison 


163 

86 
217 
109 

83 
81 


56 
114 
155 

71 
119 

31 


1 


Jefferson 


1 


Cicero 


3 


Prairie 




Liberty 


4 


Wild Cat 


5 






Total 


738 


546 


14 







The bitterness dividing the North and the South continued to increase. 
In 1857, the United States Supreme Court decided in the Dred Scott 



40 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



case that the negro could not become a citizen under the Constitution. 
This was followed by [indignant mass meetings in the North and the 
adoption of denunciatory resolutions and " Pex'sonal Libei'ty Bills." In 
1859, John Brown endeavored to incite an insurrection of the slaves in 
Virginia, but was captured, and himself and a [number of his followers 
were hung. The fugitive slave law was openly violated throughout the 
North, and numerous prosecutions followed. The country was on the 
brink of civil war. The South saw that the enormous influx of popula- 
tion in the Northern States would result in the election of a Republican 
President, and the leaders of slavery knew that the hour for secession 
had come. It was publicly announced that the election of a Republican 
President would be regarded as a sufficient menace to the institution of 
slavery to warrant the South in withdrawing from the Union. Four par - 
ties placed tickets in the field in 1860, with the following result in Tip- 
ton County in November, 1860: 



Tt)WNSHIPS. 



Madison . 
Jefferson . 
Cicero . . . 
Prairie . . 
Liberty. . . 
Wild Cat 

TotaU . 



Dem. 

Douglas and 

Johnson. 



Rep. 

Lincoln and 

Hamlin. 



136 

90 

256 

126 
109 
107 



101 
153 
221 

94 
131 

70 



824 



770 



Dem. 

Breckinridge 

and Lane. 



21 



Union. 
Bell and Ev- 
erett. 



This election was succeeded by the secession of the leading States of 
the South, and by a long, bloody, civil war, which forever, it is hoped, 
obliterated slavery from the United States. In 1864, the question be- 
fore the country was the continuance or cessation of war. The result in 
Tipton County in November, 1864, was as follows: 





TOWNSHIPS. 


Dem. 

McClellan and 

Pendleton. 


Rep. 

Lincoln and 

Johnson. 


Madison 


164 
119 
279 
158 
145 
154 


72 


Jellerson 


130 


Cicero 


234 


Prairie 


93 


Liberty 


138 


Wildcat 


64 








Total 


1,019 


731 







Mr. Lincoln was re-elected, which was a ratification of his adminis- 
tration and a declaration in favor of a continuance of the war, and ex- 
tensive preparations to conclude the unnatural civil strife were speedily 
carried into effect. The spring of 1865 saw the war end, and saw the 
lamented assassination of President Lincoln and the transfer of the Ex- 
ecutive Department of the Government to the Vice President, Mr. John- 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



41 



son. Considerable trouble arose in regard to the reconstruction of the 
Southern States, which resulted in an effort to impeach the President, 
the effort failing by but one vote. The question of reconstruction was 
before the country in 1868, the following being the result of the election 
in Tipton County, November, 1868: 



TOWNSHIPS. 



Madison . 
Jefferson. 
Cicero . . . 
Prairie . . , 
Liberty . . 
Wild Cat. 



Total. 




The Republican candidates were elected, and so satisfactory to his 
party was the administration of Gen. Grant that he became the Repub- 
lican nominee for re-election in 1872. The Democratic party formed a 
coalition with dissatisfied Republicans and with all who were opposed to 
Gen. Grant, and placed in nomination Horace Greeley, editor of the 
New York Tribune, a " Liberal Republican," of great prominence. The 
result in Tipton, November, 1872, was as follows: 



TOWNSHIPS. 


Liberal 
Republican. 

Greeley and 
Brown. 


Rep. 

Grant and 
Wilson. 


Bourbon 
democrat. 

O'Conor and 
Adams. 


Madison 


248 
150 
397 
161 
178 
193 

1,327 


156 
173 
406 
156 
200 
166 

1,257 




Jefferson 




Cicero 




Prairie 


5 


liiberty 




Wildcat 


1 


Total 


Q 







The Republican candidates were again elected, the result when known, 
being followed by the death of Mr. Greeley, one of the most eminent 
editors and philanthropists of the century. Soon after this the Independ- 
ent or Greenback party came into existence, its formation being due to 
the hard times resulting from the depreciation of values at the close of 
the war. The election of November, 1876, resulted as follows: 



TOWNSHIPS. 


Dem. 
Tilden and 
Hendricks. 


Rep. 
Hayes and 
Wheeler. 


Ind. 
Cooper and 

Gary. 


Madison 


257 
201 
494 
224 
259 
269 


152 
209 
438 
163 
199 
181 


5 


Jefferson 


12 


Cicero 


45 

12 


Prairie 


Liberty 


8 
17 


Wild Cat 






Total 


1,704 


1.342 


99 







42 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY 



Owino- to mimorous alleged frauds in the election in the South (and 
even in the North), the Lower House of Congress was unable to determine 
which candidates were entitled to the electoral vote of certain Southern 
States. The Constitution provided no remedy for the dilemma, and 
much excitement resulted in Congress and throughout the country. At 
last Mr. Edmunds, of Vermont, introduced a bill in Congress, transfer- 
ring the settlement of the question to an " Electoral Commission," con- 
sisting of the Judges of the Surpeme Court of the United States. This 
bill was accepted by both parties as a compromise, and the result was 
that the " Electoral Commission " decided by a vote of eight to seven in 
favor of the Eepublican candidates, and accordingly Hayes and Wheeler 
assumed control of the Executive Department. The administration of 
President Hayes was so satisfactory in its financial results that the Re- 
publicans were again enabled to carry the election in 1880. Tipton 
County voted as follows: 



TOWNSHIPS. 


Dem. 

Hancock and 

English. 


Rep. 

Garfield and 

Arthur. 


IND. 

Weaver and 
Chambers. 


Madison 


276 
23! 

581 
244 
252 

272 


183 
268 

458 
178 
213 
218 


2 


Jefferson 


24 


Cicero 


13 


Prairie 


7 


Liberty 


4 


Wild Cat 


13 






Total 


1,856 


1,518 


62 







CATALOGUE OF COUNTY OFFICERS. 

County Commissioners — Robert E. Davidson, 1844; John D. 
Smith, 1844; Thomas Jackson, 1844; R. E. Davidson, 1845; Oliver H. 
Perry, 1846; George Tucker, 1846; Harvey Goodykoontz, 1848; Zimri 
Brown, 1849; Abraham Ploughe, 1849; H. Goodykoontz, 1850; Joseph 
McMurtiy, 1851; Noble S. Riley, 1852; H. Goodykoontz, 1854; J. 
McHolmes, 1855; Green Lilly, 1855; Thomas J. Smith, 1856; Elisha 
Pickering, 1857; William P. Gard, 1858; Alexander McCreary, 1859; 
William Woolly, 1859; Joseph Price, 1860; Green Lilly, 1861; Thomas 
Cole, 1862; David Kemp, 1863; John Nutter, 1864; G. W. Boyer, 1865; 
David Kemp, 1866; John Nutter, 1867; Thomas J. Wright, 1868; David 
Kemp, 1869; Iredell Wright, 1870; T. J. Wright, 1871; Daniel Kemp, 
1872; Martin Smith, 1873; Charles F. Meyer, 1874; Green Lilly, 1875; 
John Evans, 1876; David Kemp, 1876; Morgan Wright, 1877; Jacob 
G. Off, 1878; George W. Myerly, 1879; Jacob G. Off, 1880; Alexander 
McCreary, 1881; and B. F. Leg, 1882. 

Auditors— N. J. Jackson, 1844; A. M. Young, 1850; William Stiv- 
ers, 1854; B. R. Groom, 1862; W. S. Armstrong, 1866; R. W. Wright. 
1874; A. E. Small, 1878; and R. L. Porter, 1882. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 43 

Recorders — Sylvester Turpen, 1844; John S. Ressler, 1854; B. R. 
Groom, 1862; M. E. Clark, 1803; A. E. Small, 1871; and John Long, 
1878. 

Clerks— N. J. Jackson, 1844; A. M. Young, 1850; W. N. Brady, 
1850: Sylvester Tnrpen, 1854; Ellison C. Hill, 1859; J. V. Cox, 1861; 
E. A. Overman, 1870: J. A. Moon, 1874; A. B. Pitzer, 1878; and L. T. 
Bunch, 1882. 

Treasm-ers— Jacob Whisler, 1844; John S. Ressler, 1847;. J. E. Rum- 
sey, 1853; John VV. Chambers, 1857; J. C. Vandevender, 1859; John. 
Pickens, 1861; J. P. Foster, 1863; Hugh Dickey, appointed 1867; D. A. 
Fish, 1870; William M. Grishaw, 1872; Jesse Alexander, 1878: John 
H. Zehner, 1882. 

Sheriffs — William Harrington, 1844; P. Evans, J845; A. M. Youag, 
1845; A. J. Redmon, 1846; Jesse Brown, 1850; William H. Richardson, 
1852; A. J. Redmon, 1854; Samuel Deal, 1854; A. J. Redmon, 1856; 
W^illiam Hall, 1860; Hugh Dickey, 1862; Richard Nash, 1866; Henry 
George, 1868; Alexander McCreary, 1870; W. R. Albright, 1874; Rob- 
ert M. Robinson, 1876; James H. Fear, 1880; and John W. Leavell, 
1882. 

Surveyors— Charles Thurman, 1844; W. H. Nelson, 1850; William 
Dickey, 1852; A. J. Franklin, 1855; John Van Buskirk, 1858; A. M. 
Legg, 1860; W. S. Dickey, 1861; Arthur M. Legg, 1862; Josiah M 
Clark, 1868; John Van Buskirk, 1870; J. M. Clark, 1878; and Freder- 
ick Ramsayer, 1882. 

County Agents— William H. Nelson, 1844; William F. Brady, 1847; 
Daniel G. Young, 1850; J. A. Lewis, 1851. 

Coroners — William Harrington, 1844; L. J. White, 1845; John 
Russell, 1847; John Longfellow, 1848; J. P. Workman, 1851; A. D. 
Doggett, 1854; William Goodrich, 1856; Philip Ballard, 1858; Robert 
Alexander, 1860; Andrew Swope, 1862; Robert Alexander, 1864; Andrew 
Swope, 1868; * * * A. J. Baker, 1878; M. V. B. Vickrey, 1880, and 
Joseph Summers, 1882. 

School Examiners— Thomas S. Starkey, 1845; John B. Cole, 1847; 
J. C. Williams, 1848; Andrew McElhany, 1853; Nathan Smith, 1854; 
J. A. Lewis, 1854; John E. Rumsey, 1855; Joseph A. Lewis, 1857; 
Nathan Smith, 1858; M. M. Jones, 1859; John W. Chambers, I860; M. 
M. Jones, 1861; B. M. Blount, 1862; John J. Mathers, 1864; Cyras N. 
Blount, September, 1867; Jacob B. Blount, 1870; J. M. Clark, first 
County Superintendent, 1873; B. M. Blount, 1876; and George C. 
Wood, 1880. 

Probate Judges — William H. Nelson, 1844; Joseph A. Lewis, Feb- 
ruay, 1851; Richard Miner, November, 1851-53. 

Common Pleas Judges — E. A. Stone, 1852; Nathaniel R. Lindsey, 
1857; John Green, 1860; N. R. Lindsey, 1864; William Garver, 1864- 
1873. 



44 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Circuit Judges — John W. Wright, 1844; Jeremiah , 184G; 

William Wick, 1852; Stephen Major, 1854; Joseph Buckles, 1858; John 
Davis, 1865; James O'Brien, 1868; Clark N. Pollard, 1873: N. R. Over- 
man, 1879. 

Representatives — William W. Connor, 1844; Robert T. Kimberlin 
and Carter T. Jackson, 1845; * * Nathan R. Lindsey, 1850, about; 
M. P. Evans; * * Addison Boxley, 1858; Joseph Goar, 1861; James 
O'Brien, 1863; William Stivers, 1865; Joel Stafford, 1867; R. Steven- 
son, 1869; W. W. Connor, 1871; John E. Rumsey, 1873; Samuel M. 
Taylor, 1875; William Gurrer, 1877; W. D. Rooker, 1879; George Ham, 
1881. 

Senators — William W. Connor, 1845; William Garver, 1848; Newton 
J. Jackson, 1852; John Green, 1856; George B. Grubb, 1860; Daniel 
R. Brown, 1864; John Green, 1868; William O'Brian, 1872; Peter 
Cardwell, 1875; S. M. Taylor, 1877; Robert Graham, 1880. 

COUNTY FINANCES. 

The first money received by the county was on the 5th of October, 

1844, when Daniel Crull was taxed $4.17 for a peddler's license. The 
second money was received November 4, 1844, when Silas Blount paid 
50 cents for a license io vend merchandise. The third money was a fine 
of $1, for assault and battery on John Welshous, paid by Joseph Mc- 
Murtry. The County Auditor's report from June 1, 1844, to May 31, 

1845, inclusive, was as follows: 

RECEIPTS. I EXPENDITURES. 

Clock peddler's license | 4 17 Locating county seat f 159 00 

Merchant's license 1 50 | Assessors 18 75 

Fines assessed 21 10 Election returns 10 87 

Liquor license 3 87 Specific allowance 114 67 

Revised statutes sold 2 00 , County officers 186 02 

Sale of lots 38 00 Roads, special 73 00 

Seminary fund interest 1 77 ' Laying out roads 49 67 

Bank tax and saline fund 14 25 ; Jurors' fees 53 25 

Interest on same.- 1 00 i Bailiffs' fees 4 00 

County revenue 277 14 ' Public buildings 10 00 



For road purposes 105 67 



Total 1470 47 



Seminary fund loaned 21 10 

Saline fund, etc. , loaned 14 25 



Total $714 58 

470 47 

Apparent deficit |244 11 

Yet due for locating county seat, 121 00 



Actual county deficit |123 11 

The following settlement was made with the State for the year 1844: 
State of Indiana, | ,, 
Tipton County. \ ^^' 

I. Newton J. Jackson, Auditor of Tipton County, do hereby certify that Jacob 
Whisler, Treasurer of said county for the year 1844, received a duplicate of taxes, 
amounting in the whole to $1,574.93, and that said Treasurer has assessed the sum 
of $107.73, and that the final settlement for the year 1844 with the State is as fol- 
lows : 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



45 





^^^- Asylum. 


Lunatic 
Asylum. 


County 
Tax. 


Road 
Tax. 


Total 

Taxes for 

1844. 


Amount of duplicate. . . . 
Assessed by Collector. . . 


$443.42 ' 1 2.88 
23.27 14 


$ 16.71 
1.16 


$528.59 
29.59 


$584.27 
53.79 


$1,574.93 
107.72 


Total 


466.69 3.02 

1 

66.85 42 


17.87 
2 50 


558.18 

79.45 
59.70 
91.80 


638.06 

81.82 
43.64 
87.31 


1,682.65 
230 93 


TOTAL FORMER TOWN- 
SHIP DELINQUENCIES. 

Madison 


Cicero 


49.84 i 32 1.80 

78.08 ■ 27 2.36 

1 ! 


155 41 


Jefferson 


259.82 






Total 


194.77 1.01 6.66 
271.92 2.01 11.21 

I 

243.77 1.85 1033 


230.95 
327.23 

301.06 


212.77 

425.29 

391.27 


646 16 


Amount collected 

Due State Treasurer after 
deducting Co. Treas- 
urer's fees 


1,037.66 
954 66 











For the fiscal year ending June, 184G, the total receipts were 
$1,197.40, and the total expenses $1,443.54, leaving a deficit for that 
year of $246. 14, which, added to the deficit of the previous year, made 
the total deficit $369.25. County officers this year cost $285.24, and $18 
was paid out for wolf scalps. The deficit of the county existed m the 
shape of county orders, which began to depreciate considerably in value. 
At the end of the fiscal year ending June, 1847, the county orders in 
circulation amounted to $462.51. The county officers cost $346.44. The 
cash receipts this year were $1,478.57, the total expenses $1,311.28, and 
the county orders received in payment of dues to the county amounted to 
$442.43. For the year ending June, 1848, the county officers cost 
$423.05; wolf scalps cost $46.50. For the year ending June, 1850, the 
total receipts were $2,155.62, and the total expenses $2,221.02. County 
officers cost $429.85, and wolf scalps $67. For the year ending June, 
1853, the receipts were $2,734.71, and the expenses $2,206.36. The 
county revenue amounted to $1,916.61. County officers cost $689.52, 
and $200 interest on railroad bonds was paid. For the year ending 
June, 1858, the total receipts were $5,261.64, and the total expenses 
$5,775.03. The county revenue amounted to $4,432.93. County offi- 
cers cost $1,833.43. There was a balance remaining in the treasury of 
$1,456.04. For the year ending June, 1859, the receipts were $13,447.04, 
of which $4,000 had come from the sale of county bonds used to build 
the court house. The total expenses were about $11,000. The State 
tax was $3,142.09; school tax, $2,094.87; school fund tax, $378.92; 
county tax, $9,192.57; road tax, $4,533.76; township tax, $935. 11; special 
school tax, $1,400.52; total tax, $21,677.84. For the year ending June, 
1863, the total receipts were $10,254.78, and the total expenses $11,596.23. 
County officers cost $1,930.66. The county revenue was $8,638.24. For 
the year ending June, 1867, the total receipts were $25,794.05, and the total 
expenses $30,797.64, the deficit being $5,003.59. The county revenue was 



46 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

$12,526.96, and the county officers cost $5,742.52. In December, 1867, 
county bonds to the amount of $10,000 were issued to refund old bonds 
that been issued to build the court house and the jail, and to take up 
what outstanding county orders there were. For the year ending June, 
1873, the receipts were $29,274.76, and the expenses $41,759.95, the ex- 
cess of expenses being $12,485.19. County officers cost $4,942.97. For 
the year June, 1876, the receipts were $21,698.06. and the expenses 
$23,208.13. The total deficit at this time was $11,387.99. This deficit 
continued to increase until June, 1878, when the County Board passed 
the following: 

Whereas, It appearing to the Board of Commissioners that the debt of the 
county of Tipton incurred in building a county jail and a county asylum cannot be 
paid off from the revenues afforded by reasonable taxation ; therefore, for the pur- 
pose of funding said debt, it is hereby ordered, that bonds of tlie county of Tipton 
and State of Indiana for the sum of $25,000 be issued of the denomination of $1,000 
each, to bear date June 10, 1878, to bear seven per centum interest, and to be paya- 
ble at the banking house of Winslow, Lanier & Co., of New York City, etc. 

These bonds were issued and sold, and the county indebtedness was 
placed in a definite shape. For the year ending June, 1880, the total 
receipts were $34,655.14, and the total expenses $27,412.46, the excess 
of receipts being due to the proceeds of the sale of county bonds. The 
county officers cost $4,375.41. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



47 



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48 HISTORY OF TiriON COUNTY, 

MILITARY RECORD OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

BY CAl'T. 1. H. JIONTr.OMERY. 

In undertaking to write a history of military operations in the county, 
the writer expected to be aided largely by newspapers that were pub- 
lished in the county during war times, in which it was hoped that many 
interesting war reminiscences would be found; but. unfortunately, none 
of these papers are now in existence; consequently, the task of writing 
such a history is much more difficult than was at first supposed. There 
having been no record kept in the county of those events of a military 
character which occurred during the war, it is now impossible to call to 
mind all that might be interesting to the people. All that appears in this 
chapter is written from memory, or compiled from the Adjutant General's 
reports. 

The military record of Tipton County began with the war of the re- 
bellion, in April, 1861. Previous to that time, there had been nothing 
to arouse a martial spirit among the people. At the time of the war with 
Mexico, this portion of the country was new and sparsely settled, and no 
attempt was made to enlist men from this county until near the close of 
that war, and it is certain that no one who was a citizen of the county at 
that time was in actual service during the war. A few days before the 
war ended, three young men of the county— 'William S. Hamilton, Marion 
P. Evans and Isaac H. Montgomery — enlisted to join a company that was 
attempted to be organized at Frankfort, Clinton County, this State, but 
they were not mustered into the servicB, for the reason that the war 
closed immediately, and word was sent to those who had enlisted that 
they need not report for muster. W. S. Hamilton, however, reported, 
and claimed his right of enlistment, and was so reported upon the mus- 
ter-roll, in consequence of which he obtained a land- warrant, although 
he was never in actual service. The other two did not report, and conse- 
quently tliey were not mustered into the service. While it is true that 
no citizens of the county at that time were in actual service during the 
Mexican war, yet some of the veterans wLo helped to tight the battles in 
that sunny clime have since moved into and settled in the county, and 
several such are now citizens of the county. 

The war with Mexico not having been of sufficient importance to 
cause any alarm, or create a mai'tial spirit among the people, it may be 
said that for nearly half a century there had been little or no attention 
given to military tactics in the State of Indiana. Tipton County was 
organized in 1844, but the country was new, and as there was nothing to 
cause a necessity for military discipline, there had never been a military 
organization of any kind in the county until after the fall of Fort Sum- 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 49 

ter, when the President called for 75,000 men for three months. No 
cloud of war, of ^any importance, having been visible for so many years, 
the bugle-call of the warrior and the clangor of arms had never been 
heard by any of the young men of the county. The long period of peace 
had produced a state of inactivity, so that all military ambition had, 
seemingly, died away. But, as subsequent events proved, the martial 
spirit was only slumbering, and, like a fiery volcano, it was ready to 
burst forth with the first commotion. In addition to the fact that mili- 
tary tactics had been so long neglected and forgotten, there was a feel- 
ing of aversion to war, and a strong desire to avoid, if possible, a conflict 
in which brother would be arrayed against brother. Even after some of 
the States had seceded and established a Southern Confederacy, the peo- 
ple here still entertained a hope that all differences might be adjusted and 
a compromise effected which would prevent a war between North and 
South. There were really three elements, all equally opposed to war. 
Although the great mass of men were agreed that the Union must be 
preserved at all hazard, yet a considerable number doubted the propriety 
of taking the initiative step by inaugurating a war of coercion against 
the seceding States. There were also a considerable number who were 
willing to open the door and let the seceders depart in peace, rather 
than go to war, believing that they would be the first to rue it, and that, 
in a short time, they would be praying for re-admission into the Union. 
Then there were many others who entertained a feeling bordering on 
disloyalty; although innocent, perhaps, of disloyal intention, yet they al- 
ways denounced every form of resistance to whatever the Southern peo- 
ple chose to do, and every attempt or proposition looking toward coer- 
cion seemed to them as an abolition scheme. Thus matters were for 
many years, and up to the time when the rebels began the war by their 
attack on Fort Sumter. When the report came that the rebels had taken 
the fort, and that the President had called for volunteers to defend the 
national honor, then it was that the fires of patriotism were kindled in 
the hearts of the sturdy pioneers of this county, and the old men. the 
middle aged and the young all rallied to the rescue. They came to the 
county seat jby hundreds; they came in wagons, on horseback and on 
foot— all, with one accord, saying, " The Union must and shall be pre- 
served." Although it was a busy time of year, yet many were willing 
to leave their work and go to the seat of war. The great struggle 
seemed to be, not to avoid going into the army, but to avoid staying at 
home. There were contentions between father and son, and between 
brothers, as to which should stay at home. 

The capture of Fort Sumter created a feeling of indignation so in- 
tense that it consumed all party animosity, and seemed to unite all in 
one common patriotic cause. There were several incidents, on the day fol- 
lowing the fall of Sumter, which gave an opportunity for demonstrations 



60 HISTORY OF TirroN county. 

of loyalty ou the pax't of the people, that showed their contempt for all who 
sympathized with rebellion. One of these incidents was connected with 
a young man by the name of Applegate, who was sojourning in Tipton 
at that time. Early that morning, he climbed up to the belfry of the 
coiTrt house, and placed thereon a flag of stars and bars, indicative of 
sympathy for the Southern Confederacy. The flag was soon observed, 
taken down and torn into fragments, and then burned by an indignant 
people, and when it was learned who did the traitorous act, it was hard 
to prevent the people from committing violence upon him. It was re- 
markable how anxious some of the old patriots were to get hold of him, 
but ho, being fleet-footed, escaped from them, left the town, and has not 
returned since. 

There were also some instances of unguarded and senseless expres- 
sions of sympathy for the South let fall, which led to some very positive 
demonstrations in different parts of the county, but all soon quieted 
down, and everything of a disturbing nature disappeared. The great 
mass of the people became united, so that there was no rivalry of par- 
ties. Almost every one seemed anxious to do everything possible to sup- 
port the Government, and no one can now tell the proportion of the 
different political parties that went into the service. It was a grand 
display of patriotism, unsurpassed, perhaps, in the history of the world. 

There were men enough enlisted in Tipton in one day to form a com- 
pany. This was organized on the second day, by electing Edward T. 
Wallace, Captain; John W. Stevenson, First Lieutenant, and Isaac M. 
Rumsey, Second Lieutenant. The company could not go immediately 
to the field, for the reason that they had no army supplies, and it re- 
quired time to make preparations. AH remained at home for a few days. 
Meanwhile, the ladies were anxious to lend a helping hand, and, 
prompted by their instinctive tenderness, they set to work to prepare 
comfortable uniforms for the soldiers. They made linen caps, or bon- 
net-like coverings for the head, called Havelocks, red flannel shirts and 
blue pants — a sufficient number of each for all the men of the company. 
On the day of their departure, the company met at Tipton, and put on 
the new suits which the ladies had made. When they formed in line 
and marched along the streets, the great contrast of bright red and dark 
blue, presented an appearance which seemed to the native Tiptonian as 
a wonderful military display. A short time before starting to the depot, 
the company marched into the public square, where several hundred peo 
pie had assembled to witness the presentation of a beautiful banner, 
which the ladies of Tipton had made. It was presented by Mrs. Ada 
Kane, in an appropriate address to the departing heroes. Short, but 
patriotic, speeches were then made by Judge Green, Dr. Parker, N. J. 
Jackson, Dr. Vickrey, J. V. Cox and others, which were encouraging to 
and highly appreciated by those who were leaving their homes to go to 



^ HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 61 

the seat of war and peril their lives in defense of their country. This 
was a great day in Tipton. The people had come from^ all parts of the 
county to see the soldiers oflf to the war, so there was'[a large crowd in 
town. Finally, the company formed in line, the people having collected 
on the sidewalks along the street over which the soldiex's had to pass on 
their way to the depot. As they passed along the street, they were 
loudly cheered by the assembled multitude, to which the soldiers re- 
sponded with patriotic zeal. Among that cheering throng were fathers 
and mothers, wives and sisters, who, with tearful eyes and throbbing 
hearts, bade farewell to their hu.sbands, sons and brothers. There were 
also loving maidens, who could not refrain from showing their loVe and 
anxiety for certain ones as they passed by. The company soon boarded 
the cars, and as the train moved off, the soldiers, so many as could, stood 
on the platforms of rhe cars, and, with hat or handkerchief in hand, 
waved a j&nal farewell to friends who stood on the platform at the depot, 
watching to catch the last glimpse as the train passed out of sight! 
This, the first company of soldiers from the county, went into quarters 
at Indianapolis on the 23d of April, 1861, and on the '25th were mus- 
tered into the service as Company F of the Eleventh Regiment of three 
months" men. 

War was now actually begun. With friends in the field, there was 
great anxiety among the people at home, in regard to army movements. 
Arrangements were made in almost every neighborhood in the county 
to secure a daily paper. The people assembled at some convenient place 
each evening to hear the news read, and there were generally enough of 
them out each evening to carry the news to almost every household in 
the county. The fact that so many laboring men had gone into the 
army seemed to energize those who remained at home, and nerve them 
to the performance of greater work, so that, in many instances, the work 
which had been planned for two was performed by one. Almost every 
person was anxious for the welfare of the families of those who were in 
thfa service; patriotic zeal seemed to lighten burdens, and all labored 
with unfaltering confidence in the justice of the cause for which our 
armies were contending. 

The one company under Capt. Wallace, in the Eleventh Regi- 
ment, did not contain all the Tipton men who enlisted under the 
call for 75,000 for three months. There were several others who vol- 
unteered and went into companies that were organized in other coun- 
ties, and thus found an opportunity to serve their country for which 
their own county did not receive any credit. Consequently, it is impos- 
sible now to tell how many men from this county were in the three 
months' service. 

The second company raised in this county was recruited by M. C. 
Holman, W. P. Gard, R. M. Sharp and others, and organized on the 9th 



52 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

day of August, by electing M. C. Holman, Captain; W. P. Gard, First 
Lieutenant, and R. M. Sharp, Second Lieutenant. On the day this 
company started for the field, they collected at Sharpsville, and all were 
provided with dinner by the good people of that village. They went to 
Indianapolis, and were there mustered into the service as Company C of 
the Twenty-sixth Regiment, on the 31st day of August, 1861. 

At the expiration of the term of their enlistment, the three months' 
men returned, and the Eleventh Regiment was mustered out of the serv- 
ice on the 4th day of August, 1861. In a short time, the company re- 
organized, with only about twenty-five men from Tipton County in Com- 
pany F of the new organization. They were mustered into the service 
this time for three years, on the 31st of August, 1861. 

During the same month, another company was raised and organized, 
with John W. Stevenson, Captain, Samuel G. Decker, First Lieutenant, 
and Wesley S. King, Second Lieutenant. This company met at Tipton 
on the 28th of August; quart.ered in the com-t house that night, and on 
the next day went to Indianapolis, where they were mustered into the 
service as Company G of the Thirty-ninth Regijuent of Infantry, on the 
29th of August, 1861. This regiment was afterward changed to the 
Eighth Cavalry, which did as much good service as any in the army. 
Jasper M. Grove, of Tipton, ;vas appointed Surgeon pro tern, of this 
regiment, May 8, 1862. 

The fourth company raised in the county was recruited by M. P. 
Evans, E. C. Hill, N. R. Overman and others, and organized on the 10th 
of October, by electing Ellison C. Hill, Captain, W. H. Hayford, First 
Lieutenant, and Joseph A. McKinsey, Second Lieutenant. This com- 
pany went into camp at Anderson for a short time, and when the regi- 
ment was organized moved to Indianapolis, and were there mustered 
into the service as Company K of the Forty-seventh Regiment of Infan- 
try, on the 13th day of December, 1861. Marion P. Evans, of Tipton, 
was appointed by Gov. Morton Adjutant of the regiment. 

In addition to the four companies organized in the county, there were 
a few men in each of the Thirteenth, Seventeenth, Twenty-first, 
Twenty-second, Twenty-third, Forty -second, Fifty-first and Fifty-seventh 
Regiments, in all about one hundred, which, with the four companies, 
made 500 men enlisted in the county before the close of the year 1861. 
In a short time, there was a more pressing need of supplies for the many 
soldiers enlisted than there was of more men. The Govei-nment sup- 
plies were inadequate for the immediate equipment of so vast an army. 
In this emergency. Gov. Morton, who was always equal to every emer- 
gency, appealed to the people of Indiana for donations of such things as 
were needed to supply the soldiers for the winter. This request of the 
Governor's was responded to by the people most liberally, and in a 
spirit which proved their patriotism. The women, anxious to do all they 



HISTORV OF" TlPrON COUNTY. 03 

could, went to work with willing hearts and ready hands, and almost 
every household in the county contributed some article of clothing or 
bedding. Everything which could add to the soldiers' comfort was given 
cheerfully. Socks, mittens, gloves, shirts, drawers, blankets and quilts 
were collected in great abundance, and forwarded to headquarters to be 
distributed among the soldiers as they were needed. Opportunity was 
given to all who had friends in the army to furnish supplier with 
special directions that they be forwarded to the particular soldier for whom 
they were prepared. While this was done in many instances, yet the 
gi-eat bulk of supplies were forwarded to the State Agent, to be by him 
distributed among the soldiers according to his knowledge of their 
necessities. Supplies were furnished in this way in such great abun- 
dance, that the State Agent found it necesaaryj in a short time, to an- 
nounce to the people that there was enough and to spare, and to request 
that nothing more be forwarded. 

After this, followed the long, dreary winter of 1861-62, dur- 
ing which the people watched anxiously every movement of the army, 
waiting and hoping for a speedy termination of the war. The spring of 
1862 opened with fearful forebodings, no special advantages having 
been gained by our armies daring the winter, while the rebels, mean- 
while, had gathered strength, and seemed more determined and detianfc. 
Although everything now indicated a long and bloody war, the people 
here were still firm in their determination to uphold the Government 
and preserve the Union of all the States. As in the spring before, 
farmers and mechanics all went to work with vigor and perseverance. 
Fathers then had to do the work for which, in former years, they had 
the help of one or two sons; and in many instances women and girls did 
the work of men. Everybody was anxious and hopeful that our armies 
would soon achieve wonderful triumphs, and that the rebels would soon 
be subdued; but the slow plodding of McClellan with the Army of the 
Potomac, and some reverses in other portions of the field, caused the 
people to become impatient; and harvest was scarcely over when they 
began to clamor for an increase of the forces in the field, and for a more 
vigorous prosecution of the war. Even before the President issued his 
third call for troops, there were many who were anxious to volunteer, and 
Gov. Morton made arrangements with the War Department by which 
he was authorized to accept all who were willing to enlist for the service. 
In order to effect the organization of companies, the Governor appointed 
and commissioned Second Lieutenants as Recruiting Officers, who, if 
they succeeded in recruiting a company, were allowed to go into the field 
and retain that rank. 

On the 15th of July, 1862, Isaac H. Montgomery was commissioned 
a Second Lieiitenant, and on the 17th began recruiting, being aided by 
Dr. Parker, J. V. Cox and Sylvester Turpen. They enlisted 135 men, 



54 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

and organized a company on the '26th of the same month, Isaac H. Mont- 
gomery being elected Captain, George L. Shaw, First Lieutenant, and 
Noah W. Parker, Second Lieutenant. The Governor directed the or- 
ganization of regiments by Congressional Districts, and for convenience 
arranged rendezvous camiis in each district. Tipton County was then in 
the Eleventh District, for which a camp was established at Wabash. 
This camp was not ready for the reception of troops when Capt. Mont- 
gomery's company was organized, so that the men of this company had to 
remain at home for a few days after the organization of the company. 

During this time, the citizens of Normanda and vicinity arranged a 
picnic in that beautiful grove just south of Normanda, which took place 
on the 6th day of August, 1862. There were more than three thousand 
people on the ground, and nearly every one brought baskets well tilled 
with provisions. A large fat ox was killed the day before, and was nice- 
ly cooked for the occasion; so that there was a bountiful supply of eat- 
ables. Every one partook heartily and was satified, not only for dinner 
but for supper also. The people delighted to linger in the pleasant 
grove, and many remained until the dusky shades of evening reminded 
them of the approach of night. The day was passed pleasantly, all 
seeming anxious to do everything possible to please and make the 
soldiers happy. Speeches were made by several persons during the day. 
Judge Green, Dr. I. Parker, J. V. Cox, Dr. A. M. Vickrey and others 
made fine patriotic addresses. Judge Joshua Jones was there also, and 
spoke as none but he could, holding for nearly one hour the vast multi- 
tude perfectly spell -bound by his matchless portrayal of the sin of rebell- 
ion. His closing remarks, although severe, are worthy a place in this 
chapter. After commenting at some length on the glories of this Gov- 
ernment, and exhorting the people to stand firm in their support of it, 
he said that he had not words to express his contempt for a people who 
would disturb the peace and prosperity of a Government like this, by 
defying its laws in any manner, or seeking to divide or weaken it by 
the damnable heresy of secession. He said that, for a people who would 
do such a thing God had failed to provide adequate punishment, and 
that if he (Jones) had the power, he would uncap the lower regions, heat 
the flames of the devil's resort seven times hotter than the hottest flame 
old Satan had ever fanned, and then cause a cyclone to rise in the Gulf 
of Mexico large enough to gather and encircle in its winding embrace 
evei-y man who had helped to bring on this wicked rebellion. The cy- 
clone should carry them over the deepest hole in the hottest place of that 
lake of tire, and with all its force shoot them forth, as a ball from a can- 
non, down into the lowest depths of the deepest hell, so far out of sight 
that old Satan himself could never see them. " For," said he, " I im- 
agine that it would cause a blush of shame to mantle the cheek of his 
Satanic majesty to even look upon a man who was guilty of treason to 



J 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. '^5 

such a Government as this. The day is not far distant," he con- 
tinued, " when all the dough-faces of the North, who are now clamoring 
for peace by a compromise, will be praying for the rocks and mountains 
to fall on them, to hide them from the scorn and contempt of the brave 
boys who are now fighting the battles of the coantry," This was a day 
long to be remembered. 

A few days after the picnic at Normanda. the citizens of Tipton pre- 
pared a grand dinner on the old fair ground, south of town. Here, too, 
the fatted ox was killed, and the whole carcass roasted over a furnace on 
the ground. The people turned out, en masse, bringing with them bas- 
kets well filled with everything to tempt the appetite. There were a 
great many people on the ground, and there was a bountiful supply of 
provisions for all. Capt. Montgomery's company were ail present. 
Speeches were made by several leading citizens, and a good time gener- 
ally was had. All were anxious to majie the occasion a pleasant fare- 
well to the soldiers who were soon to start to the field of carnage. Soon 
after dinner, the company formed in line, and marched through town to 
the depot, where they took the train for Wabash, arriving at that city 
late in the evening of the 11th day of August, 1862. They went into 
camp on the south side of the river, near the city, and remained there a 
few days, until the regiment was organized. They then moved to In- 
dianapolis, and were mustered into the service as Company B of the 
Seventy-fifth Regiment of Infantry, on the 19th day of August, 1862. 
Dr. James B. "White, of Normanda, was appointed Assistant Surgeon of 
this regiment. 

A few of the men enlisted by Capt. Montgomery remained at home, 
as there were more than were allowed in one company. They began im- 
mediately to reci-nit for another company, and Sylvester Turpen was 
commissioned a Second Lieutenant to organize it. In a very few days, 
men enough were enlisted to form a company, which was organized on 
the 15th day of August, by electing Alexander McCrary, Captain, Syl- 
vester Turpen, First Lieutenant, and Ezekiel L. Cooper. Second Lieu- 
tenant. A dinner was provided for tlie men of this company at citizens' 
houses, and in the afternoon of the same day as the organization, they 
went to AV abash, and went into rendezvous camp at that place. They 
remained there until the regiment was organized, when they removed 
to Indianapolis, and wM-e mustered into the service as Company C of 
the One Hundred and First Infantry, on the 7th day of September, 1862. 
James Price, of Tipton, was appointed Adjutant of the regiment. Rev. 
Thomas Whalon, of Tipton, was appointed Chaplain for this regiment 
on the 14th of May, 1863, but had to resign on account of disability 
September 3, 1863. The two companies last spoken of contained about 
all of the volunteers of the year 1862. 

At the time of the draft assignment, on the 20th September, 1862, 



56 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

U2)OU the various towDships in the State, which had been deficient in fill- 
ing their quotas, it was ascertained that all the townships in the county 
except one had tilled their quotas, and ten men only were drafted in 
Wild Cat Township. The officers appointed to manage the enrollment 
and draft were William N. Evans, Commissioner; D. F. Lindsay, 
Marshal; and Dr. Jasper M. Grove, Surgeon. The enrollment at that 
time showed the total militia of the county to be 1,263, with 272 ex- 
empts, leaving only 1)91 men liable to do military duty, with, as the re- 
ports then showed, 662 in the service. Subsequent investigation proved 
that there were over seven hundred men in actual service. \¥ith this 
draft ended all efforts to enlist men for the service during that year. 

Then followed another dreary winter, with many thousands more in 
the field needing supplies than there were the winter before. The 
people again busied themselves in preparing and sending to the army 
everything possible for the soldiers' comfort. Daring that fall and fore 
part of the winter, our armies made considerable advances, and gained 
some important victories. Everything seemed favorable, and the people 
were hopeful of a speedy termination of the war. Every demand of the 
General Government, and every request of the noble Governor of the 
State, was responded to with a zealous energy and patriotism that was 
not surpassed by any county in the State. Almost every citizen of the 
county gave encouragement to a vigorous prosecution of the war. 
Loyalty and patriotism were depicted on every countenance up to the 
time when the State Legislature of 1863 convened, and began a distur- 
bance by declaring the war a failure, demanding a cessation of hostili- 
ties, and proposing to pray for peace, through compromise with the 
rebels, being led thus to act by a dangerous sympathy for, and misplaced 
confidence in, the people of the seceded States. The Legislature opposed 
the war measures of the General Government, and tried to tie the hands 
of Gov. Morton by refusing to appropriate the means necessary to enable 
him to carry out his plans in aid of the General Government. They not 
only withheld the means, but they tried to enact laws to deprive him of 
the power to control the State militia. These things cast a gloom over 
the country, and caused the stoutest hearts to fear, and doubt the possi- 
bility of maintaining the Union. As the disgraceful schemes of the 
notorious majority of that assembly were concocted in the interests of a 
political party, rather than through any treasonable design, it is well, 
perhaps, to speak of it here, so as to keep it before the people, that it 
may serve as a warning to future politicians, to lead them to avoid the 
quicksands of partisan folly during perilous times; for it was apj^arent 
to many then, and plain to all now, that the action of the majority in that 
Legislature, and the [>artisan schemes of other politiciaiis. had the effect 
of prolonging the war by encouraging the rebels to continue the strug- 
gle with renewed energy, in the hope that party strife among the people 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 57 

of the North would kindle a flame that would consume all patriotism, 
and cause such a division and strife among the people of the Northern 
States as would enable the seccessionists to maintain a Southern Confed- 
eracy. This party madness resulted, also, in some demoralization among 
the soldiers in the field, causing many desertions Prom the army; and it 
led to serious disturbances in many parts of the State, and also to the 
organization of a secret political organization known as the Sons of 
Liberty, or Knights of the Golden Circle, which, if not treasonable in de- 
sign, was entirely so by practice. Lodges or bands of this order were 
organized in many counties of the State by designing politicians, who, 
through foolish party zeal, imposed upon the members of the order by 
teaching false theories in regard to the policy of the Government in the 
prosecution of the war. This course had the effect of arousing the pas- 
sions of men to such a pitch that violent demonstrations, of a treason- 
able character, were common in several counties in the State. 
In some places, Enrolling Officers and Marshals were shot down while 
in the discharge of their official duties. Fortunately for the credit of 
Tipton County, there was not a single lodge of that shameful order or- 
ganized within the county, and, so far as the writer is informed, there 
was bu.t one citizen of the county who ever entered one of those lodges, 
and he but once. In order to acquaint himself with their plans and 
purposes, he visited a lodge at Indianapolis, but being disgusted there- 
with, he refused to enter into their treasonable arrangements, and did 
not enter a lodge a second time. The notorious H. H. Dodds, Grand 
Commander of the order in the State of Indiana, visited Tipton once, 
for the purpose of trying to organize the order in the county, and held 
a close conference with some of the leading partisans, but did not succeed 
in his efforts, failing to secure the co-operation of a sufficient number to 
foim a lodge in the county. So that it may be said truly, that although 
the State was disgraced by the treasonable efforts of that shameful or- 
ganization, yet Tipton County is free from that foul stain, and no 
serious trouble resulting from treasonable designs occurred within her 
border during the war. There were, however, some political meetings, 
at which resolutions in opposition to the war policy of the Government 
were adopted. Those resolutions were of unsavory tone, and seemed to 
most of the soldiers as really treasonable utterances. Speeches similar in 
character were made by leading politicians in difierent parts of the county. 
While these things were done solely in the interest of party, yet they had 
the effect to discourage the people and check enlistments, so that the quotas 
under subsequent calls were not filled by volunteer enlistments so readily 
as under former calls. Finally, the draft had to be resorted to. After 
the calls of 1862 were filled, no other call was made which required any 
men from Tipton County until the 17th of October, 1868, when the 
President called for 301), 000 men. There were no new companies raised 



58 IIISTOUY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

in the county during the year 1863. but there were about one hundred 
men who volunteered and went into the old companies already in the 
field. These were sufficient to till the qiiota of this county, under that 
call. On the Ist of February, 1864, the President called for 200,000 men, 
and on the 14th -of March issued another call for 200.000 men. The 
quotas under these calls were also tilled by volunteer enlistmeots. There 
were 166 men who volunteered, and went into the tield and entered old 
organizations to till up their depleted ranks. This more than tilled the 
quota under all calls up to this time, so that there was a surplus credit 
to the county. 

On the 23d of April, 1864, Gov. Morton made arrangement with the 
War Department by which he was authorized to raise 20,000 men tu 
serve for 100 days. The object of his arrangement was to raise a 
force of new men sufficient to guard the forts and Grovernmeut stores in 
exposed places, while the old veterans were tighting the battles and fol- 
lowing lip the vanquished and retreating host of the rebel armies. But 
owing to the busy season, and the fact tha there were so many men al- 
ready in the service, it was found to be impossible to spare so many 
men from farm pursuits and other needful industries. The full number, 
therefore, was not raised, and only eight regiments were organized under 
that arrangement. There were about twenty-tive men from Tipton 
County in that service, who were in Company F, of the One Hundred 
and Thirty-second Regiment, with James A. Franklin, Second Lieu- 
tenant. These men served in Tennessee and Alabama, guarding Gen. 
Sherman's communications and supply stores, and they did good service 
by relieving the old soldiers from that duty. 

On the 18th of July, 1864, the President issued another call, 500,000 
men. Under this call, M. C. Holman recruited sixty-eight men in this 
county. Joining these with others at Indianapolis, a company was or- 
ganized, on the 14th of October, by electing Charles M. Guthridge, of 
Indianapolis, Captain, M. C. Holman, of Sharpsville, First Lieutenant, 
and William W. Burden, of Goshen, Second Lieutenant. This company 
was mustered into the service as Company G. of the One Hundred and 
Fortieth Regiment, on the 1st day of November, 1864. The Provost 
Marshal General's report showed that there .was a deficiency in the quotas 
of Wild Cat, Madison, Liberty, Prairie and Jefferson Townships, and 
sixty-four men were drafted from these five townships. Twenty of these 
went into Company F, of the Twenty-third Regiment, and fifteen into 
Company B, of the Fortieth Regiment. There is uo record of the as- 
signment of the others that were drafted, so that it is impossible now to 
tell what company or regiment they were in. 

The last call of the President was made on the 1 9th of December, 
1864. Under this final call, there were sixty-eight volunteer enlistments. 
Sixty of these were recruited by William B. Young. These were joined 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 59 

■witli others recruited in other counties, and organized into a company at 
Indianapolis by electing William B. Young, Captain, George W. Thorn, 
of Summitsville, First Lieutenant, and William P. Crowell, Second Lieu- 
tenant, They were mustered into the service as Ct)mpany K, One 
Hundred and Fifty-third Kegiment, on the 28th day of February, 1865. 
The eight others who volunteered under this call went into the Fifty- 
ninth, One Hundred and Forty-fifth, One Hundred and Forty-seventh 
and One Hundred and Fifty-fii'st Regiments. There was still a de- 
ficiency in filling the quotas assigned to the different townships under 
this call, and the draft was again resorted to. About forty men were 
drafted in the county, part of whom were assigned to duty. The num- 
ber is not definitely known, nor the regiments to which they were as- 
signed, as there is no record of their assignment. 

We have in this chapter given a statement of the number of volu ti- 
teers and drafted men who appear credited to the county. On final ad- 
justment in the Provost Marshal Greneral's department, the last state- 
ment shows that Tipton County not only filled her quotas under all calls, 
but had an actual surplus of fifty-four men. It is well known that sev- 
eral Tipton men volunteered who were crediied to other covinties, while 
some failed to report their residence, and their names appear on the roll 
without residence. By this means there are some lost from the credit of 
the county. Notwithstanding such losses, however, the records show 
1,073 enlistments, includiug those drafted. There were also some re-en- 
listments. It is clearly shown that there were more than one thousand 
men from this county in actual service during the war. This number 
was more than half of the entire militia force of the county. It is 
doubtful if any county in the State can show a better record in regard 
to the number of men in the army in proportion to population. 

We have alluded to the partisan warfare in the county against the 
war policy of the General Government merely to show that that trouble 
existed in this as well as other counties in the State; but, unlike some 
other counties, it did not crop out in any treasonable designs. It, as 
already intimated, was the work of partisans entirely. The people were 
a unit in regard to loyalty to the Government, and may well be proud of 
their record made during the war. There were Tipton County men in 
forty-four difi'erent companies, in thirty-two regiments and in every de- 
partment of the service. There were some in all important campaigns, 
and in every general engagement. They fought in more than two hun- 
dred battles and skirmishes, and the distance traveled by them individu- 
ally was more than two hundred times around the earth. This county did 
well, not only in furnishing men to fight the battles of the country, but 
in contributions in support of the Government, and in aid of soldiers and 
their families. Whenever anything was needed, it was given in a spirit 
of liberality that was not siirpassed by any people. From information 



(JO HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

derived from the records of the Sanifcaiy Commission, and other statisti- 
cal reports, it is learned that the contributions of the people of this 
county, for the various necessities occasioned by the war, amounted to a 
wrand total of $150,000. This is certainly a large sum, considering the 
limited number and wealth of the people. The soldiers' famiiise were 
kindly treated, and well provided for during the whole time of the war. 
The following is a report of the action had by the Forty-seventh Regi- 
ment on the death of Adjt. Marion P. Evans, and is taken from the 
Tipton Times: 

At a called meeting of the officers of the Forty-seventh Regiment of Indiana 
Vohmteers in their encampment at Helena, Ark., on the 23d inst. (186'2), Col. J. R. 
Slack presiding, a committee of five, consisting of Lieut. Col. Milton S. Robinson, 
Maj. J. A. McLaughlin, Capt. James R. Bruner. Capt. E. C. Hill and Samuel Saw- 
yer, Chaplain, was app'ointed to report a minute respecting the death of M. P. 
Evans, of Tipton, Ind., late Adjutant of the Forty-seventh Regiment. The fol- 
lowing minute was presented and imanimously approved: "The committee ap- 
pointed to prepare a minute relative to the death of M. P. Evans, respectfully sub- 
mit the following: 

" Whereas, Information has reached us that God, in His Providence, has re- 
moved from this life M. P. Evans, late Adjutant of the Forty-seventh Regiment of 
Indiana Volunteers ; therefore, be it 

" Resolced, That Adjutant Evans was a sincere friend and faithful officer, and we 
cheerfully bear testimony to the excellence of his character and the value of his 
patriotic service; and be it further 

" Resolved, That in his death the regiment has lost a true-hearted friend and 
counselor, and the country a noble defender. 

" Resolced, That it is a matter of thankfulness that Adjutant Evans, having 
proved his courage and patriotism in various trying scenes, was permitted to spend 
his last moments in the midst of his loved family, and to breathe his life out gently, 
surrounded by the cherished friends of his heart and the hallowed associations of 
home. 

''Resolved, That we bow in humble submission to the Providence which has thus 
early called the deceased from the scene of his labors to the unseen world, and 
earnestly pra^ that the bereavement may be sanctified to ourselves, the regiment, 
and to all his friends and kindred. 

" Resolved further, That we tender our sympathies to the family of the deceased 
in their sad and sore bereavement. 

" Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded to the widow of the 
deceased, also to the Tipton 'Times and the Indianapolis Journal for publication." 

INCarion P. Evans, the subject of the foregoing resolutions, was one 
of the earliest pioneers of this country, coming at the age of about 
fifteen with his father, who settled near where Normanda is situated, in 
April, 1841. He remained with his father for several years, and helped 
to make a large farm. He taught school during the winter for several 
years. About the year 1850, he engaged in mercantile business in Tip- 
ton, and was successful in business, and was one of the leading merchants 
of the place when the war began in 18G1. Then, although actively en- 
gaged in a business which required close attention, yet from the begin- 
ning of the war he bent all his energies to support the Government. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 61 

Finally, being appointed Adjutant of the Forty-seventh Regiment, he 
accepted the position, left his business in the hands of others and en 
tered the service on the 29th day of November, 1861. His energy and 
patriotism won the admiration and confidence of all vsrho knew him. It 
was said of him that he was one of the best Adjutants in the service. 
The hard service and arduous duties to which he closely applied himself 
wore on his constitution, and, being stricken down with a severe attack 
of chronic diarrhoea, he resigned his position and went home, arriving at 
his own house on the 28th of August, 1868. His resignation was duly 
accepted, and he was discharged on the 4th of September. He died on 
the 12th of September, being with his family and home friends only two 
weeks. His remains were buried in Greenlaw Cemetery, near the city 
of Tipton. 

Isaac M. Rumsey came to this county during the year 1849, and lived 
on a farm four miles of Tipton, where he was engaged in farming and 
, trading in stock for a few years. Being energetic, and of a business 
turn of mind, he moved to Tipton, and engaged in mercantile business. 
He afterward sold out his store, and was engaged as clerk in a store, 
when the rebellion began. On the call to arms, he was among the first 
to enlist. He was elected Second Lieutenant of Company F, Eleventh 
Regiment of three months' volunteers. He served in that position till 
the expiration of the term of service, when he returned home. In a 
short time, he re-entered the service, enlisting as a private in Company 
K, of the Forty- seventh Regiment. He was appointed Sergeant Major 
of the regiment in December, 1861, serving in that position until the 
12th of March, 1863, when he was promoted to the Captaincy of Com- 
pany K of the same regiment. He was an energetic and faithful oflQcer. 
At the battle of Champion Hills, he was overcome by fatigue and stricken 
down by general prostration, so that he was unable to do any service. 
He was then granted leave of absence. He started home, in the hope of 
being able to recuperate. He was taken to the river by comrades, and 
placed on board a steamer. He died, however, before reaching Cairo. 
The only reliable account of his last hours and death was given in a 
letter written to his wife by the doctor who attended him during his last 
moments. The following is a copy of the letter: 

Littleton, Schuyler County, 111., July 11, 1863. 
Mrs. Rumset — Dear Madam: It is with painful feelings and great diffidence 
that I attempt to write a few lines to j'ou in this your time of great bereavement. 
I saw Capt. I. M. Rumsey as he passed aboard the Steamer Sunshine at Chickasaw 
Landing, Miss., June 20, and thought he looked very much prostrated. I did not 
see him again for two days, when I passed by his state-room door and saw him, and 
thought by his looks that he would like some assistance. I spoke to him and found 
that he was even worse than outward appearance indicated. From that time I 
waited upon him, and rendered him all the assistance the circumstances Avould per- 
mit. He thought he would not live to get home, and said the ride to the boat (twelve 
miles) had hurt him very much. I thought he might live to get home up to the 



62 HISTORY OK TIPTON COUNTY. 

Friday morning before he died. He had failed verj' much in the twenty-four hours 
previous. I had everything done for him that could possiblj^ be had on the boat, 
during his sickness, after I learned his situation, and rendered him all the assistance 
in my power. Vomiting had sel in before I saw him, in addition to the dianiicea, 
and it could not be alla^'cd. He suffered much from sick stomach, especially the 
twenty-four hours previous to his death. I had him laid on a mattress in the cabin, 
and sat by his side all the night before he died. 1 had to move him often during 
the night, lirst up in the rocking-clfair, and then on the bed, from one side to the 
other, till about daylight, when he became eas}\ He passed away at about 6 
o'clock in the morning, June 37, 1863, just before we reached Columbus, Ky. I 
asked him several times if he wished to send any word to his family. He replied, 
" Yes, I will tell you directly." At one time he said, " Tell her where and when I 
died and all about it." Vomiting come on then, and he did not talk much more 
after that. After some conversation with the passengers, I named two Indiana offi- 
cers to take charge of his effects and send them to you, and I parted'company with 
them at Cairo. They made a statement of his effects to send to you, and I hope all 
was accomplished that was intended. I would have written sooner, but have been 
Bick since I arrived home. Tendering to you my heartfelt sympathy in your deep 
affliction, I am your obedient servant, 

Hose A Davis. 

The persons in whose care Capt. Rtiinsey was left pi'ocured a me- 
tallic case at Cairo, placed his remains in it and brought them to Mitoh- 
ell, Ind. There they placed the casket in the care of the express agent 
to keep until snch time as friends should come from home and take 
charge of it. Owing to the failure of the telegraph agent to deliver a 
message, the friends at home did not receive any word of his death or 
where his remains were for sr> long a time that the citizens at Mitchell 
buried the body in the cemetery at that place. The remains were left 
where biu'ied. Subsequently his widow had a monument placed over 
his grave. James Price, another man who lost his life in the service of 
his country, was also one of Tipton's best citizens. He was engaged in 
mercantile business and was much respected by all who knew him. On 
the organization of the One Hundred and First Kegiment, he was ap- 
pointed Adjutant. He was mustered into the service as Adjutant of that 
regiment on the Sth day of September. 1862. He was a faithful and 
efficient officer, always at his post and ready and willing in the perform- 
ance of his duties. His regiment performed a great deal of hard serv- 
ice, being nearly all the time on the go. marching and scouting through 
the States of Kentucky and Tennessee ditring that fall and winter. The 
arduous duties of his office and the exposure incident to such campaign- 
ing during an inclement winter proved too much for his constitution. 
Although seemingly of a stout and robust frame, yet when attacked by 
disease he soon succumbed and became so much reduced that he was un- 
fit for the service, and was compelled to give up his office. He resigned 
on the 24th of May, 1863, and came home to his family and friends in 
Tipton. He lingered but a short time, suffering meanwhile the agonies 
of that dreadful disease, diarrhoea. Though kindly cared for by friends 
and treated by the best physicians, he died in a few days after reaching 



HISTORY OF TiPTON COUNT V. (J 3 

home. Hi8 leiuaius were buried iu Green Lawn Cemetery at Tipton. 
He was greatly missed and his death was deeply moarned by the men of 
his regiment, as well as by friends at home. 

Henry T. Waterman, a model young married man who lived at 
Sharpsville, was a worthy and successful school teacher, which profes- 
sion he left to enter the service in defense of the Government and those 
institutions which he so highly prized. He enlisted as a private in 
Company C of the One Hundred and First Regiment and was appointed 
Sergeant on the 15th of August. 1862. He very soon gained the conli- 
dence and esteem of the members of his company. He was earnest and 
faithful in all the duties incumbent upon him. He was promoted to First 
Sergeant on the 24th of January, 18(33. His tall and commanding figure 
always rendered him conspicuous. On the 8th M June, 1863, he°was 
promoted to be Second Lieutenant, continuing in that position, a noble 
soldier and faithful officer through all the trying scenes of the campaio-n 
under Gen. Eosecrans, from Murfreesboro to Chattanooga. He was In 
command of the company and led a gallant charge amidst the terrible 
conflict on the dizzy heights of Mission Ridge, on the 25th of November, 
1863. In this charge he fell pierced by a ball from a rebel gun. He 
died on the field. He was a great favorite with the men of the company, 
who were sorely grieved by his death, for they felt thai they had lost 
not only a friend, but a noble and brave commander. 

The following is a complete list of the Tipton County officers and 
men who served in the war: 

ELEVENTH REGIMENT— COMPANY F— THREE MONTHS' VOLUNTEERS. 

Officers. 
Capt. Edward T. Wallace, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. expiration of term. 
First Lieut. John Stevenson, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. expiration of term. 
Second Lieut. Isaac M. Rumsey, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. expiration of term. 
First S«rgt. Andrew J. McClanahan, m. April 25,1861, m. o. Au^-. 4, 1861 ; term expired 
Sergt. Samuel G. Decker, m. April 25, 1861. m. o. August 4, 1861; term'expired 
Serg. Peter M. Gates, m. April 25, 1861. m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Sergt. Albert Presler, m. April 25. 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861 ; term expired. 
Corp. Joseph A. McKinsey, m. April 25, 1861. m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired 
Corp. John Shepherd, m. April 25. 1861. m. o. August 4. 1861; term expired 
Corp. William C. Baker, m. April 25. 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired 
Corp. Benjamin F. George, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4. 1861; term expired 
Musician Manford Chester, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861: term expired 
Musician Sanford Lytle, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 

Privates. 
Adams, James, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4. 1861 ; term expired 
Anderson, DeWitt C, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4. 1861; term expired. 
Angstadt, Henry, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Anstell, Henry, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4. 1861; term expired. 
Badger, Robert, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term'expired 
Bochman. Edward, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired 



64 HISTORY OF TiriON COUNTY. 

Badger, George W., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Bouse, William A., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Bowlin, Tliomas J., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; terra expired. 
Bradley, George W., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Brown, James, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Campbell, James, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Carroll, John, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861 ; term expired. 
Coffman, Marcus, m. April 25, 1861. m. o. August 4, 1861 ; term expired. 
Coons, William T., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Cosance, Thomas, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Cox, William B., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Coy, William, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Coy, Francis, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Custer, Simon, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Davis, Thomas S., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Evans, Dwyan C, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Fielding, Asbury, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Gates, Wesle3^, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Gains, Thomas, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term e.xpired. 
Green, John E., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Hallcy, John C, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Hartley, William, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Harvey, Randolph, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Hughey, James, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Jennings, James P., m. April 25,. 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Jones, William E., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Kindley, Samuel I., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Klingman, Samuel, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. April 4, 1861; term expired. 
Kinsell, Malachi, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Leavell, John, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Lewis, Andrew J., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861 ; term expired. 
Lytle, Luke, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861 ; term expired. 
Miller, Benjamin F., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861 ; term expired. 
Mitchell, Silas, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Montgomery, Jefferson H., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
McCarty, John W., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
McCowan, James, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
McWhite, John, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Nelson, Gabriel, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Paul, Thomas, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Pierce, William, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Plummer, Isaac, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Redman, William C, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Reed, Norris, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Richards, James I., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Rittenhouse, John, m. April 25, 1881, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Shawver, Martin, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Simmons, Jesse, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Simmons, William, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Smith, John W., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Stewart, Barton H., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Tucker, George M., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Umphres, Geoi-ge W., m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Van Buskirk, Amos, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 65 

Wheeler, Samuel F., m. April 25, 1861, ra. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Wilson, John, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Wagoman, John, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 
Worford, John, m. April 25, 1861, m. o. August 4, 1861; term expired. 

ELEVENTH (THREE YEARS) REGIMENT — COMPANY F. 

Capt. Edward T. Wallace, m. August 31, 1861; resigned September 10, 1863. 

First Sergt. William C. Baker, m. August 31, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant 

January 13. 1862 ; resigned October 2, 1862. 
Corp. Jacob B. F. Zimmerman, m. August 31. 1861; dis. January 27, 1862; disab. 
Corp. Robert B. Fielding, m. August 31, 1861; appointed Sergeant; dis. March 20, 

1864; wounds. 
Corp. George W. Lowley, m. August 31, 1861; wounded at Fort Donelson; dis. 
Corp. John J. Cooper, m. August 31, 1861; not reported. 

Corp. Dewit C. Anderson, m. August 31, 1861; veteran; m. o. June 23, 1865. 
Corp. William Whaley, m. August 31. 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Musician David F. Jones, m. August 31, 1861; not reported. 

Privates. 
Black, John A., m. August 31, 1861; m. o. July 26, 1865. 

Durn, Francis M., m. August 31, 1861; veteran; m. o. July 26, 1865; absent, wounded. 
Fowler, Joseph, m. August 31, 1861; veteran; m. o. July 26, 1865. 
Hancock, Thomas J., m. August 31, 1861; dis. November 27, 1862. 
Healey, James, m. August 31, 1861; killed at Champion Hills, May 16, 1863. 
Henson, Andrew, m. August 31, 1861; no report. 
Henson, -James, m. August 31, 1861; no report. 
Hiatt, Lewis, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Hulick, Isaac A., m. August 31, 1861; veteran; m. o. July 26, 1865. 
Huffer, Josephus, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Jones, George, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Nash, Robert, m. August 31, 1861; dis. October 4, 1864, wounds. 
Nelson, William, m. August 31, 1861; no report. 
Osier, David, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Osier, Jackson, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Osier, John W., m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Phares, Eber W., m. August 31, 1861; veteran; m. o. July 26, 1865. 
Prilliman, Joseph, m. August 31, 1861; veteran; m. o. June 23, 1865 . 
Ridley, Franklin, m. August 31, 1861; dis. March 25, 1862. 
Seward, David M., m. August 31, 1861; no report. 
Turpin, William J., m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Vance, Harvey B., m. August 31, 1861; dis., date not given. 
West, John, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Wimand, John, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 
Whicker, William, m. August 31, 1861; m. o. August 30, 1864. 

Recruits. 
Brasier, Gideon, m. March 9, 1865; m. o. July 26, 1865. 

Fielding, Asbery H., m. June 23, 1862; appointed Corporal; m. o. June 23, 1865. 
Little, James H., m. June 23, 1862; died, St. Louis, June 30, 1863. 
Long, Silas, m. October 21, 1862; ;ippointcd Sergeant; m. o. July 26, 1865. 
McClanihan, Andrew, m. October 21, 1862; dis. December 29, 1862. 
Presler, Albert, veteran; dis. May 29, 1865; wounds. 

THIRTEENTH (THREE YEARS) REGIMENT — COMPANY D. 

Kinnear, William W., m. February 5, 1864; trans. Thirteenth re-organized. 
Kinnear, William D., m. Februarj^ 5, 18!)4; dis. December 13, 1864; disability. 



66 HLSTORV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Pemhorton, John, m. December 20, 1863; m. o. Sept. 5, 1865. 

Well.s John M., m. February 5, 1864; trans, to Thirteenth re-organized. 

SEVENTEENTH REGIMENT. 

Commissary Sergt. W. H. ILiyford, m. June 13, 1861; dis. October 13, 1861. 

COMPANY K. 

Sergt. John T. Jone.'^. m. June 13, 1861; dis. July 13, 1863; disability. 
Corp. Andrew J. Bottorff, m. June 13, 1S61; veteran; m. o. August 8, 1865. 

TWENTY-FIRST RE(.IMENT — COMPANY L. 

Brewer, Thomas J., m. August 13, 1863; m. o. January 20, 1866. 
Arbucle, James, m. October 3, 1864; m. o. August 13, 1865. 
Brady, Garth J., m. March 9, 1864; m. o. January 10, 1866. 

COMPANY M. 

Anstell, William H.. m. November 1, 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Dodds, Thomas, m. November 1. 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Richards, Lewis, m. November 1, 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Rhodes, William H., m. November 1, 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Runshe, Abraham, m. November 1, 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Stewart, James, m. November 1, 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Smith, Daniel M., m. November 1, 1863; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Zimmerman, J. B. F., m. November 1, 1863; ni. o. January 10, 1866. 
Cunningham, John, m. September 13, 1864; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
Martin, John, m. September 3, 1864; m. o. January 10, 1866. 
McFarland, William, m. September 17, 1864; m. o. January 10, 1866. 

TWENTY-SECOND REGIMENT — COMPANY K. 

Hyseman, Henry, m. August 15, 1861, veteran, m. o. July 34, 1865, as Corporal. 
Thatcher, Thomas, m. August 15, 1861, veteran, m. o. July 34, 1865, as Sergeant. 

TWENTY-THIRD REGIMENT — COMPANY P. 

Bennett, William F., m. Novembers, 1864, m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 
Brookbank, R6uben, m. November 3, 1864, dis. July 17, 1865; drafted. 
Davis, William J., m. November 2, 1864, m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 
Maze, Wesley A., m. November 2, 1864, m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 
Pike, Robert, m. November 3, 1864, m. o. July 23, 1865; drafted. 
Pike, William, m. November 2, 1864, m. o. April 3, 1865; drafted. 
Rosier, Jacob, m. November 2, 1864, m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 
Swing, Benjamin M., m. Novembar 3, 1864. m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 
Smith, Dudly M., m. November 3, 1864, m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 
Smith, William A., m. November 3, 1864, m. o. June 6, 1865; drafted. 
Toll, Jonathan, m. November 3, 1864, m. o. July 33, 1865; drafted. 

TWENTY-SIXTH REGIMENT— COMPANY C. 

Capt. Mortimer C. Holman, m. August 31. 1861; resigned June 30, 1862. 

Capt. Robert M. Sharp, m. July 1, 1863; resigned March 30, 1863. 

Capt. Levi S. Gardner, m. March 31, 1863; no record. 

First Lieut. William P. Gard, m. August 31, 1861; resigned June 29, 1862. 

First Lieut. Robert M. Sharp, m. February 5, 1862; promoted Captain. 

First Lieut. Levi S. Gardner, m. August 1, 1862; promoted Captain. 

First Lieut. Samuel N. Banister, m. November 15, 1863; resigned May 17, 1865. 

First Lieut. Lewis H. Gest, m. July 15, 1865; no report. 

Second Lieut. Robert M. Sharp, m. August 31, 1861; promoted First Lieutenant. 



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HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 69 

Second Lieut. Levi S. Gardner, m. February 14. 1863; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Second Lieut. Samuel N. Banister, m. August 1, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Second Lieut. Charles W. Armstrong, m. March 31. 1863; honorably dis. asSero-eant 
Major March 13, 1864, for disab. 

Second Lieut. Lewis H. Gest, m. December 2, 1864; promoted First Lieutenant. 

First Sergt. Levi S. Gardner, m. August 30, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant. 

Sergt. Benjamin F. Smith, m. August 30, 1861; died at Jefferson City. Mo Novem- 
ber 23. 1861. 

Sergt. Newton R. Tracy, m. August 30, 1861 ; dis. April 21, 1863, disab. 

Sergt. David Trimble, m. August 30, 1861; died at New Orleans November 25, 1863. 

Sergt. Robert Cowden, m. August 3i), 1861; dis. March 8, 1863. 

Corp. George V. Haynes, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Corp. Jacob C. John.son, m. August30. 1861; died at Tipton, Mo., November 22, 1861. 

Corp. David J. Herron, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864; private.' 

Corp. John F. Griffith, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 31, 1864. 

Corp. Pink J. East, m. August 30, 1861; dis. December 25, 1863, disab. 

Corp. Aaron Vanhook, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 11, 1864. 

Coi»p. David V. Burn.s. m. August 30, 1861; vet., dis. March 1, 1865; disab. 

Corp. Hugh Smiley, m. August 30, 1861; dis. June 21, 1862; disab. 

Musician James N. Davenport, m. August 30, 1861; dis. March 3, 1862; disab. 

Musician William E. McFarlin, m. August 30, 1861; vet. m. o. 

Wagoner Dennis W. Wilson, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Privates. 
Adams, Martin L., m. August 30, 1861. dis. October 10, 1863; disab. 
Armstrong, William J., m. August 30, 1861, killed at Prairie Grove December 7, 1862. 
Armstrong, Charles, m. August 30, 1861, dis. March 12, 1864; disab. 
Barger, Jacob, m. August 30, 1861, vet., m. o. January 15, 1866. 
Barnhouse, William, m. August 30, 1861, dis. January 25, 1862, disab. 
Basa, Antony, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 
Bates, James S., m. August 30, 1861, died January 10, 1863, wounds. 
Bennett, Cerenus, m. August 30, 1861, dis. October 15, 1862, disab. 
Bland, John E . m. August 30, 1861, died at Sedalia, Mo., November 1, 1861. 
Bouse, Adam, m. August 30, 1861. dis. June 35. 1864. disab. 
Brown, James, m. August 30, 1861. died at Sharpsville, Ind., April 2'2, 1862. 
Brown, Enoch T., m. August 30, 1861, vet. m. o. 
Bryant, Leander, m. August 30, 1861, dis. June 10, 1863. 
Cady, Deloss L., m. August 3 ), 1861, died at Otterville, Mo., January 35, 1862. 
Caldwell. William N.. m. August 30, 1861, dis. October 5, 1863. disab. 
Carr. William, m. August 30. 1861, m. o. September 31, 1864. 
Chrutherds, George W.. m. August 30. 1861. dis. September 15. 1862, disab. 
Clemens, John, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 31, 1864. 
Coy, James, m. August 30, 1861, dis. January 18, 1862, disab. 
Dark, Jonathan, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 
Davidson, James, m. August 30, 1861, dis. March 25, 1863, disab. 
Denny, Samuel M., m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 31, 1864. 
Dolens, John, m. August 30, 1861, died at Sharpsville. Ind., March 16, 1862. 
East, Albert, m. August 30, 1861, died at Fayetteville, Ark., December 9, 1863 

wounds received at Prairie Grove. 
Fletcher, Mar.shall W.. m. August 3'», 1861, died at Tipton, Mo., February 11, 1862. 
Freeman, Joshua, m. August 30, 1861, dis. January 18, 1862, disab. 
Freeman, Nathan, m. August 30, 1861. vet., m. o. January 15. 1866. as Sero-eant. 
Freeman, Lindsaj', m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 31, 1864. 
Fred, John W.. m. August 30, 1861. died at Tipton. Ind., October 35, 1861. 



70 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Gintner, George, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 31, 1864. 

Graham, Eli, m. August 30, 1861, died at Sharpsville, Ind., February 8, 1862. 

Graham, David W., m. August 30, 1861, tr. to Battery F, First Missouri Artillery, 
January 31, 1864. 

Griffeth, James W., m. August 30, 1861, dis. February 16. 1863, disab. 

Gest, Lewis H., m. August 30, 1861, vet., m. o. January 15, 1866. 

Gest, Isaiah, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Gunkle, Justice, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Haas, John, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Hackelman, Jacob, m. August 30, 1861; tr. to Mississippi Marine Brigade February 
5, 1863. 

Hall, Lafayette, m. August 30, 1861; vet., m. o. January 15, 1866. 

Haskel, James F., m. August 30, 1861; died at St. Louis, Mo., February 1, 1862. 

Hendrickson, Daniel S., m. August 30, 1861; dis. September 13, 1862, disab. 

Hyatt, Silas K, m. August 30, 1861; died in prison at Tyler, Texas, Nov. 1, 1864. 

Hodson, John M., m. August 30, 1861; dis. January 21, 1862, disab. 

Hoffman, Jacob, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Horton, George, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Huflf, Samuel, m. August 30, 1861 ; tr. to Veteran Corps, August 3, 1863. 

Hutto, Isaac N., m. August 30, 1861; dis. February 4, 1862, disab. 

Hutto, Eli, m. August 30, 1860; died at New Orleans, October 14, 1863. 

Johnson, James P., m. August 30, 1861; vet., m. o. January 15, 1866, as Sergeant. 

Johnson, Robert M., m. August 30, 1861; vet., m. o. February 1, 1866, as Corporal. 

Jolly, Thomas, m. August 30, 1861, vet., m. o. January 15, 1866. 

Jones, George W., m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

League, Thomas J., m. August 30, 1861, vet., m. o. January 15, 1866, as First Ser- 
geant. 

Lewis, Joseph, m. August 30, 1861, vet., m. o. January 15, 1866. 

Life, Christian, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Longley, Oscar, m. August 30, 1861; vet., dis. December 29, 1864, disab. 

McFall, Samuel, m. August 30, 1861, vet. m. o. 

Mills, Francis, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

McCowen, David C. m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Moon, Joseph, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Moulder, Jacob, m. August 30, 1861; died December 21, 1862, wounds received at 
Prairie Grove. 

Mozingo, John T., m. August 30, 1861; dis. September 13, 1864, disab. 

Newlin, Daniel H., m. August 30, 1861; died at Tipton, Mo., November 26, 1861. 

Parker, Adolphus, m. August 30, 1861; dis. January 21, 1862, disab. 

Payne, John A., m. August 30, 1861; died at Otterville, Mo.. February 2, 1862. 

Poflf, Benjamin, m. August 30, 1861; dis. January 21, 1862, disab. 

Potter, Hiram E., m. August 30, 1861, vet., m. o. January 15, 1866, as Corporal. 

Richardson, Jonathan, m. August 30, 1861 ; dis. Januarj'^ 6, 1864, disab. 

Sanders, Fred, m. August 30, 1861; died at Jefferson City, Mo., December 14, 1861. 

Sholty, Andrew, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Shook, David W., m. August 30, 1861; dis. April 21, 1863, disab. 

Smith, Austin, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Smith, Jeremiah, m. August 30, 1861; died at New Orleans, July 25, 1864. 

Smiley, Oliver H., m. August 30, 1861; killed at Prairie Grove December 7, 1863. 

Spurlin, James, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Stewart, James, m. August 30, 1861; died December 23, 1862, wounds received at 
Prairie Grove. 

Stephenson, Solomon, ra. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Stout, Jobe, m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNT V. 71 

Umphres, William J., m. August 30, 1861; tr. to V. R. C. January 15, 1864. 
Vaugh, William S., m. August 30, 1861; died at Port Hudson August 9, 1863. 
Welshous, John W.. m. August 30, 1861; killed at Prairie Grove December 7, 1862. 
Wilson, Jordon R., m. August 30, 1861, m. o. September 21, 1864. 

Recruits. 
Badger, Robert, m. September 8, 1863; died at Springfield, Mo., March 18, 1863. 
Berry, Richard T., m. September 8, 1863, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Burns, James T., m. September 8, 1863; died at New York Harbor, April 17, 1865. 
Bradley, George W., m. September 35, 1863; died at Springfield, Mo., March 3, 1864. 
Berreman, A. C, m. November 3, 1864, m. o. October 31, 1865. 
Cooper, Norman, in. August 39, 1863; killed at Prairie Grove December 7, 1862. 
Corn, John, m. October 34, 1864, m. o. October 33, 1865. 
Carr, Henry, m. November 4, 1864, m. o. October 31, 1865. 

Davis, Martin, m. September 8, 1863; died at Brownsville, Texas, February 13, 1864. 
Decker, Amos C, m. September 8, 1862; dis. February 6, 1863, disab. 
Downhour, Levi, m. September 8, 1863, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Graham, John W., m. November 4, 1864, m. o. November 3, 1865. 
Hughes, William, m. October 1, 1864, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Horton, Jeremiah, m. August 30, 1861; dis. April 23, 1865, disab. 
Hutto, John W., m. September 8, 1833; died at Port Hudson August 5, 1863. 
Hoffman, William, m. October 1, 1864, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Hoffman, Lewis, m. October 1, 1864, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
John, Daniels, m. September 8, 1882, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Lee, William P., m. October 8, 1864, m. o. October 17, 1865. 
Leonard, Alfred J., m. September 8, 1863; died Februar}' 27, 1863, wounds received 

at Prairie Grove. 
Law, John M., m. November 15, 1864, m. o. September 2, 1865. 
McGinnis, Jasper N., m. February 22, 1863, vet., m. o. August 14, 1865. 
Marshall, William, m. March 11, ^863; dis. October 15, 1863, disab. 
McCarty, William H., m. September 8, 1863; discharged. 
Purvis, Luther, m. October 18, 1864, m. o. October 17, 1865, as Corporal. 
Snyder, William F., m. March 11, 1863; died at Springfield, Mo., October 7, 1863. 
Smiley, Jesse, m. December 2, 1861; died at Flat Creek, Mo., February 1, 1863. 
Spurlin, Solomon, m. September 8, 1862, m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Swartz, Peter, ni. September 8, 1862. m. o. September 6, 1865. 
Smith, Allen B., m. April 13, 1863; died at home December 4, 1864. 
Tingle, Robert S., m. November 3, 1864; died at Macon, Miss., October 33, 1865. 

THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT — COMPANY G. 

Capt. John Stevenson, m. August 39, 1861; resigned January 31, 1863. 

Capt. John Leavell, m. February 1, 1863; pro. Major. 

First Lieut. Samuel G. Decker, m. August 39, 1861; resigned April 25, 1862. 

First Lieut. John LeavelU ni. May 10, 1862; pro. Captain. 

Second Lieut. Wesley S. King. m. August 29, 1861 ; resigned January 9, 1863, dis. 

February 16, 1863. 
Second Lieut. John Leavell. m. February 5, 1863; pro. First Lieutenant. 
Second Lieut. William T. Godard, m. May 4, 1865, ra. o. with regiment. 
Second Lieut. Lawson H. Albert, m. Maj^ 34, 1863; dismissed Jauuarj^ 33, 1863. 
First Sergt. Benjamin F. Legg, m. August 29, 1861; dis. June 3, 1863, disab. 
Sergt. Lawson H. Albert, m. August 39, 1861; pro. Second Lieutenant and dism issed 
Sergt. Frederic C. Stephenson, m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 22, 1864. 
Sergt. William T. Godard, m. August 29, 1861; vet., pro. Second Lieutenant. 
Sergt. John Leavell, m. August 29, 1861; pro. Second Lieutenant. 



72 mSTOllY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Corp. Samuel H. Howard, in. August 29. ISfil; vet., pro. Second Lieutenant. 

Corp. Amo.s Van Buskirk, ni. August 2i), 18()1; dis. April 6, 1863, disab. 

Corp. James Mitchell, m. Augu.st 29, 1861; dis. May 6, 1863, disab. 

Corp. Levi Prichard, m. August 29, 1861; dis. April 4, 1861}, disab. . 

Corp. George L Hanshew, m. August2il, 1861; vet., dis. June 27, 1865, as Sergeant; 
wounds. 

Corp. Aaron Steelmau, m. August 29, 1861; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps March 
10, 1864. 

Corp. Marion Pumphrey, m. August 29, 1861, vet., ra. o. July 20, 1865, as First Ser- 
geant. 

Musician Titus Hinson, m. August 29, 1851; dis., wounds. 

Musician Charles H. Collin, m. August 29, 1861; died March 7, 1862. 

Wagoner Archibald Richards, m. August 29, 1861; died December 7, 1861. 

Privates. 
Anstell, Astory, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Ayers, Harlis, m. August 29, 1861; dis. September 6, 1862, disab. 
Ayers, William, m. August 29, 1861 ; dis. March 6, 1862, disab. 
Brown, Benjamin W., m. August 29, 1861; dis. July 7, 1862, disab. 
Berkling, Chris, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Barger, George W., m. August 29, 1861; died January 14, 1863, of wounds. 
Bozell, John E., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20. 1865, Sergeant. 
Braham, James, m. August 29, 1861; vet., dis. June 15, 1864, wounds. 
Bailey, Joseph, m. August 29, 1861; died March 29, 1862. 
Barker, John W., m. August 29, 1861; died January 12, 1863, wounds. 
Bolden, McKinsey, m. August 29, 1861; dis. February 14, 1862, disab. 
Bailey, Nathan, m. August 29, 1861; dis. April 26, 1862, disab. 
Boak, Robert M., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20. 1865, as Corporal.- 
Bolden, Samuel, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Bailey, William, m. August 29, 1861; dis. July 18, 1863, disab. 
Barker, William, m. August 29, 1861; dis. December 11, 1862, disab. 
Bickle, William, m. August 29, 1861 ; dis. February 27, 1863, disab. 
Bruce, John W., m. August 29, 1861; vet., dis. May 25, 1865, as Sergeant, wounds. 
Clouser, Daniel, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. Jidy 20, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Coleman, David H., m. August 29, 1861; dis. August 4, 1863, disab. 
Chryst, Gideon, m. August 29, 1861; dis. January 11, 1862, disab. 
Colvin, Lewis, m. August 29. 1861; deserted October 1, 1862. 
Clouser, Solomon, m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 22, 1864. 
Colvin, William, m. August 29, 1861; deserted October 1, 1863. 
Cooper, Nelson, m. August 29, 1861; vet., died April 6, 1865, wounds. 
Dunebarger, George, m. August 29, 1861; vet., captured September 7, 1864, and m. 

o. August 10, 1865. 
Deen, Newton, m. Augiist 29, 1861; dis. July 20, 1863, disab. 
Etchison, Dodridge, m. August 29, 1861, yet., m. o. July 20, 1865". 
Farley, John H., m. August 29, 1861; deserted October 1, 1862. 
Gentry, John B., m. August 29. 1861; died February 22, 1863. 
Gillon, Jasper N., m. August 29, 1861; dis. December 18, 1863, disab. 
Hunt, Arnestrus, m. August 29, 1861; dis. December 18, 1863, disab. 
Harloff, George W., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Hutchison, John I., m. August 29, 1861; died September 11, 1862. 
Hall, Jo.seph S., m. August 29, 1861; died April 14, 1862. 
Hunt, William, m. August 29, 1861 ; died January 27, 1862. 
Hower, John W., August 29. 1861; died November 15, 1862. 
Howard, William H., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 73 

Junis, William, m. August 29, 1861 ; died January 1, 18(>'2. 

Jackson, Francis M., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. June 24, 1865, as Corporal. 

Jack, Rees, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 26, 1865. 

Kinder, Benjamin, m. August 29, 1861, ni. o. September 22, 1864. 

Kinsell, George B., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Kinsell, Samuel M., m. August 29, 1861; dis. July 2, 1862, disab. 

Linderman, Barney, Sr., m. August 29, 1861; dis. March 28, 1862, disab. 

Lmderman, Barney, Jr.. m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Laden, Darius, m. August 29, 1861; dis. June 18, 1862, disab. 

Linderman, John, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Leavell, Robert H., m. August 29, 1861; dis. May 21, 1862, disab. 

Little, William H., m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 22. 1864. 

McFall, Andrew B., m. August 29, 1861; died March 13, 1862. 

McCan, Elisha, m. August 29, 1861; died December 23, 1861. 

McPherson, John W., m. August 29, 1861, vet , m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Mooney, Robert, m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 22, 1864, Sergeant. 

O'Brien, Thomas, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Pierce, Henry, m. August 29, 1861; killed at Stone River December 31, 1862. 

Parish, James, m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 7, 1865. 

Pullum, Robert A. S., m. August 29, 1861; died January 5, 1862. 

Rupell, Abram, m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 22, 1864. 

Ridge, Ransom D., m. August 29, 1861; dis. October 17. 1861, disab. 

Repler, Samuel, m. August 29, 1861, m. o. September 22, 1864. 

Sample, Elan A., m. August 29, 1861; dis. November 29, 1862, disability. 

Sowers, Henry, m. August 29, 1861; killed at Stone River December 31, 1862. 

Swearinger, John I., m. August 29, 1861; died April 14, 1862. 

Symons, John Q., m. August 29, 1861; dis. not stated. 

Shewwalter, Samuel H., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20, 1865, Sergeant. 

Stewart, Samuel H., m. August 29, 1861; died December 29, 1861. 

Saunders, William, m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. Jul}^ 20, 1865. 

Steelman, William P., m. August 29, 1861; died, date not given. 

Stewart. Barton H., m. August 29, 1861; dis. July 21, 1862, disab. 

Turner, Ephraim, m. August 29, 1861; died January 2, 1882. 

Tucker, Hugh, m. August 29, 1861; died February 23, 1863, wounds. 

Weaver, Johri E., m. August 29, 1861, vet., m. o. July 20. 1865, Corporal. 

Webb, Jesse, m. August 29, 1861; vet., dis. June 9, 1865, wounds. 

Webb, James W., m. August 29, 1861; died December 12, 1861. 

Vincent, David, m. August 29, 1861: deserted October 1. 1862. 

Weaver, John, m. August 29, 1861; died November 3, 1861. 

Recniits. 
Casell, Samuel, m. September 12, 1863, m. o. June 15, 1865. 
demons, George W., m. February 25, 1862; vet., trans, to Engineer Corps August 

1, 1864. 
Gants, William T., m. March 17, 1863; m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Grindstaff, Nicholas, m. May 4, 1864; m. o. June 25, 1865. 
Hanshew, James R., m. March 17, 1863: m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Hoopsey, Emanuel, m. September 10, 1863; m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Hunt, Joshua, m. September 12, 1863; m. o. Jul}'- 20, 1865. 
Hefflin, Henry, m. September 22, 1862: died February 4, 1865. 
Ishmael, Benjamin, m. September 18, 1863; died April 21, 1864. 
Jack, George W., m. October 28, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 
Leavell, Robert H., m. October 19, 1864, m. o. July 20, -1865. 
McClese, John, m. August 22, 1863; m. o. July 20, 1865. 



i 



74 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

McClese, Joseph, m. January 29, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

McVey, Henry, m. October 5, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Nixon, Charles H., m. October 8, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

O'Tool, Clement J., m. October 28, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Resler, William, m. August 18, 1863; captured, died at Florence, S. C, February 

15, 1865. 
Ross, Mathew L., m. April 21, 1864; killed at Rockingham March 7, 1865. 
Smalley, Joseph H., ni. March 17, 1863, m. o. July 20, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Sawyer, Thomas, m. October 31, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Tucker, Francis M., m. September 24, 1863; died April 24, 1864. ' ^ 

Whitesell, Jerome, m. September 6, 1863; m. o. July 20, 1865. ( 

Worden, John A., m. August 30. 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865, from Third Cavalry. { 

COMPANY L. 

Bellinger, Enoch C, m. December 14, 1863; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Daggett, George R., m. Dec. 11, 1863; killed at Pulaski, Tenn., September 27, 1864. 

Linderman, Barney, m. December H, 1863; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

Miller, William, m. December 14. 1863; m. o. August 1, 1865. 

POURTIETH REGIMENT — COMPANY B— (Drafted). 

Denser, Nicholas, m. October 4, 1864; m. o. June 15, 1865. 

Glenn, Isaac R., m. November 2, 1864; m. o. November 2, 1865. 

Halley, Henry, m. November 2, 1864; m. o. November 2, 1865. 

Irby, Simon, m. November 2, 1864; ra. o. November 2, 1865. 

Law, Joel, m. November 2, 1864; died Januarj^ 23, 1865. 

Lockridge, Henry, m. November 4, 1864; m. o. November 2, 1865. 

Newman, John, m. October 4, 1864; m. o. June 15. 1865. 

Smith, John, m. October 13, 1864; m. o. June 15, 1865. 

Spiles, John, m. October 13, 1864; m. o. June 15, 1865. 

Scales, Samuel, m. October 4, 1864; died at Louisville February 18, 1865. 

Stillwell, Samuel, m. October 2, 1864; m. o. May 26, 1865. 

Shackelford, Jacob F., m. October 2, 1864; m. o. June 8. 1865. 

Thomas, Albert, m. October 2, 1864; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Therwinger, Frederick, m. October 6, 1864; m. o. June 15, 1865. 

FORTY-SECOND REGIMENT — COMPANY B. (Transferred from Seventy-fifth Regiment.) 

Bouse, Isaac N., m. January 15, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

Bowlin, John B., m. December 14, 1863; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

Burnham, William, m. January 25, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

Evans, Samuel J., m. January 15, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

Gardner, Eli, m. March 25, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

Hancock, Harrison, m. January 1, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

Jones, William E., m. January 1, 1864; captured at Louisville, Ga., November 17, 

1864. 
Kinder, Joseph, m. March 25, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 
Little, Joseph, m. December 14, 1863; m. o. July 21. 1865. 
Mills, Calel), m. November 2, 1864; m. o. July 14, 1865; drafted. 
Porter, James, m. November 2, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 
Stephens, Isaac W., m. January 20, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 
Scott, Ellis H., ra. January 1, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 
Wilson, Woodro W., m. January 15, 1864; m. o. July 21, 1865. 

FORTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT — COMPANY A. 

Adjt. Marion P. Evau.s, m. November 21), 1861; resigned September 4, 1862; died at 

home September 12, 1862. 
Capt. Nichola Vanhorn, m. November 2, 1861; resigned April 12, 1862. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 75 

COMPANY I. 

Musician Henry L. Bert, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as 
principal musician. 

COMPANY K. 

Capt. Ellison C. Hill, m. October 10, 1861; resigned February 27, 1863; dismissed 
March 1, 1863. 

Capt. Isaac M. Rumsey, m. March 12, 1863; died on board the steamer Sunshine, 
near Columbus, Ky., June 27, 1863. 

Capt. Thomas Paul, m. March 1, 1865; m. o. as First Lieutenant October 23, 1865. 

First Lieut. William H. Hay ford, m. December 13, 1861 ; honorably discharged 
April 21, 1864. 

First Lieut. Thomas Paul, m. February 1, 1865; promoted Captain. 

First Lieut. James Evans, m. March 1, 1865; m. o. as First Sergeant October 23, 
1865. 

Second Lieut. Joseph A. McKinsey, m. October 10, 1861; resigned May 10, 1862. 

Second Lieut. Thomas Paul, m. Ma}' 13, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Second Lieut. Peter Carey, m. July 1, 1865; m. o. as Sergeant October 23, 1865. 

First Sergt. Paul Thomas, m. December 13, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant. 

Sergt. James Hamilton, m. December 13, 1861; dis. June 11, 1862, disability. 

Sergt. Adam M. Weed, m. December 13, 1861; dis. September 2, 1862, disability. 

Sergt. William Pearce, m. December 13, 1861; trans, to I. C. January, 1862. 

Sergt. Peter M. Gates, m. December 13, 1861; trans, to I. C. November, 1863. 

Corp. Andrew Jackson, m. December 13, 1861; died at Helena, Ark., September 
20, 1862. 

Corp. Samuel J. Kindley, m. December 13, 1861 ; deserted August 18, 1862. 

Corp. James W. Evans, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as 
First Sergeant. 

Corp. James G. Brown, m. December 13, 1861; died at Benton, Mo., March 12, 1862. 

€orp. James T. Campbell, m. December 13, 1861; died near Columbus, Ky., Octo- 
ber 1, 1862. 

Corp. James O. Fuller, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, 
Sergeant. 

Corp. James M. Weed, m. December 13, 1861; trans, to I. C. November 11, 1863. 

Corp. Jeremiah Overman, m. December 13. 1861; died of wounds received at Cham- 
pion Hills May 16, 1863. 

Musician Charles B. Paul, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as 
principal musician. 

Musician John S. Parker, m. December 13, 1861; died at Tiptonville May 27, 1863. 

Wagoner Henry C. Burton, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 

Privates. 
Angstadt, Henry C, m. December 13, 1861; trans, to I. C, September 18, 1863. 
Angstadt, John A., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Ashpaugh, Sanford, m. December 13, 1861; died at Helena, Ark., March 12, 1863. 
Barger, Joseph, m. December 13, 1861; deserted October 16, 1862. 
Basey, Solomon T., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Basey, William J., m. December 13, 1861; dis. August 15, 1862; disability. 
Bishop, Jacob, m. December 13, 1861 ; m. o. December 12, 1864. 
Brady, John ^N., m. December 13, 1861; killed at Champion Hills May 13, 1863. 
Bunch, Harden, m. December 13, 1861; trans, to I. C. September 26, 1863. 
Bunch, Nazareth J., m. December 13, 1861; killed at Champion Hills May 16, 1863. 
Calvert, John W., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Campbell, Thomas M., m. December 13, 1861; killed at Port Gibson, May, 1, 1863. 
Carey, Peter, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as Sergeant. 



76 HISTORY OF TIPi'ON COUNTY. 

Cloud, Thomas H., m. December 13, 1861; died at Cairo, October 8, 1862. 

Cogswell, John P., m. December 13, 1861; dis. June 24, 1862; disability. 

Conkling, Joseph, m. December 13, 1861; dis. Jan. 14, 1863; disability. 

Daniels, Jacob, m. December 13, 1861; dis. October 14, 1863; disability. 

Deal, George, m. December 13, 1861; m. o. December 12, 1864. 

Debard, William F., m. December 13, 1861; dis. July 10, 1862; disability. 

Downbour, Samuel, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 

Dunn, Levi, Jr., m. December 13, 1861; died at Grand Gulf, Miss., May 6, 1863. 

Emehiser, Kenyou, m. December 13, 1861; m. o. December 12, 1864. 

Eudaily, Daniel, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 

Evans, Cyrenus D., m. December 13, 1861; dis. March 19, 1833; disability. 

Foster, Andrew F., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865; died a 

Pueblo, Colo., of wound received in service. 
Foster, Silas F., m. December 13, 1861; died at Louisville February 21, 1862. 
Frazier, James A., m. December 13, 1861; dis. May 18, 1862; disability. 
Hail, Ross, m. December 13, 1861; died at New Orleans January 25, 1864. 
Hall, Hiram B., m. December 13, 1861; died at Tipton, Ind., December 19, 1863. 
Hackelman, Pleasant A., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as 

Corporal. 
Harbst, Frederick, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; dis. December 6, 1864; disability. 
Hasket, Newby M., m. December 13, 1861; dis. August 15, 1862. 
Hopkins, James, m. December 13, 1861; m. o. July 18, 1865. 
Henderson, Samuel, m. December 13, 1861; died at St. Louis January 5, 1863. 
Hillegoss, Robert O., m. December 13, 1861; deserted August 18. 1862. 
Innis, Joseph A., m. December 13, 1861; died at St. Louis, October 14, 1862. 
Innis, Jarvis A., m. December 13, 1861, died at Tipton, Ind., May 24, 1863. 
Jackson, Presley, E., m. December 13, 1861; m. o. December 12, 1864, as Corporal. 
Jennings, William H., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as 

Sergeant. 
Judd, William, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Kennear, William W., m. December 13, 1861; dis. June 5, 1862; disability. 
Knight, Reuben, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Lane, Doctrine C, m. December 13, 1861; died at Bardstown, Ky., January 20, 1862. 
Law, James H., m. December 13, 1861; dis. August 14, 1862; disability. 
Law, Francis M., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Lemon, Joseph B., m. December 13, 1861, veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Lister, Harrison, m. December 13, 1861; dis. February 11, 1863; disability. 
Lewis, Eli, m. December 13, 1861; died at Nelson's Furnace, Ky., February 8, 1862. 
Martin, Joseph, m. December 13, 1861; m. o. December 12, 1864. 
McMurtrie, Harvey L., m. December 12, 1861; died at Tipton, Ind., October 18, 1862. 
McNeal, George, m. December 13, 1861; died at Tipton, Ind., September 15, 1862. 
Mitchell, James T., m. December 13, 1861; m. o. December 15, 1864. 
Minick, William, m. December 13, 1861; died at Grand Gulf, Miss., May 20, 1863. 
Montgomery, John P., m. December 13, 1861; dis. June 28, 1862; disability. 
Moatz, John H., m. December 13, 1861; died at Benton, Mo., March 16, 1868. 
Osburu, Calvin, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Parker, John S., m. December 13, 1861; died at Tiptonville, Tenn. 
Parker, Christopher C, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865, a.s 

Corporal. 
Pea, Martin, m. December 13, 1861; died at Tipton, Ind., November 18, 1863. 
Philips, Christopher, m. December 13, 1861; dis. March 1, 1863. 
Phares, Solomon D., m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Reed, Norris, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; deserted March 22, 1864. 
Redman, Hiram, m. December 13, 1861; dis. August 25, 1862; disability. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 77 

Riley, Joseph, m. December 13, 1861; died at Bardstown, Ky., January 3, 1863. 

Robinson, David P., m. December 13, 1861; died at Memphis July 18, 1863. 

Smith. Larken, m. December 13, 1861; dis. December 2, 1863; disability. 

Stewart, John T., m. December 13, 1861; died May 17, 1863, of wounds. 

Stone, Solomon, m. December 13, 1861; killed at Champion Hills May 16, 1863. 

Summers, Lewis J., m. December 13, 1861; died at Tipton, Ind., August 13, 1863. 

Turner, George W., m. December 13, 1861; vet.; m. o. October 23, I860. 

Tucker, March, m. December 13, 1861; dis. November 6, 1863; wounds. 

Tucker, Charles O., m. December 13, 1861; dis. June 24, 1863. 

Van Buskirk, Joseph, Jr., m. December 13, 1861; died at Tipton, Ind., April 36, 1863. 

Warford, John, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; m. 0. October 33, 1865. 

Wolford, Solomon, m. December 13, 1861; veteran; dis. March 18, 1863. 

Wolford, Valentine, m. December 13, 1861; killed at Champion Hills May 16, 1863. 

Wannell, William, m. December 13, 1861; promoted Capt. United States Colored 

Infantry. 
Wolf, George, m. December 13, 1861; dis. August 1, 1863. 
Warley, George, m. December 13, 18(31; died at Tiptoaville, Tenn., April 33, 1863. 

Recruits. 
Bookman, Eward F., m. February 37, 1863; dis. April 87; disability. 
Jackson, Adam, m. February 17, 1862; trans, to V. R. C. September 16, 1863. 
Smith, John W., m. January 24, 1862; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Scott, John A., m. February 26, 1862; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Scott, Uriah S., m. March 7, 1863; m. o. October 33, 1865. 
Thomas, Jesse B., m. February 17, 1863; dis. June 10, 1862; disability. 
Thomas, James P., m. February 17, 1863; dis. August 14, 1863; disability. 
Wilson, John A., m. February 17, 1863; veteran; m. 0. October 33, 1865. 
Basey, Jones L., m. February 26, 1864; m. 0. October 23, 1865. 
Basey, Martin V. B., m. February 25, 1864; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Campbell, Nathaniel A., m. February 26. 1864; m. o. October 33. 1865. 
Carrol, Robert, m. February 36, 1864; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Carrol, James, m. February 26, 1834; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Cope, Edmond, vu. February 26, 1864; m. o. October 33, 1865. 
Filer, John W., m. March 31, 1864; m. o. June 5, 1865. 
Goodykoontz, John, m. March 1, 1864; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Horton, William, m. March 2, 1864; m. o. October 33, 1885. 
Keen, Charles, m. March 2, 1864; m. o. June 38. 1865. 
Lane, Joseph, m. February 26, 1864, m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Lester, Philip, m. February 36, 1864; died at Tipton, Ind., October 6, 1864. 
Mayer, William B., m. March 35, 1864; m. o. October 33, 1865. 
McNeal, David, m. March 17, 1864; died at Shreveport, La., July 13, 1864. 
Paul, Samuel, m. March 17, 1864; died at home, April 19, 1864. 
Sumner, Absalom, m. March 1, 1863; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Sanders, Richard M., m. March 2, 1865; m. 0. October 33, 1865. 
Tharp, William H. H., m. March 1, 1864; died at Paducah, Ky., April 25, 1864. 
Van Buskirk, Daniel F., m. February 31, 1863; veteran; m. o. October 23, 1865. 
Tucker, Elias W., m. March 17, 1864; m o. August 5, 1865. 

FIFTY-FIRST REGIMENT — COMPAKY C. 

Snow, Alfred, m. October 31, 1864; m. o. October 19, 1865. 

COMPANY D. 

Wagoner Wilson Rittenhouse, m. December 14, 1861; died at Murfreesboro March 
26, 1863. 



78 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Privates. 
Rittenhouse, John, Sr., m. December 14, 1861; dis. 

Rittenhouse, John, Jr., ni. December 14, 1861; veteran; m. o. December 13, 1865. 
Rittenhouse, Nathaniel, m. December 14, 1861; dis. June 28, 1862. 
Rittenhouse, Daniel, m. December 14, 1861 ; dis. July 24, 1863. 
Vanvalcanburg. John H., m. December 14, 1861; dis. June 25, 1862. 

COMPANY I. 

Corp. William R. Barlow, m. December 8, 1861, dis. October 25, 1862. 

Privates. 
Barrow, Samuel, m. December 8, 1861; veteran; m. o. December 13, 1865. 
Boring, George W., m. December 8, 1861; died March 12, 1862. 
Carpenter, Richard, m. Decembers, 1861; veteran; m. o. December 13, 1865. 
Fair, "William H., m. December 8, 1861; dis. December 10, 1862, by order. 
McCurdy, Ezekiel, m. December 8, 1861; died at Indianapolis December 18, 1861. 
Mount, Charles F., m. December 8, 1861; dis. March — , 1863. 
Philips, John W., m. December 8, 1861; m. o. December 14, 1865. 
Philpot, Martin, m. December 8, 1861; died January 18, 1862. 
Riley, Nathan; December 8, 1861; trans, to I. C. ; wounds; November 1, 1863. 
Rumrill, John W., m. December 8, 1861; deserted April 1, 1863. 
Roach, Andrew, m. December 8, 1861; died February 22, 1863; wounded at Stone 

River. 
Roach, Ira, m. December 8, 1861; veteran; deserted April 3, 1864. 
Boring, Isaac, m. April 9, 1864; m. o. December 13, 1865. 

FIFTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT — COMPANY G. 

Barr, Liberty, m. November 18, 1861; dis. January 12, 1862; disability. 
Coats, James, m. November 18, 1861 ; m. o. February 4, 1865. 

Hedgecock, Shubal H., m. November 18, 1861; trans, to Company H March 7, 1862. 
Lee, Stephen, m. November 18, 1861; dis. February 25, 1863; disability. 
Phipher, Joseph, m. November 18, 1861; dis. January 2, 1863; disability. 
Pullara, William, m. November 18, 1861; dis. July 10, 1862. 

Smith, William, m. November 18, 1861; died at Bardstown, Ky., February 3, 1862. 
Smith, John N., m. November 18, 1861; dis. January 2, 1863; disability. 
Stewart, David, m. November 18, 1861; trans, to Company H. 

Small, George W., m. November 8, 1861; veteran; died at JefEersonville January 
26, 1865. 

COMPANY H. 

First Surgeon Charles Disbrow, m. December 18, 1861; promoted Second Lieutenant; 

resigned February 21, 1863; is now Presiding Elder for this district, Methodist 

Episcopal Church. 
Wagoner Robert Trimble, m. December 18, 1861; dis. May 9, 1862; disability. 

Privates. 
Henderson, Joseph, m. December 18, 1861; veteran; dis. December 6, 1864, lost an 

arm. 
Heshman, John, m. December 18, 1861; dis. May 12, 1863; disability. 
Nelson, John, m. December 18, 1861; dis. disability. 
Perry, John M., m. December 18, 1861; dis. disability. 
Rector, John B., m. December 18, 1861; dis. April 9, 1863; disability. 
Stepp, Jesse, m. December 18, 1861; died January 17, 1862. 
Bishop, James F., m. August 12, 1862; dis. June 16, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Hoback, Joel H., m. September 10, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant and Captain. 
Goodykoontz, Daniel, m. July 29, 1864; not reported. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 79 

FIFTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT— COMPANY C. 

Ashpaugh, Amos, m. January 7, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865, as Corporal. 

Brickie, John, m. March 28, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Baylerys, Tilman H., m. January 26, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

easier, James H., m. December 3, 1863; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Fouch, William B., m. January 26, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Gordon, William, m. December 22, 1863; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Hunter, William, m. December 22, 1863; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Ishmael, Thomas, m. December 14, 1863; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Lane, Aaron, m. February 27, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Miners, James G., m. March 28, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Redmond, Marion, m. December 14, 1863; m o. July 25, 1865. 

Redmond, George, m. January 6, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Ross, Joshua, m. November 3, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Sparks, James A., m. December 14, 1863; m. o. July 25, 1865. ♦ 

Smith, William W., m. January 6, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Stoun, William F., m. January 6, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Shuppert, Michael, m. January 6, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Sutton, William C, m. February 24, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Stroup, Jacob, m. February 15, 1865; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Turner, Francis M., m. September 22, 1864; died at Savannah, Ga., February 6, 

1865. 
Tyner, David, m. August 26, 1862; m. o. June 5, 1865. 
Wright, William, m. September 9, 1862; dis. March 5, 1863; disability. 
Whicker, James F., m January 20, 1864; m. o. July 25, 1865. 
Wilson, Robert, m. September 22, 1862; m. o. July 25, 1865. 
Woods, James M., m. February 24, 1864; m. n. July 25. 1865. 

FIFTY-NINTH REGIMENT. 

Haas, John, m. January 31, 1865; m. o. July 17, 1865. 

SEVENTY-FIFTH REGIMENT. 

Assistant Surgeon James B. White, m. August 4, 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

COMPANY B. 

Capt. Isaac H. Montgomery, m. July 26, 1862; resigned May 12, 1864; disability. 

Capt. Thomas A. Ellis, m. April 8, 1864; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

First Lieut. George L. Shaw, m. July 26, 1862; resigned December 1, 1862; disabil- 
ity- 
First Lieut. NoahW. Parker, m. December 2, 1862; resigned February 12, 1863; dis- 
ability. 

First Lieut. Thomas A. Ellis, m. February 3, 1863; promoted Captain. 

First Lieut. Wesley Gates, m. May 13, 1864; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Second Lieut. Noah W. Parker, m. July 26, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Second Lieut. Thomas A. Ellis, m. December 2, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Second Lieut. Jefferson H. Montgomery, m. February 13, 1863; resigned May 30, 
1863; disability. 

Second Lieut. Wesley Gates, m. May 31, 1863; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Second Lieut. John N. Cooper, m. May 1. 1865; m. o. as First Sergeant June 8, 1865. 

First Sergt. Wesley Gates, m. July 17, 1862; promoted First Lieutenant. 

Sergt. Jefferson H. Montgomery, m. July 17, 1862; promoted Second Lieutenant. 

Sergt. Wesley King, m. July 17, 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Sergt. Francis Coy, m. July 17, 1862; died at Scottsville, Ky., December 17, 1862. 

Corp. William A. Bouse, m. July 17, 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865. 



80 HISTORY OF TITTON COUNTY. 

Corp. D. C. Evans, m. July 17, 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Corp. William Simmons, m. July 17, 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Corp. John Wagoman. m. July 17, 1863; m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Corp. James A. Frazier, m. July 17, 1862; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Corp. Justice Nelson, m. July 17, 1862; pro. First Lieutenant, Company E, One Hun- 
dred and Fifty-fifth Regiment; killed on the way home August 7, 1865. 
Corp. Alpheus N. Rood, m. July 17, 1862, m. o. July 8, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Corp. Benjamin J. Allen, m. July 17, 1862; dis. February 18, 1863, disab. 
Wagoner Edmond Cope, m. July 17, 1862; never joined the company. 

Privates. 

Axtell, William G., m. July 28, 1862; died, never mustered in. 

Barnet, James, m. July 28. 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Barnet, William J., m. July 28, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865, Corporal. 

Ballenger, George J., m. July 28, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Batterton, James W., m. July 28, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865, Corporal. 

Baldwin, Charles L., m. July 23, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Ballard, James P., m. July 17, 1862; died at Murfreesboro, Tcnn., May 1, 1863. 

Bowlin, Christopher C, m. July 17, 1862; dis. January 15, 1864; wounded at Chick- 

amauga. 
Boyer, John, m. July 28, 1862; died at Nashville February 23, 1864. 
Bright, William B., m. July 29, 1862; trans. V. R. C. January 4, 1864. 
Burris, Thomas F., m. July 17, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Burris, James E., m. July 28, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Burnham, William, m. July 17, 1862; dis. May 3, 1863. 
Campbell, James M., m. July 23, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Coy, James, m. July 17, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Cook, William I., m. July 17, 1862; trans, to Engineer Corps August, 1864. 
Coons, William T., m. July 17, 1862; dis. January 5, 1863. 
Corn, John, m. July 17, 1863; dis. February 18, 1863. 
Cooper, John N., m. July 28, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865, as First Sergeant. 
Cooper, Stanley, m. July 28, 1862; wounded at Chickamauga, and died September 

24, 1863, at Crawfish. 
Davidson, Richard, m. July 17, 1862; died at Scottsville, Ky., December 12, 1862. 
Deal, Henry, m. July 28, 1862; trans, to V. R. C. July 1, 1863. 
Dutcher, James, m. July 28, 1862; dis. February 37, 1863, disab. 
Eazy, John S., m. July 28, 1863; dis. March 25, 1863, disab. 
Endicott, George W., m. July 38, 1863; died at Murfreesboro April 37, 1863. 
Finney, James W., m. July 17, 1862; died at Gallatin, Tenn., March 4, 1863. 
Finney, James, m. July 17, 1862; dis. August 4, 1863, disab. 

Fleetwood, William, m. July 28, 1862; died at Bledsoe, Tcnn., December 21, 1862. 
Fleetwood, Levi J., m. July 38, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Folson, William, m. July 23, 1862; dis. January 6, 1863, disab. 
Furry, Louis B., m. July 17, 1862. m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Furry, William, m. July 28, 1862; died at Nashville, July 1, 1864. 
Gallagher, Francis, m. July 17, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Gallimore, Elisha, m. July 28, 1862; dis. February 13, 1864. 
Gallimore, Asa, m. July 17, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1863. 

Goar, James M., ra. July 17, 1862; died at Murfreesboro, Tenn., February 6, 1863. 
Goar, Levi V.. m. July 28, 1862; left the regiment December 18, 1862, sick. 
Gordon, Jacob N., m. July 17. 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Gooding, Avery, m. July 33, 1862; trans. V. R. C. December 20, 1863. 
Hawkin, Daniel R., m. July 17, 1862; dis. February 25. 1863. 
Hampton, Henry, m. July 17, 1862; dis. January 5. 1863. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON' COUNTY. 81 

Havens, Isaac A., m. Jul}- 17, 1863; dis. February 18, 1863. 

Havens, David F.. m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Hedges, Francis M., m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8. 1865. 

Herron, Silas, m. July 38, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Herron, Daniel, m. July 17, 1863; m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Hefflin, Reuben T., m. July 17, 1868, ni. o. June 8, 1865. 

High, Anthony, m. July 38, 1863. m. o. June 8, 1865. 

High, John, m. July 38, 1863; dis. February 18, 1863, disab. 

Horton, John, m. July 17, 1863; dis. March 35, 1868. disab. 

Holloway. James, m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Hosier, Allen W., m. July 38, 1863; died at Chattanooga August 15, 1864. 

Hutson, Solomon, m. July 38, 1863; died at Gallatin, Tenn., February 13, 1863. 

Lamb, Louis T., m. July 33, 1863; rejected, not mustered. 

Lavp, John M., m. July 38, 1863; rejected, not mustered. 

Level, Robert, m. Julj^ 17, 1863; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps August 1, 1863. 

Lett, Thomas H., m. July 38, 1833; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps January 18, 1865. 

Little, Isaac H., m. July 38, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Long, Thomas, m. July 17, 1863; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps July 1, 1863. 

McNeal, William, m. July 38, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

McSharp, James, m. July 38, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Morris, David, July 17, 1863; deserted December, 1863. 

Morris, William P., m. July 33; deserted December, 1863. 

Musgrove, Samuel K., m. July 17, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Myers, Gideon, m. July 28, 1863; dis. January 17, 1863; disab. 

Norman, James, m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Patton, Calvin, m. July 28, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Perry, Jasper N., m. July 23, 1863; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps August 1, 1863. 

Peacock, Eli, m. July 33, 1863; deserted November, 1863. 

Pitzer, Isaac, m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Potter, Merrit E., m. July 28, 1863, m. o. June 8. 1865. 

Ploughe. Jacob, m. July 38, 1862; dis. February 25, 1863; disab. 

Ploughe, Abraham, m. July 28, 1863; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps July 1, 1863. 

Ross, Francis M., m. July 17, 1863; died at Gallatin, Tenn., December 5, 1862. 

Snyder, Henry B., m. July 17, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Stanley, Calvin, m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Stanly, Jacob, m. July 17, 1862; dis. March 11, 1863, disab. 

Summers, William H., m. July 28, 1862, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Tucker, John, m. July 17, 1863; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps July 1, 1863. 

Wagoman, William F., m. July 17, 1863; dis. February 8, 1863, disab. 

Ward, Erastus B., m. July 38, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Weed, William P., m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865, as Sergeant. 

Wheeldon, Pleasant, m. July 17, 1863. m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Williams, Jefferson, m. July 28, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Williams, John, m. July 17, 1862; rejected, not mustered. 

Wiley, William Y., m. July 17, 1863, m. o. January 8, 1865. 

Wright, Jasper N., m. July 17, 1863, m. o. June 8, 1865. 

Yohe, Michael, m. July 17. 1863; deserted March, 1863. 

Recruits. 
Bouse, Isaac N., m. January 15, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Bolen, John B., m. Decemberl4, 1863; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Burnham, William, m. January 35, 1864; trans, to Forty -second Regiment June 8, 1865 
Dellinger, John C, m. January 15, 1864; died at Chattanooga, February 19, 1864. 
Evans, Samuel J., ra. January 15, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 



82 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY, 

Furry, David G., m. January 21, 1864; died at Ringgold, Ga., April 10, 1864, small 

pox. 
Fiireg, William, m. January 31, 1864; died at Ringgold, Ga., April 10, 1864. 
Gardner, Eli, m. March 28, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Hancock, Harrison, m. January 1, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Hooton, Albert R.. m. January 1, 1864; died at Chattanooga March 2, 1864. 
Jones, William E., m. January 1, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Krider, Joseph, m. March 23, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Little, Joseph F., m. December 14, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1865. 
Moulden, James R., m. January 1, 1864; died at Chattanooga July 15, 1864. 
Merrill, Henry C, m. January 4 1864; died at Chattanooga, February 22, 1864. 
Merrill, Martin S., m. January 4, 1864; died at Atlanta, Ga., September 22, 1864. 
Pare, Redin D., m. January 15, 1864; died at Nashville, Tenn., September 5, 1864. 
Rood, Adison I., m. March 4, 1864; died near Atlanta, Ga., August 17, 1864. 
Stevens, Isaac W., m. January 20, 1864; traas. to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1864. 
Scott, Ellis H., m. January 1, 1864; trans, to Forty-second Regiment June 8, 1864. 
Wilson, Woodroe W.,m. January 15, 1864; trans, to Forty-secondRegiment June 8, 

1864. 
Scripture, John W., m. January 4, 1864; died at Chattanooga February 24, 1865. 

COMPANY C. 

Bird, James, m. July 15, 1862; killed at Mission Ridge November 35, 1863. 
Boyd, Jacob, m. July 15, 1862; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps, October 29, 1863. 

COMPANY G. 

Decker, Elias B., m. August 23, 1862, m. o. June 8. 1865. 

EIGHTY-NINTH REGIMENT — COMPANY D. 

Whitehead, Thomas, m. August 28, 1862, m. o. July 19, 1865, as Sergeant. 
Riley, Joshua, m. August 28. 1862, died at Fort Pickens, Tenn., June 12, 1863. 
Rosier, Joseph D., m. August 28, 1862, died at Memphis, Tenn.. March 15. 1863. 
Springer, Levi L., m. August 28, 1862, dis. March 13, 1865. 
Sims, Linville, m. August 28, 1862, m. o. July 19, 1865. 
Suits, Jobe S., m. August 38, 1862, dis. September 18, 1863. 

ONE HUNDRED AND FIRST REGIMENT. 

Adjutant James Price, m. September 8, 1862, resigned May 24, 1863, disab. ; died at 

Tipton, Ind., soon after. 
Chaplain Thomas Whalen, m. May 14, 1868, resigned September 3, 1863, disab. 

COMPANY c. 
Capt. Alexander McCrary, m. September 6, 1862, m. o. September 6, 1862. 
Capt. Sylvester Turpen, m. March 13, 1863, m. o. with regiment. 
First Lieut. Sylvester Turpen, m. September 6, 1862, pro. Captain. 
First Lieut. William Beeson, m. April 31, 1868, dismissed June 7, 1868. 
First Lieut. Elmore T. Montgomery, m. July 4, 1863, m. o. w^ith regiment. 
Second Lieut. Ezekiel L. Cooper, m. September 6, 1862, resigned January 23, 1863. 
Second Lieut. William Beeson, m. February 16, 1863, pro. First Lieutenant. 
Second Lieut. Elmore T. Montgomery, m. April 21, 1868, pro. First Lieutenant. 
Second Lieut. Henry T. Waterman, m. July 4, 1863, killed at Mission Ridge No- 
vember 25, 1863. 
Second Lieut. Elisha Henry, m. May 1, 1865, m. o. veith regiment as First Sergeant. 
First Sergt. William Beeson, m. August 15, 1862, pro. Second Lieutenant. 
Sergt. Henry T. Waterman, m. August 15, 1862, pro. Second Lieutenant. 
Sergt. David Werking, m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865. 
Sergt. Elisha Henry, m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865, First Sergeant. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 88 

Sergt. William H. Webster, m. August 15, 1862, dis. January 37, 1863. 

Corp. John C. Halley, m. August 15. 1863, dis. February 3, 1863. 

Corp. Irwin C. Mallery, m. August 15, 1863, died at Murfreesboro, May 19, 1863. 

Corp. Lebert Bess, m. August 15, 1863, killed at Chickamauga, September 19, 1863. 

Corp. Warder C. Hobbs, m. August 15, 1863, tr. to V. R. C. February 15, 1864. 

Corp. Newton Campbell, m. August 15, 1863, dis. May 23, 1863, wounded. 

Corp. James Warner, m. Aiigust 15, 1863, died at Munfordsville, Ky., February 24, 

1863. 
Corp. Joseph M. Parsons, m. August 15, 1863, died at Nashville, Tenn., March 31, 

1863. 
Corp. Nathaniel Bivens, m. August 15, 1863, tr. to Engineer Corps July 29, 1864. 
Musician John B. Bowlen, m. August 15, 1862, dis. April 18, 1863. 
Musician William Pitman, m. August 15, 1863, m. o. June 24, 1865. 
Wagoner Joseph Stutes, m. August 15, 1863, m. o. June 34, 1865. 

Privates. 
Axtell, William G., m. August 15, 1863, died at Munfordsville, Ky. 
Ault, Jesse, m. August 15, 1863, dis. August 4, 1864, wounded. 
Bess, James, m. August 15, 1863, m. o. June 24, 1865. 
Bess, John M., m. August 15, 1863, tr. to Marine March 11, 1863. 
Bess, William, m. August 15, 1863, m. o. June 34, 1865. 
Balser, Benjamin, m. August]15, 1863, tr. to V. R. C, m. o. July 5, 1865. 
Brown, Leroy L., m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865. 
Balser, Levi, m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865, Sergeant. 
Brown, John F., m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 34, 1865, Corporal. 
Bright, John, m. August 15, 1863, died at Nashville, Tenn., September 29, 1863. 
Chapman, William W., m. August 15, 1863, killed at Chickamauga, September 19^ 

1863. 
Chapman, John, m. August 15, 1863, deserted May 11, 1863. 
Casler, Robert P., m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24. 1865, Corporal. 
Bellinger, William P., m. August 15, 1862, dis. February 14, 1863. 
Davis, John, m. August 15, 1862, died at home. 

Eler, George W., m. August 15, 1862, died at Munfordsville, Ky., December 22, 1863. 
Evans, Samuel W., m. August 15, 1862, died at Chattanooga October 29, 1863, 

wounds. 
Earl, James H., m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24. 1865. 
Fesler, John, m. August 15, 1862, m. o. May 26, 1865. 

Fry, Jesse R., m. August 15, 1863, died at Munfordsville, Ky., December 15, 1862. 
Fee, William F., m. August 15, 1862, died at Murfreesboro, Tenn., May 5, 1863. 
Franklin, Edmon E., m. August 15, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865. 
Gray, Abraham, m. August 15, 1863, dis. January 6, 1863. 
Gray, Robert, m. August 15, 1862; tr. to V. R. C. February 15, 1864. 
Giles, James, m. August 15, 1862; m. o. June 24, 1865. 

Gilbert, Joseph W., m. August 15, 1862; trans, to V. R. C. July 15, 1864; Corporal. 
Gray, Andrew H. F., m. August 15, 1862; deserted October 3, 1862. 
George, William W., m. August 15, 1862; died at Annapolis, Md., February 28, 

1865. 
Harvey, Randolph, m. August 15, 1862: tr. to V. R. C. November 1, 1863. 
Hulic, David S., m. August 15, 1862; died at Chattanooga January 7, 1864. 
Henry, Elijah, m. August 15, 1863; died at Murfreesboro June 19, 1863. 
Henry, Israel, m. August 15, 1862; dis. October 13, 1862. 
Henry, Noah, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 
Halley, Elisha, m. August 15, 1863; died at Nashville June 18, 1863. 
Halley, James H., m. August 15, 1863; dis. October 27, 1862. 



84 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Headlcy, Absalom, m. August 15, 1863; killed at Cliickamauga September 19, 1803. 

Haskett, Tliomas, m. August 15, 1863; died at Nashville September 30, 1863. 

Hamilton, James, m. August 15, 1863; died at Murfreesboro February 25, 1863. 

Ilobbs, Clinton H., m. August 15, 1863; dis. April 11, 1863. 

Ilanshoe, William II., m. Augu.st 15, 1863; dis. January 2ri, 1863. 

Jackson, Francis M., m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 

Lineback, Stephen, m. August 15, 1863; dis. October 37, 1862. 

Land, Thomas, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 16, 1865. 

Lay ton, Joseph W., m. August 15, 1863; dis. March 17, 1863. 

Lynch, Daniel J., m. August 15, 1863, tr. to V. R. C. August 18, 1863. ' 

Mott, John B., m. August 15, 1863; tr. to V. R. C. April 10, 1864. 

Munden, Benjamin, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 

Newkirk, John W., m. August 15, 1863; died at Munfordsville, Ky., December 19. 

1863. 
Newkirk, Christopher, m. August 15, 1863; dis. September 14, 1863. 
Oscar, Joseph, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 
Pitzer, John, m. August 15, 1863; dis. April 11, 1863. 
Potter, John H.. m. August 15, 1863; tr. to Fifty-eighth Regiment to make up time 

lost. 
Rittenhouse, George, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 
Rogers, James A., m. August 15, 1862; m. o. May 35, 1865. 
Royal, Anthony, m. August 15, 1863; died at Munfordsville November 25, 1863. 
Ratcliff, Edom A., m. August 15, 1863; tr. to V. R. C; m. o. June 30, 1865. 
Ratcliff, Thomas A., m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 
Ross, Shadrdch, m. August 15, 1863; dis. March 13, 1863. 
Rogers, Henry, m. August 15, 1863; died at Chattanooga October 15, 1863. 
Richards, James A., m August 15, 1863; died at home. 
Star, Charles, m. August 15, 1863; tr. to V. R. C; dis. April 35, 1865. 
Stutes, James, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34. 1865. 
Smith, John, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865. 
Smith, Jonathan, m. August 15, 1862; died at Murfreesboro April 30, 1863. 
Stroup, Reuben, m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 34, 1865, as Corporal. 
Smith, Absalom, m. August 15, 1863; died at Cowan, Tenn., August 2, 1863. 
Scales, John, m. August 15, 1862; m. o. June 24, 1865. 
Thatcher, Alexander, m. o. August 15, 1863; dis. March 17, 1863. 
Thomas, John, m. August 15, 1862; m. o. June 24, 1865; Corporal. 
Vergason, Jesse, m. August 15, 1862; dis. September 18, 1863. 
Werdou, Joseph, m. August 15, 1863; died at Gallatin, Tenn., January 20, 1863. 
Whistler, Joseph, m. August 15, 1863; dis. December 4, 1862. 

Whistler, Jesse, m. August 15, 1862; died at Munfordsville, Ky.. December 10. 1862. 
Warner, Jobe, m. August 15, 1863; dis. May 3, 1863. 
Whitlock, Jacob S., m. August 15, 1863; died at home April, 1863. 
Wheatly, Edward L., m. August 15, 1863; m. o. June 24, 1865, Sergeant. 

Recruits. 
Bower, John, m. December 14, 1863; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22,1865. 
Brickie, John, m. March 23, 1864; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 23, 1865. 
Bailey, Tilghman H.. m. January 26. 1864; m. o. June 9, 1865. 
Casler, James H., m. December 3, 1863; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 

1865. 
Fouch, William B., m. January 26, 1864; m. o. July 3, 1865. 
Fern, Casper, m. January 16, 1864; m. o. May 36, 1865. 
Goar, Joseph N., m. December 37. 1863; dis. October 24, 1864. 
Gordon, John, m. December 14, 1863; died at Ringgold, Ga., April 30, 1864.. 



HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 85 

Gordon, William, m. December 22, 1863; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 

22, 1865. 
Hunter, William, m. December 22, 1863; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 28, 

1865. 
Ishmael, Joseph N., m. January 15, 1864; died at Chattanooga March 7, 1861. 
Ishmael, Thomas, m. December 14, 1863; died at Nashville, Tenn., July 25, 1864. 
Ishmael, James R., m. January 15, 1864; died at Chattanooga March 1, 1864. 
Ishmael, Thomas, m. December 14, 1863; tr. to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 1865. 
Lane, Aaron, m. February 26, 1884; trans, to Fifty-eight Regiment June 22, 1865. 
Minor, James S., m. March 29, 1864; tran.s. to Fifty-eight Regiment June 22, 1865. 
Murry, Samuel T., m. January 20, 1864; dis. may 18, 1865. 
Redmon, Marion, m. December 14, 1863; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 

1865. 
Redmon, George, m. January 6, 1864; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 1865. 
Ross, Joshua, m. November 3, 1864; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 1865. 
Sparks, James A., m. December 14, 1863; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 

1865. 
Smith, William W., m. January 6, 1864; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 

1865; 
Shuppart, Michael, m. January 6, 1864; trans, to Fifth-eighth Regiment June 22, 

1865. 
Sutton, William C, m. February 24, 1864; trans, to Fifty-eighth Regiment June 22, 

1865. 

COMPANY D. 

Corp. Andrew J. Sharp, m. August 18, 1862; trans, to Veteran Reserve Corps, Janu- 
ary 24, 1864. 

Privates. 

Burk, James, August 18, 1862; dis. February 28, 1863. 

Billhamer, Harrison, m. August 18, 1862; dis. February 20, 1863. 

Byrum, Jackson A., m. August 18, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865. 

Byrum, George T., m. August 18,1862, m. o. June 24, 1865. 

Corp. John C. Edwards, m. August 18, 1862; m. o. July 1, 1865. 

Corp. Thomas Guilkey, m. August 18, 1862; died at Murfreesboro March 4, 1863. 

Corp. Swan Munson, m. August 18, 1862; died at Munfordsville, Ky., November 12, 
1862. 

Corp. William Phips, m. August 18, 1862; m. o. June 24, 1865. 

Corp. William Smith, m. August 18, 1862; m. o. June 24, 1865. 

Corp. Samuel B. Sharp, m. August 18, 1862, m. o. June 24, 1865. 

Corp. Henry Springer, m. August 18, 1862; dis. February 10, 1863. 

Corp. David M. Webert, m. August 18, 1862; killed at Atlanta, Ga., August 11. 1864. 

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOURTH REGIMENT— COMPANY D. 

Kindley, Samuel I., m. January 21, 1864; m. o. August 31, 1865. 

Kindley, Joseph T., m. March 10, 1864; m. o. August 14, 1865. 

Perkins, Wilson, m. March 10, 1864; died at Waskington, D. C, February 23, 1865. 

Russell, Henderson, m. March 21, 1864; m. o. August 31, 1865. 

Tichenor, James R., m. March 10, 1864; died at Louisville, Ky., March 25, 1864. 

COMPANY H. 

Shearer, James, March 7, 1864; died at Knoxville, Tenn., July 11, 1864. 

COMPANY I. 

Caldwell, Andrew M., m. March 17, 1864; m. o. August 31, 1865. 
Pumphrey, Andrew J., m. March 17, 1864; dis. July 10, 1865. 



86 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIXTH REGIMENT— COMPANY E. 

Brown, "William L., m. December 29, 1863; m. o. June 3, 1865. 

Downhour, George, m. February 29, 1864; m. o. September 10, 1865. 

Farren, John B., m. February 29, 1864; deserted May 1, 1864. 

Miller, Franklin F., m. February 29, 1864; m. o. September 19, 1865. 

Stewart, Robert, m. February 29, 1864; died at Louisville, Ky., February 6, 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTIETH REGIMENT— COMPANY A. 

Davis, Edward W., m. December 30, 1863; m. o. December 2, 1865, as CorporaL 

Fisher, Calvin, m. December 30, 1863; m. o. December 2, 1865, as Sergeant. 

Haller, Henry S., m. December 30, 1863; m. o. December 2, 1865. 

Miles, William, m. December 17, 1863, killed at Kingston, N. C, March 9, 1864 

Shields, James W., m. December 29, 1863; m. o. December 2, 1865. 

Teter, Mahlon L., m. December 29, 1863; m. o. "December 2, 1865. 

Vawtes, James M., m. December 30, 1863; m. o. December 2, 1865. 

COMPANY B. 

Hall, Stephen S., m. March 11, 1864; dis. May 13, 1865. 

Parrish, William II., m. March 11, 1864; m. o. December 2, 1865. 

Pickering, Ezra, m. March 11, 1864; dis. May 4, 1865. 

Raines, Henry, m. March 11, 1864; m. o. December 2, 1865. 

Sanders, Levi, m. December 29, 1863; died at Atlanta, Ga., October 27, 1864. 

Yokley, m. March 11, 1864; m. o. December 2, 1865. 

COMPANY K. 

Barton, John S., m. March 1, 1864; m. o. December 2, 1865. 
Barton, Joshua, m. March 1, 1864; m. o. June 9, 1865. 
Payne, Bailey S., m. March 1, 1864; m. o. July 20, 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIRST REGIMENT — COMPANY G. 

Burns, Andrew J., m. March 9, 1864; m. o. November 18, 1865. 
Burns, James, m. March 9, 1864; m. o. June 10, 1865. 
Fletcher, Squire, m. March 9, 1864; m. o. June 22, 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT — COMPANY D — (100 DAYS). 

Goar, John M., m. May 13, 1864; m. o. term expired. 

COMPANY F. 

Second Lieut. James A. Franklin, m. May 1, 1864; m. o. with regiment,^ 

Privates. 
Adams, Martin L., m. May 1, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Barton, Charles, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Blak, Thomas, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
BottorfE, Marion M., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Cooper, David, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Fish, Robert S., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Grishaw, Jesse L., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Grishaw, John W., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Hughes, Thomas, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Hendricks, Daniel, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Hamlin, John, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term ex-pired. 
Lambert, Thomas W., m. May 18, 1864; m.o. term expired. 
Mix, George W., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 



i 



IIISTORV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 87 

Mcars, Thomas, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
McCoy, William, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Martin, William, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Montgomery, Wells, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Sharp, Clark T., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Thompson, George H., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
TowDsend, Major S., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Waggoner. Moses M., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 
Woodard, James D., m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expijed. 
Yocum, Thomas, m. May 18, 1864; m. o. term expired. 

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTIETH REGIMENT — COMPANY G. — (ONE YEAR). 

First Lieut. Holman C. INIortimore, m. October 24, 1864; m. o. with regiment. 

First Sergt. John C. Halley, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Sergt. John W. Grishaw, m. October 7, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Sergt. Williamson Covert, m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Sergt. Edward W. Ulrick, m. October 13, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Corp. Andrew Campbell, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Corp. Jeflferson P. Nay lor, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Corp. Moses M. Waggoner, m. October 7, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Corp. Dudley Spaulding, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Corp. Noah W. Halley, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Corp. Samuel B. Barlow, m. October 8, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Privates. 
Alley, Lorenzo D., m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Barlow, William R., m. October 6, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Baxter, Josiah K., m. October 8, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Baldwin, Eli, m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Berry, James H., m. October 7, 1864; m. o. August 2, 1865. 
Brittenham, Levi, m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Burns, Franklin, m. October 8, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Campbell, Joseph, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Clark, Robert S., m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Corn. William, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. October 11, 1865. 
Cox, Charles, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. October 11, 1865. 
Cooper, David, m. October 15 1864; m. o. October 11, 1865. 
Cooper, Joseph, m. October 15, 1864; m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Cooper, Thomas, m. October 15, 1864; m. o. June 8, 1865. 
Coy, William, m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Deen, Jefferson, m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Doley, Robert H., m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Eskew; Preston, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Gager. Richard H., m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Grishaw, William M., m. Octol)erlO, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Griffith, Tatman, m. October 7, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Hendricks, James M., m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Hendricks, Daniel S., m. October 12, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Halley, David M., m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Jones, Silas C, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Jones, William T., m. October 12, 1864: died at Wilmington, N. C, April 15, 1865. 
Lehue, Miles, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Lance, David, m. October 6, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Lynch, James, m. October 15, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 



88 HISTORY OF TII'TOX COUNTY. 

Maze, John A., m. October 10, 1804; ni. o. July 11. 186.J. 

Mason, Frederic, m. October 18, 1SG4; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Miller, Jacob F., m. October 14, 1864; dis. May 3, 1865. 

Mix, George W., m. October 10, 1864; m. o. May 13, 1865. 

Mitchell, Willis A., m. October 7, 1864; died at New Berne, N. C. March 21, 1865. 

Mills. James R., m. October 13, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Mitchell, John T., m. October 7, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Nay, Lemuel, m. October 19, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Needham, Jacob L., m. October 10, 1864, m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Paine, Thomas J., m. October 15, 1864; ra. o. June 12, 1865. 

Petty, Joel, m. October 6, 1864: died at Nashville, Tenn., January 22, 1865. 

Perry, Lewis, m. October 12, 1864; died at Troy, N. Y., April 21, 1865. 

Phillips, Joseph, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Pumphrey, Armstead M., m. October 11, 1864; died at New York Harbor April 19, 

1865. 
Phillips, Francis M., m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Pierce, William, m. October 7. 1864; m. o. July 3, 1865. 
Riley, John C, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Richardson, John, m. October 10, 1864; dis. June 5, 1865. 
Shaflfer, Smith, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Simes, Parvis, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. January 7, 1865. 
Siles, Singleton, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Smith, John L., m. October 8, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 

Smith, Amos, m. October 10, 1864; died at Washington, D. C, January 27, 1865. 
Smith, Perry, m. October 10, 1864; died at Murfreesboro, Tenn., January 20, 1865. 
Snow, Isaac H., m. October 12, 1864; died at Washington, D. C, March 21, 1865. 
Stockdale, John M., m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11, 1865. 
Waggoner, James, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. July 11. 1865. 
Wilson, Franklin, m. October 15, 1864; m. o. June 10, 1865. 
Wisner, Van Rensselaer, m. October 10, 1864; m. o. June 10, 1865. 
Whalen, James, m. October 12, 1864; died at Nashville, Tenn., February 9, 1865. 

COMPANY K. 

Finney, Andrew J., m. October 24, 1864; deserted December 18, 1864. 
McMannis, George, m. October 24, 1864; m. o. Julj' 11, 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FIFTH REGIMENT — ONE YEAR SERVICE — COMPANY O. 

Collins, Isaac, m. February 5, 1865; m. o. January 21, 1866. 

Bishop, Adolphus A., m. February 5, 1865; died at Chattanooga March 1, 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED FORTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT — COMPANY E. 

Private. 
Orr, Asbury P., m. March 10, 1865; m. o. August 4, 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHTH REGI.MENT — COMPANY F. 

Private. 
Coughland, Daniel, m. February 6, 1865; deserted February 6. 1865. 

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FIRST REGIMENT— COMPANY 0. 

Privates. 
Hickman, John, m. February 20, 1865; died at Indianapolis March 5, 1865. 
Ilickinan, Jesse, m. February 20, 1865; left the regiment August 1, 1865. 



HISTORY OF TlPTOxN COUxN'TY. 89 

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THIRD REGIMENT — COMPANY K. 

Capt. William B. Yoimg, m. February 30, 1865; m. o. with regiment. 
Second Lieut. William P. Growell, m. Februar}^28, 1805; promoted First Lieutenant; 
m. with regiment. 

Privates. 
Avis, James F., m. February 4, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865, Corporal. 
Boring, Michael, m. February 11, 1865; m. o. Oetober 16, 1865. 
Crowell, William P., m. January 26, 1865; promoted Second Lieutenant. 
Coffman, Morris, m. February 13, 1865; died at Russellville, Ky., May 37, 1865. 
Crabtree, George W., m. February 31, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Eytcheson, Alfred, m. February 13, 1865; discharged July 16, 1865. 
Freeman, Daniel C, m. February 6, 1865; discharged August 13, 1865. 
Foster, John, m. February 4, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Furry, Noah F., m. February 17, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Goin, Mordecai, m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Goin, Wesley, m. February 13, 1865; dis. August 14, 1865. 
Goin, George W., m. February 13, 1865; dis. July 7, 1865. 
Gilland, Perry, m. February 6, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Hartman, James R.. m. January 29, 1865; m. o. June 13, 1865. 
Heaton, Ebenezer, m. February 6, 1865; died at Russellville Ky., May 5, 1865. 
Hoover, George, m. February 1, 1865; m. o. June 13, 1865. 
Hobbs, Alfred, m. February 11, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Houser, Lewis, m. February 11, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Hilly, James C, m February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Headley, Adison, m. Februar}- 13, 1865; m. o. June 13, 1865. 
Henderson, Elias, m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Hobbs, John M., m. February 11, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865, Corporal. 
Hendrickson, Joseph W., m. February 17, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
King, David, m. January 29, 1865; died at Russellville, Ky., March 28, 1865. 
Keen, Pleasant, m. Februarj^ 4, 1865 ; dis. June 13, 1865. 
Lineback, Isaac E., m. February 4. 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Lilley, Nelson, m. February 6, 1865; died at Louisville, Ky. , July 13, 1865. 
Louder, Madison L., m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Louder, James R., m. February 13, 1865; dis. June 19, 1865. 
Mozingo, William R., m. Fel)ruary 6, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Moore, Peter L., m. February 6, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Maines, William M., m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Morris, Samuel, m. February 11, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
McClarej^ John, m. February 13, 1865; died at Tipton County, Ind., July 29, 1865. 
Murphy, Michael A., m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Mount, Silas O., m. February 18. 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Plake, Mathias, m. January 31, 1865; m. o. June 13, 1865. 
Plake, John T., m. February 11, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Parker, Stephen W.,'m. February 17, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Rood, Edgar W., m. February 10, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Rees, John, m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865; Corporal. 
Robinson, John M., m. February 8, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Stam, Samuel C, m. January 24, 1865; dis. June 27, 1865. 
Shaw, Isaac O., m. February 21, 1865; died at Indianapolis March 20, 1865. 
Salters, John R., m. January 28, 1865; dis. August 17, 1865. 
Stam, Philip, m. January 28, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 
Salters, Joseph, m. January 28, 1865; died at Russellville, Ky., May 6, 1865. 
Smock, Moses A., m. February 13, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 



90 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Thompson, Alexander E., m. February 1, 1865; dis. March 4, 1865. 

Taylor, Chester C, m. February 10, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865, Sergeant. 

Thomas, James A., m. February 17, 1S65; m. o. September 4, 1865. 

Willcox, Uriah, m. FebruarjM?, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865, Corporal. 

Wolfe, George, m. February 6, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. 

Warner, Jacob, m. February 6, 1865; m. o. July 25, 1865. 

Waller, William H., m. February 22, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865, Sergeant. 

Young, Seneca G., m. February 18, 1865; m. o. September 4, 1865. ^ 

In preparing the above list of namesof Tipton County men who were in the 
service during tlie war of the rebellion, the writer copied almost exclusively from 
the Adjutant General's reports. He has made some corrections wliere the errors 
were palpable. Doubtless other errors still exist, which will be apparent to those" 
acquainted with the exact facts. It is believed, however, that the list is substantial!}" 
correct. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 

BY M. F. COX. 



^ If an Athenian wi'ites a history of his native city, he begins with 
a solitary Egyptian on the Acropolis, so long ago that the date was forgot- 
ten four hundred years before the Christian era. But a citizen of Tip- 
ton, who attempts to write a history of his town, must necessarily begin 
with Samuel King, who, in 1835 and 1836, purchased from the United 
States Government several tracts of land in the wilderness which covered 
the ground now occupied by the seat of , justice of a rich and populous 
county. His home was in Rush County, but he made frequent pilgrim- 
ages to this region, then the extreme northern limit of Hamilton County. 
Stiawtown, on White River, was the nearest trading-post, and to that 
place the early settlers were compelled fco go. It is not to be supposed 
that there were many people then inhabiting this territory, and those 
who had braved its dangers were widely scattered. But King conceived 
that a town would soon become necessary, and that, once established, it 
would add very materially to the value of adjacent lands. So, on the 
16th day of April, 1839, he laid out a town, which he named Kingston, 
on the northeast fractional quarter of Section 11, Township 21 north, 
Range 4 east. A plat was recorded on the 5th day of November, 1839, 
which shows forty-eight lots, each 66 feet wide and 132 feet deep. The 
streets were to be sixty feet wide and the alleys sixteen and one-half feet 
wide. Judging from its appearance on the record, Kingston was a handsome 
place, with even, symmetrical streets; but off of paper it actually had no 
existence, except in the mind of its founder. None of the lots were sold, 
and the deer and wolves wandered over them, and the wild cats screamed 
above them, as they had been accustomed to do for hundreds of 
years before the trespassing white man thought of building this 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 91 

frontier metropolis. Time passed, until the creation of Tipton County, 
in January, 1844, and the appointment, by the Legislature, of David P. 
Alder, of Grant County, Jesse Carter, of Clinton County, Giles W. 
Thomas, of Cass County, Lewis D. Adkins, of Miami County, and 
Samuel H. Cunningham, as Commissioners, to locate the permanent seat 
of justice of the new county. It was considered very desirable, by them 
and the Board of County Commissioners, that it should be located, as 
nearly as possible, in the center of the county, which was ascertained to 
be in what was known as McMurtry's Prairie, about two and one-half 
miles north of the site afterward selected. But the title of the Miami 
Indians to the land north of the reserve line had not been entirely ex- 
tinguished, and it was not deemed prudent to build a town in their ter- 
ritory. Having reached this conclusion, the Locating Commissioners 
made it known that they would receive propositions to donate ground for 
the County seat south of the reserve. Samuel King offered to give 100 
acres in Fractional- Section 11, being the same section upon which he 
had, five years before, laid out the town of Kingston. After the land 
had been viewed, the Commissioners, in the exercise of their best judg- 
ment under all the circumstances, accepted Mr. King's proposition. 
The Board of County Commissioners were convened in special session 
on the 16th day of October, 1844, at the house of Jesse Brown, to re- 
ceive the report of the proceedings of the Locating Commissioners, 
which was submitted in the following words: 

We, the undersigned Commissioners, appointed by the Legislature of the State 
of Indiana, for the purpose of locating the permanent seat of justice for the county 
of Tipton, in said State, having met on Monday, the 14th day of October, 1844, 
agreeable to an adjournment from May last, after having received all the sites pro- 
posed for the location of said seat of justice, and taking into consideration the sev- 
eral donations proposed, have this day located the said seat of justice on a certain 
tract of land known and designated as follows: The same being a part of fractional 
Section 11 in Township 21 north, Range 4 east of the Second Principal Meridian, 
the said land being donated by Samuel King, of Rush County, in said State, for the 
benefit of the said county of Tipton. 

David P. Alder, "1 

Jesse Carter, I Locating 

Samuel H. Cunningham, ( Commissioners. 
G. W. Thomas, J 

October 16, 1844. 

The foregoing report was received, and the Commissioners were al- 
lowed a total of 1159 for their services. On the same day, William H. 
Nelson was appointed County Agent, to lay off the town, and he im- 
mediately gave bond in the siun of $5,000 for the faithful discharge of 
his duties, with Jesse Brown, Joseph Shank, Erasmus D. Thomas and 
Minor L. Thomas as sureties. All of these necessary preliminaries hav 
ing been completed, the County Commissioners were confronted with 
another duty. The child was born, and it must be named. John D. 
Smith, a member of the Board, and formerly a resident of Ohio, sug- 



92 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

gested the name of Canton, after that thriving town of his native State. 
The other two Commissioners, Thomas Jackson and Robert E. Davidson, 
not being displeased with the name, it was at once adopted, and there- 
upon the following order was made: " That the town of Canton, the 
coanty seat of Tipton County, be and the same is hereby laid off accord- 
ing to a plat furnished by the State Commissioners. " Also, ordered, 
" That William H. Nelson, Agent for the county of Tipton, proceed to lay 
off the said town of Canton, according to the above- stated plat. Said 
Nelson shall proceed to sell not to exceed fifty lots, on the following 
terms: One-foui'th the amount that said lots shall bring shall be paid 
by the purchaser in six months, and the remaining three -foui'ths to be 
paid within eighteen months of the day of sale." 

In order that the reader may possess a more accurate knowledge of 
the territory now under consideration, the technical description found in 
the deed from Samuel King, and his wife, Delila King, to William B. 
Nelson, as County Agent, made on the 18th day of December, 1844, is here- 
with given. This description was furnished by the Locating Commission- 
ers, from the notes of the survey made by David P. Alder, one of their num- 
ber: " Beginning at a stone on the north side of Cicero Creek, bearing 
tree, a walnut, south forty-nine degrees east, distance thirteen feet, 
diameter seven inches, west twenty-five chains and sixty-eight links to a 
stone bearing tree, a beech, north thirty-six degrees west, distant five 
feet, diameter seventeen inches, thence north thirty-seven chains to an 
oak in the Indian boundary line, thence north seventy-nine degrees and 
twenty five minutes east with the Indian boundary line twenty-six chains 
and eleven links to a past bearing tree, a hickory, north twenty-one de- 
grees east, distance nine feet, diameter twenty-four inches, thence south 
forty-one chains and seventy-five links to the place of beginning, in- 
cluding one hundred acres, be the same more or less, and being a part 
of Fractional Section No. Eleven, in Township No. Twenty-one north, 
of Range No. Four east of Second Principal Meridian." 

LAYING OUT THE TOWN. 

Immediately following the adjournment of the special session of the 
County Board in October, active arrangements were made to lay out the 
town. Both public necessity and private convenience required the work 
to be done with all possible dispatch. The ground was so densely 
covered with trees and underbrush that it was impossible for the Survey- 
or, John Criswell, to locate the lots, streets and alleys, until the latter 
were partially cut away. John D. Smith, Minor L. and Erasmus D. 
Thomas, Jesse Brown and a half-dozen other men met for this purpose, 
and aEter a gi'eat deal of hard work succeeded in clearing away the brush 
sufficiently to admit of the use of the Surveyor's instrument. For this 
labor in cutting brush, those who put in a claim were allowed 62^ cents 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 93 

a day. The survey was made at once by John Criswell, who was paid $2 
per day by the county for his services. This having been completed, a 
plat was prepared, which was acknowledged by William H. Nelson, be- 
fore Sylvester Turpen, Recorder of the county, who spread it on page 55 
of Record "A." This plat, which is known as the "original plat," is 
composed of twenty blocks or squares, divided into 162 lots, each 66 feet 
wide and 198 feet deep, with streets 66 feet wide and alleys 16i feet 
wide. The total width of the plat east and west was 1,624 feet; the 
total length north and s )ath, 1,898 feet. The eastern boundary is East 
street; the western, the first alley west of West street; the northern, 198 
feet north of Washington street; the southern, 198 feet south of Adams 
street. In the center of this plat was located the public square, which 
is 198 feet wide, east and west, and 412 feet long, north and south. 
Eveiything was now in readiness for the sale of lots,, which must have 
begun in November, 1844, as the record of the proceedings of the Com- 
missioners at their regular December session in that year shows that 
James Graves was allowed " $10 for one day's service as auctioneer, in 
selling lots in the town of Canton," and Andrew Evans $1 for clerking 
at the sale. By the 1st day of March, 1845, the County Agent had sold 
at public and private sale, thirty-six lots, a description of which, together 
with the names of the purchasers and the prices paid, will be found in 
the following exhibit: 

SALE OF LOTS. 

Daniel Smith, Lot 12, Block 6, $29; Lewis Jones, Lot 9, Block 6, 
$11; Silas Blount, Lot 5, Block 6, $10.50; E. S. White, Lot 4, Block 
6, $10; Lewis Beck, Lot 2, Block 6; $13.25; Jesse Frazier, Lot 7, Block 
6, $10.50; Jesse Frazier, Lot 3, Block 7, $11.75; Daniel Lister, Lot 
10, Block 6, $10; James M. Chew, Lot 10, Block 11, $10; James M. 
Chew, Lot 10, Block 7, $11; Samuel Neese, Lot 12, Block 11, $44; 
Samuel Neese, Lot 8, Block 11, $52.25; Samuel Neese, Lot 9, Block 11, 
$46.75; D. G. Wilks, Lot 4. Block 11, $31.25; Newton J. Jackson, 
Lots 2, 3, 6 and 1, Block 11, $60; George T acker, Lot 5, Block 11, 
$35.25; L. C. Fairre, Lot 11, Block 7, $34; Daniel Welchous, Lot 2, 
Block 7, $6.25; William Ballard, Lot 2, Block 15, $37; Minor L. 
Thomas, Lots 8, 9, 12, Block 7, $52; J. Brown & Whistler, Lots 1, 2, 
Block 10, $55; Samuel Dale, Lot 1, Block 14, $10; Samuel Dale, Lot 1, 
Block 15, $10; L N. Starkey, Lot 3, Block 15, $10; Wilson Thompson, 
Lots 4, 5 and 6, Block 10, $45; Wilson Thompson, Lots 2, 3 and 6, 
Block 9, $47; Total, 36 lots, at $702.75. 

From the time of making the foregoing report until the following 
September, nineteen additional lots were sold, the purchasers being 
Charles A. Thurman, Jonathan Reed, Lewis Jones, James McMurtiy, 
D. G. Wilks, I. Tucker, A. Brandon, John D. Smith, James Cassler and 



94 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Milton W. Gassier. Henry Eshelman, Jeremiah Eshelman and Allan 
Goings became owners of lots shortly after. 

FIRST COURT HOUSE. 

A two-story hewed-log court house was built in the latter part of 
1845, at a cost of $285.50. It stood on the lot now known as the Wolf prop- 
erty, immediately east of the eastern court yard gate, and remained there 
until it was burned in the year 1857. The loss was immaterial, as no 
record of any importance was destroyed. In the year 1860, the present 
building was completed at a cost of about $12,000, but in the course of 
a few years it will have to give way to a larger and more modern struct- 
ure, for even now the rapidly multiplying records and the constantly 
increasing county business are demanding more room. 

THE EARLY TAVERNS. 

The work of building a town proceeded but slowly. The ground was 
wet and swampy, and the thick forest trees so concealed it from the sun, 
that it was compelled to retain its moisture. But, despite all annoy- 
ances, and the sufferings caused by visitations of chills and fever, the 
work went on, and in 1845 several cabins were built. In this year, 
Daniel Smith erected a double log cabin — that is, two cabins with a shed 
between — where the new frame Martindale Block stands, and there he 
kept the first tavern. It was called the " Canton House." In addition 
to his duties as landlord, he was the first kaepar oE the jail, but served in 
that capacity only a short time. In 1849, he began the erection of the 
building which now stands at the northwest corner of Jefferson and 
Mam streets, but it was not completed when, in September, 1850, he 
traded it to Newton J. Jackson for the two-story frame house across the 
street, at the southwest corner of Jefferson]'and Main streets, which had 
been built by Mr. Jackson in 1845 for the double purpose of a store and 
residence. Mr. Smith here continued the hotel business for many years 
and, as he was generally liked, his house was very popular with persons 
seeking entertainment. Andrew J. Redmond, who afterward became 
Sheriff, started another tavex'n, in 1846, in the two-story log house (since 
weather-boarded and now known as the Morgan property, situated at the 
northwest corner of Main and Madison streets. About 1850 or 1851, 
William H. Nelson became the proprietor of this house, and did a very 
thriving business. In 1850, Thomas Jackson, one of the first County 
Commissioners, erected a neat frame house on the ground occupied by 
the eastern room in the Armstrong & Gleason Block. Here he lived, and 
for a time did a hotel business. He was succeeded by Chris Brower. 
This old house now stands in the rear of the imposing three-story struct- 
ure which replaced it. It 1852, Harrison A. Woodruff opened a hotel 
on the ground where now stands Newcomer & Moore's Opera House. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 95 

PIONEER MERCHANTS, ETC. 

The first merchants to otfer their wares in this community were 
James Gassier, Newton J. Jackson, John S. Ressler and a man named 
"White. Gassier probably entered the field ahead of the others named. 
He did business on the east side of the public square, in a double log 
cabin which stood on the ground now occupied by the residence and 
office of Dr. M. V. B. Newcomer. In September, 1845, " on petition of 
divers freeholders, citizens of GantoQ and vicinity," he was granted by 
the Board of Gounty Gommissioners a license to sell groceries and retail 
spirituous liquors in the town of Ganton, for the term of one year, for 
which he was required to pay the sum of $10. Goon skins and whisky, 
at that time, were staple articles of commerce. IVlr. Gassier, with whom 
his brother, Amasa P. Gassier shortly became associated, continued to 
do a general merchandising business for many years. 

Prior to 1850, Newton J. Jackson had a general stock of goods in the 
building at the corner of Main and Jefterson streets, now owned by Azro 
F. Moore. Mr. Jackson was the first Auditor and Glerk of the county, 
and prominent in all public aftairs. Mr. White kept a store in a log 
house, situated next to the alley and fronting on Jeflferson street, where 
the Armstrong & Gleason Block stands. 

The first carpenters to offer their skill to the people were Gharles and 
Gonde Bishop, who built a shop on East Jefferson street, immediately 
east of the alley, between Independence and East streets. In 1847 or 
1848, William and Elijah Hall added another industry, a tanyard, at the 
northeast corner of Jefferson and Independence streets, on the ground 
now occupied by the Farmers' Hotel. 

MAIL SERVICE. 

John S. Ressler, early in 1845, built a very handsome frame house, 
for that day, at the southeast corner of Gourt and Jefferson streets, and 
on the 22d day of June of that year moved into it, with his family. He 
was a Pennsylvanian by bii'th, and spoke the language of that section. 
Soon after his advent into Ganton, the Government was asked to estab- 
lish a post office in that place. Then the discovery was made that there 
was already a post office bearing that name, in Washington Gounty. It 
would not do to have two offices of the same name in the State, and the 
good people were compelled to re-christen the town, and this they did, 
calling it Tipton, in honor of Gen. John Tipton, for whom the county 
had previously been named. The post office was now established, and 
Mr. Ressler became its first master. While upon this topic, it will be 
appropriate to quote from the Tipton Advance, of March, 1876, pub- 
lished by W. J. Turpen, a journalist of more than a State reputation, 
and a son of Sylvester Turpen. the first Recorder of Tipton Gounty: "He 
(Ressler) had, what was esteemed by his rustic neighbors, a good educa- 



96 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

tion, and the record he left, both as Treasurer and Recorder, shows him 
to have been a good scribe, and not above a prejudice for correct orthog- 
raphy. Being of a very genial disposition, something of a student and 
a man of rigid honesty, he was very popular with the people, and his ad- 
vice was much sought. With the current history of his time, he was 
very familiar. He was in a Sunday school procession that welcomed La 
Fayette to this country upon his second visit. Perhaps a man of mare 
personal popularity than Uncle -John Ressler never lived in Tipton. At 
the earliest time of which we write, the room used for the post office was 
of logs roughly cut from the woods, the cracks tilled with mud and 
chunks. In addition to the post office, he kept for sale dry goods, patent 
medicines and Yankee notions. Haviag learned the tailor's trade, he 
also worked at that during his leisure hours, of which he had a great 
many. After several years, being chosen to a county office, he was suc- 
ceeded by Dr. I. Parker, as Postmaster, but continued to do the work 
and receive the ' honors and emoluments ' of the position. So Uncle 
John Ressler was Postmaster, to all intents and purposes, from the or- 
ganization of the county until after Lincoln was inaugurated President. 
He was succeeded by a man named David Kinsell, a new comer, whoso 
citizenship was of short duration. Kinsell came to Tipton a few days or 
weeks before Fort Sumter was tired upon by the rebels. During the 
night after the news had been received, a fool, visiting at the house of 
Jack Applegate, swung a flag from the tower of the court house, bearing 
the inscription, ' Down with Sumter.' This, naturally, occasioned some 
hot blood, and Kinsell, who was a man upward of tifty years, knocked 
the fellow down. The fellow and Jack Applegate left on the first train. 
What became of the fonner is not known, but Applegate afterward got to 
be a carpet-bag Lieutenant Governor of the State of Alabama. He was 
a scrub lawyer, and kept a hashery. Mr. Kinsell, growing dissatisfied 
with Tipton, resigned the post office, and was succeeded by the present 
incumbent, Mr, Stephen Lowley. During the last years of Uncle John 
Ressler' 8 control of the office, it was kept in the Recorder's office in the 
coui't house. While under the control of David Kinsell, it was kept in 
the room now occupied by Dr. A. M. Vickrey for a bank. Mr. Lowley 
is now the oldest Postmaster in this district." 

But little is needed to complete the foregoing summary of the mail 
8ei*vice in Tipton. Ressler was succeeded by Samuel L. Kinsell, and 
David Kinsell, his father, came in afterward, he being in turn suc- 
ceeded by William Stivers, who had charge of the office until he was 
elected to the Legislature, a period of about one year, when he resigned, 
and Stephen Lowley was commissioned in November, 1864. Mr. Lowley 
still has charge of the office, and, notwithstanding the establishment of 
various other offices in this locality, on the lines of the railroads, he has 
seen it grow so steadily that he now handles fully eight times as much 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 97 

mail matter as he did when he first became Postmaster. Like the first 
incumbent, he also has conducted a tailoring establishment in conjunction 
with his official duties, and between the two he has prospered. 

THE SITUATION IN 184:8-49. 

When Judge John Green came to Tipton in October, 1848, his family 
made the twelfth then living in the town. The heads of these families were 
Newton J, Jackson, Daniel Smith, James Cassler, James Palmer, Andrew 
J. Redmon, John S. Ressler, William F. Brady, Sylvetser Turpen, Dan 
iel B. Redmon, Asa B. Reed, William Buffington and another, whose 
name has been forgotten. Dr. Isaac Parker had lived here prior to that 
time, but had removed to the western part of the county. He subse- 
quently returned, however. Of the persons mentioned above and not 
previously spoken of, William F. Brady was Deputy Clerk of the coun- 
ty under N. J. Jackson, and upon the expiration of the latter's term, 
Brady was elected Clerk without opposition, but died on the day of the 
election. Daniel R. Redmon was a Ju.stice of the Peace, but he and his 
brother, Andrew J., had, upon a petition signed by very many of the 
prominent people of the town and cou.nty, in 1846 been licensed to " re- 
tail groceries and spirituous liquors" for one year, upon the payment of $15 
into the county treasury, and Aza B. Reed was a blacksmith. In addition 
to the persons named, there were at the time of Judge Green's coming, 
several unmarried men who had made their way to this city of remote 
promise to carve out for themselves among a new people homes, and, if 
possible, fortunes, and among them was Amasa P. Cassler. He afterward 
married a daughter of Daniel Smith, became prosecuting Attorney, was 
also engaged in mercantile pursuits, and in 1853 laid out what is 
known as " Cassler's Addition " to the town of Tipton, comprising sixty- 
eight lots. At the beginning of the year 1849, the population all told 
could not have exceeded 100. The town was becoming a fact, but the 
fact was almost lost in the limitless expanse of woods. Its site was 
crowded with log heaps, stumps and brush, and covered in many places 
with hazel and wild vines. Southeast of the court house square was a 
buttonwood swamp; on the north side was a slough which had appar- 
ently set itself up as a rival of the bottomless pit, and some little dis- 
tance west the ground was hidden under a sheet of perennial water. The 
few cabins and more aristocratic frame houses were scattered about with 
such irregularity that they could scai'cely be considered as marking the 
locality of the streets upon which they were supposed to front. The 
roads that led into town were little better than cow paths. The musical 
ear was regaled with the notes of the bass-voiced bull-frog and the im- 
maculate tenor of the mosquito. A deer was slain in the public square 
and children were frightened at night by the howling of wolves in the 
adjacent timber. Communication with neighboring towns was difficult, 



98 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

as roads were only blazed tracks through the woods, and Cicero Creek 
was useless for purposes of navigation. Knowledge of what the uutside 
world was doing was weeks and months old when it reached this then 
lonely and isolated spoi, as news traveled by horse instead of electricity 
and steam. Game of all kinds was plentiful, but wheat and corn had 
barely begun the process of growing. Keal estate was abundant, but 
it promised badly for speculation, and was facetiously referred to else- 
where as being sold by fluid measure. Merchandise was transported in 
wagons and on horseback from La Fayette, Peru and Indianapolis, and 
the produce of the farms was hauled to these places to market. The 
poisonous miasma of the slashes was antidot«d by quinine and whisky, 
only in a degree. But notwithstanding these unfavorable conditions, 
Tipton was the seat of justice of a county firmly established by the laws 
as one of the political divisions of the State, and it was only a question 
of time when it would emerge from the humble concealment and take a 
position of recognized importance. 

During this year, work was begun on the Peru & Indianapolis Rail- 
road and a promise made of its early completion between the points 
named. Newton J. Jackson, Dr. Isaac Parker, Judge John Green and 
others gave every encouragement in their power to the managers of the 
road, for all could easily see that connection by rail with the canal at 
Peru and with the Madison Railroad at the capital of the State would 
be of inestimable service in developing the town and in putting new life 
into it. 

FROM 1850 TO 1855. 

In 1850, some noticeable advancement had been made. The popula- 
tion was now 197. Judge Green had now competition for him in the 
person of Joseph A. Lewis, but Dr. Isaac Parker was the only physician. 
James Recobs and Isaac Houser were added to the blacksmiths. John 
Anderson was the sole cabinet-maker. His shop stood on the north side 
of Jefferson street, near the alley running north and south between Inde- 
pendence 'and ; East streets. William B. Young came in this year and 
worked with Anderson several years before setting up for himself. A 
bakery was kept by Louis Diehl in the house adjoining the Tipton Coun- 
ty Bank building, now owned by Judge Green and used by the firm of 
Green & Waugh for a law office. Fred Bennett, a native of Germany, 
biat later of Pennsylvania, in this year established a sadler shop, and 
this was the first in the town. Martin Prilliman had moved up from 
Schielville, and became the pioneer gunsmith of the town. 

In 1851, the population cotild not have been much in excess of 200, 
but the railroad was coming and was completed to Noblesville during 
the year. George W. Boyer was at this period added to the list of black- 
smiths. 

In the next year, the railroad was built to Tipton, and in 1854, com- 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 99 

pleted to Peru, its northern terminus. Up to this time, notwithstanding 
mud and isolation, the inhabitants of this unassuming county metropolif 
had been happy and contented, and in a measure prosperous, at times 
shaking with the ague and occasionally battling with a fever; but now 
came a real calamity, the cholera, which scourged the town, drove the 
people from their homes and hurried many of them to their graves 
The epidemic began about the 1st of August, 1854, and as soon as its 
dread presence became known, almost every person in a population of 
over 300 who could get away, fled in dismay and terror to the surround- 
mg country, but several of these carried with them the seeds of the ter 
rible disease and died away from their homes. Stock of all kinds was 
left in pens, without food or water, and would certainly have perished 
and thus added to the horrors of the situation, had it not been for the 
thoughtfulness and heroism of Mason Lyons, who went to each pen and 
inclosure and turned horses, cattle, hogs and sheep out to roam at will in 
the unfenced woods. Business of every kind was utterly suspended 
Stores were closed, and hammers were silent. The places which it had 
been the custom of the people to frequent were deserted. Men talked in 
subdued tones and looked each other in the face with anxious eyes A 
solemn stillness, a hush of death, pervaded the verv air, and was only 
broken by the cackling of chickens on the commons or the flutterincr of 
the wings of birds in the trees. The doctors who lived here at that t'ime 
were Isaac Parker, John H. Barker and Absalom M. Vickrey, and thev 
did their duty like men. Among the persons who attended on the sick 
were Peter Bert and Dudley Newman, both of whom are now living in 
the county, Mr. Bert in Tipton and Mr. Newman in Windfall The 
number of patients afflicted with the disease cannot be given accurately 
but there were about twenty deaths. Had not the larger part of the 
population of the town forsaken their homes, and left only empty houses 
to receive the plague, the ravages would have been still more fearful 
But in a month it had completely spent its force and the scattered fami- 
lies returned. No other epidemic has ever occurred in the town but 
diirmg the early years of the rebellion, there were a few sporadic cases 
of small-pox. 

FEOM 1856 TO 1870. 
The completion of the railroad gave an impetus to the growth of the 
town, and m 3856 it was incoi-jDorated for the first time and William 
B Young became Marshal. New and better houses began to be built, 
and business became more and more important as the country settle- 
ments began to thicken and the acreage of cultivated soil increased 4 
newspaper, The Tipton County Democrat, owned by Vickrey & Booker 
was started. Coon skins, as a medium of exchange, gave way to gold and 
81 ver. Wheat was hauled here to market from all the western portion of 
Clinton Coimty. The leading business men of this decade were N J 



100 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Jackson, W. N. & N. P. Evans, A. B. Goodrich, J. E. & Isaac Rumsey, 
Isaac Parker, A. M. Vickrey, William Stivers, Dickson & Price. Thomas 
Mnrphy, John S. Ressler and James Gassier, and still, in 1860, the pop- 
ulation was only about 500. In this year, however, much was done to 
add to the good appearacce of the town. Another newspaper, the Tipton 
County Republican, was started about this time by S. T. Montgomery. 
Dr. A. M. Vickrey bailt his brick residence on the west side of the pub- 
lic square. Joseph A. Lewis and William B. Young also built .brick 
residences. John E. Rumsey and Isaac Rumsey put up the brick busi- 
ness building now owned by David Kemp, and Dr. Vickrey's building, 
in which his banking business is conducted, was also put up in that year. 
Two years later, Vickrey and Stivers erected the brick business house on 
the south side of Jefferson street, between Court and Independence. 

On the breaking-out of the war, many citizens went to the fi'ont as 
detailed elsewhere, and during the anxious period of that terrible strug- 
gle and the stirring years after it closed, new residents came in but 
slowly, street improvements were only thought of, no gravel roads were 
constructed, and so, in 1870, we find Tipton with a population of but 
892, and in no sense overburdened with ornament. But its men were 
orderly, industrious and thoroughly intelligent, its women handsome and 
cultured, and its children were well dressed and attended the public and 
Sunday schools with as much regularity as childi'en will in any commu- 
nity. 

TOWN INCORPORATION. 

The town charter, which had been forfeited many years previously, 
was in 1872 renewed, and an incoporation effected, with the following 
named officers, who were elected on the 26th day of June in that year: Trust- 
ees, George W. Boyer, Absalom M. Vickrey B. M. Blount, Thomas S. Arm- 
strong and C. A. Negley; Clerk, William H. Clark; Assessor, Jesse M. 
Morgan; Treasurer, Robert W. Wright; Marshal, Thomas Paul. From 
that time to the present, the town has progressed with great and grow- 
ing rapidity, notwithstanding the years of financial distress which began 
in 1873, and did not end until toward the close of the decade. 

A NEW JOURNAL. 

In 1872, another newsj)aper, called the Enterprise, and Republican in 
politics, was started by Joel Reece, who came from Grant County for 
that purpose. It suspended in about two years, and in 1877 the pres- 
ent Republican paper, The Advocate, owned and edited by M. W. Per- 
shing, was first published. 

LATE IMPROVEMENTS AND PRESENT CONDITION. 

In 1873, the commodious brick hotel building at the southwest cor- 
ner of the public square was built by John Long. Two years later, the 



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TOWN OF TIPTON. 103 

three-story Armstrong & Gleason Block came into e.istencB, the ton part 
be,ng dmded .nto two halls, which are occupied ^y the I. O .0. f' and 
the A., F. & A M. Lodges. Daring the centennial year, N. R. and E 
A Overman erected the business house which is occupied below by m' 
Bosenthal and above by the Times, and now owned by Joseph Puntenney 
Atth,sper,od theLa Fayette, Muncie & Bloomington Railroad, ITe 
named the Lake Ene & .Vestern, was completed through Tipto;, ery 
™ch to he grafhcafonof all the citizens. Here came, "also, the Barker 
& Shirt building, m which is situated the Tipton County Bank and the 
MiUer & McJunken Block farther east on .Jeffein street. New and hand 
some residences were erected in diiJferent parts of town, and street improve- 
ments began to take active and visible shape. 

In 1880, with returning prosperity, came the Newcomer & Moore Onera 
House, the Main Street Methodist Episcopal Church, the Pickens build- 

isheHld rh?™™ r ,'""^'f ••, ^'■■'^ '° ''^'' Kl«yl»'= Theatre was tin- 
isJaed and the new Gleason building erected 

richest agricultural region in the State of Indiana, and in thrift and in- 
dustry and general progress it rivals the capital of any neic^hborin^ 
county. Its well-improved streets, its tree-lined walks, have reached a 
degx^e of perfection never dreamed of by the early residents, and the 
court house square, with its magnificent shade, is a joy forevei- It has 
a population at this time of considerably more than 2,000 energetic and 
well^employed people. Gravel roads projecting in all directions are be 
ing built, and thus the town will be brought into close communication 
at all seasons of the year with every part of the county. Handsome 
residences, surrounded by neatly-kept grounds, line every street aTd 
others ai. m process of construction. The special features of the town 
follow under appropriate heads. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The first eduational work in the new town began shortly after the 
completion of the old log court house. In it was Lid mosf pibably 
m the winter of 18«-«. the first school, and from the best info mat I 
the writer has been able to obtain, William F. Brady was the first 
teacher. The next was probably Joseph M. Askin. School was n^^ 
held in the c.bm of Jack Eeed, which stood on Main street, about two 
squares north of Jefferson. Until 1832. schools were thus held at Zsl 
ent houses for two or three months in each twelve. Teachers were oaid 
by subscription, and very poorly paid, too, for they were endeavoring to 
lead up the steeps the children of a very poor people, whose supply o1 
ready cash was at a minimum. In the year mentioned, however a new 
frame school building, twenty-four feet wide by si.ty in depth Z 
erected where the Christian Chapel now stands, with "semi-mode^; 7m 



104 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

provements. The seats were made to accommodate squads of five instead 
of a dozen. 

Prominent among the educational men in that day were George 
Kane, Asher B. Goodrich, Newton J. Jackson, Dr. Isaac Parker, Rev. 
John Dale, Charles Rumsey, Marion P. Evans and Joseph W. Wilson. 
The new building was frequently used on Sunday for religious purposes. 
Joseph M. Askin was among the first teachers to occupy the house. Then 
followed John E. Rumsey during the greater part of the period from 
1853 to 1869, assisted by Miss Martha Dale, Miss Hattie Marsh, Miss 
Marion Lindsay, Miss Maggie Kane, Miss Becea Bickel, Miss Aurelia 
Kane, Miss Izora Wilson and others. The terms not taught in this peri • 
od by Mr. Rumsey were under the charge of Albert Barnett, M. V. B. 
Newcomer and a Mr. Lockwood. Here, as elsewhere, there were but 
two methods of securing study, one by the lash or its equivalent, and 
the other by creating a love for study per se. Mr. Rumsey's method was the 
latter, and that probably accounts for his long and continuous service. 
Some teachers would raise a puncheon from the floor and incarcerate an 
idle and refractoiy boy awhile in that improvised dungeon. If that had 
not the desired effect, the punishment wound up with a flogging. But 
as a rule these early teachers were conscientious, intelligent and ener- 
getic an fully the equal of their fellow teachers in the State. They 
were missionaries, working for the good of humanity at from $8 to $30 
per month, one third public money, the other two-thirds to be made up 
by the patrons and about fifty per cent of which was lost. Barnett was 
a queer genius, not particularly choice in his words, nor caring much 
whether he or his pupils wore their hats and bonnets in school hours. 
Yet he was a succcessful teacher and the most original arithmetician in 
the county. Rumsey, upon taking hold of the school in the summer of 
1853, told the patrons that he would take the Bible with him into the 
school room as a daily text book. But the best men were afraid it would 
hinder the progress of the school. They told him, however, to go ahead, 
but that he must do so on his own responsibility. The school laws from 
1850 to 1860 were the merest apologies for laws in some particulars. 
For instance, the statutes made it obligatory to have a County Examiner, 
whose duty it was to grant license to teachers if their grade compre- 
hended a practical knowledge of the six branches, and yet under the same 
statutes the patrons of any school district could elect a rejected appli- 
cant for license to teach in the district. As Tipton increased in popula- 
tion, the necessity for more school room increased correspondingly. So 
in 1867, the erection of the present building on West Jefferson street 
was begun. It was finished sufficiently in 1869 to allow school to begin 
in it that year, and it was subsequently fully completed, the total cost 
being about ; $15,000. John E. Rumsey and Jacob B. Blount headed 
the school in 1869 with competent assistants, and from that time to the 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 105 

present it has been sustained from seven to nine months in each year. 
Among the prominent instructors who have had charge of the schools 
are Professors Jennings, B. M. Blount, J. C. Gregg, Thrasher, Stout, 
A. F. Armstrong and W. H. Clemens. Several classes have graduated 
from the High School Department, the last one being the class of 1883. 
The school building itself is a large two-story brick with slate roof. It 
consists of six rooms besides the library room, which is well supplied 
with a large number of well selected books. As the town is growing 
with so much rapidity, another building will soon become necessary. 

RELIGIOUS. 

Tipton has five church buildings, occupied by as many denomina- 
tions, namely, Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Christian 
and New Light. 

The Presbyterian Church was organized at Normanda, by Rev. John 
Dale, on the 14th day of July, 1850, with the following em-oUment: An- 
drew Evans, Susan Evans, Elizabeth J. Montgomery, Charles Rumsey, 
Sarah Rumsey, Elizabeth Paul and Martha E. Goar. Andrew Evtins 
was ordained Elder. The Normanda Church, by order of the Logans- 
port Presbytery, was dissolved, and out of it and the Amity Church, in 
or near Boxley, Ind., a new church was ordered to be organized at Tip- 
ton, to be named the Tipton Presbyterian Church. Rev. John Dale and 
J. E. Rumsey were appointed a committee to carry out this order, which 
they did September 24, 1854. The leaders of this church had two ob- 
jects; first, to educate the children, and second, to build up the church 
and advance religious work. Thei'e have been a number of revivals in 
this church, the most remarkable being that of the winter of 1874, when 
about seventy new converts were addet^, many of them from the Sabbath 
school of which 'Mr. J. E. Rumsey has been continuously Superintend- 
ent for twenty-six years. This church has three foreign missionaries 
at work, viz., John Brady, who is in Alaska, and Robert Lemington and 
Martha Dale Lemington, who are now, and have been for many years, in 
Brazil, South America. The ministers of this church have been Revs. 
John Dale, B. Laffler, Thomas Whallen, J. W. Monfort, C. M. Howard, 
J. R. Walker, G. Huyser, John S. Craig, S. P. Dillon, William Omel- 
yena, and Thomas A. Steele, the present pastor. The Elders have been 
Andrew Evans, John l^'erguson, J. E. Rumsey, William N. Evans, John 
N. Summerville and I. H. Montgomery. This church is in a very 
flourishing condition. 

For twoscore \ ears there have been Catholics in or around Tipton, 
but until about 1875 there was no movement toward organization. Some 
years before that, the Rt. Rev. Bishop. Luers visited this part of his scat- 
tered diocese, and made an effort to secure property for church purposes. 
Afterward, in the year mentioned, the few lamilies living here put up 



IQQ HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

St John's Church, a small frame building. It looked amply large 
to do for many years. During the great railroad strike of 1877, 
the first resident pastor, Rev F. G. Lentz, arrived, and at once infused 
new life into the apparently listless body. Before the following winter, 
a fine brick pastoral residence had been built, and in the spring of 1878 
an addition was made to the church for the accommodation of the rapid- 
ly increasing congregation. A very short time sufficed to render even 
that too crowded, and in 1881 the church was still further enlarged, and 
the seating capacity doubled. Now, in 1883, the congregation has out- 
gi-own even that accommodation, so that but few years must elapse be- 
fore some greater and more permanent building will be needed. When 
Father Lentz was first stationed in Tipton, there were fifteen families, 
all told, belonging to the congregation. By 1883, nearly ninety families, 
mostly farmers working their own property, have settled around the 
county seat. The success and prosperity of St. John's congregation at 
Tipton has been almost iinprecedented in the annals of church history 
in Indiana, and this is materially due to the indefatigable exertions of 
Father Lentz. A few more years of like success will establish it on a 
basis to compare favorably with older congregations now founded a quar- 
ter of a centmy, if in some respects it does not surpass them. 

The New Light Church is located on South Independence street, the 
buildin- being the one formerly occupied by the Methodists. It has a 
good congrecration and a Sunday school rapidly growing in importance. 
The Rev. George Bozell is the pastor. He is very popular with his 
people and is doing much good service for the church militant. 

The Christian Church was organized July 29, 1855, by H. St. John 
VanDake, evangelist, with the following as charter members: John 
Whisler Caleb Parish, John W. Chambers, Temple Fleet, A. B, Good- 
rich Mary T. Goodrich, Samuel Deal, Ann Deal, Phoebe Nelson, Nancy 
Thomas Betsv Whisler and Lanzel Parish. Of this number, John Whis- 
ler and Samuel Deal were elected Elders; Caleb Parish and John W. 
Chambers, Deacons, the latter also being elected Clerk. No regular 
preacher was employed until October, 1859, when Elder B. M. Blount 
was employed for one year, to preach every alternate Sunday. Up to 
this time the meetings had been held in the schoolhouse, which stood on 
the very ground now occupied by the new brick church of this congre- 
eation But the schoolhouse not being suitably arranged for church 
purposes, a committee was appointed to confer with the Trustees of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, who generously tendered them their house 
every alternate Sunday. On the 24th day of March, 1860, Joseph Van 
Buskirk was chosen Elder, and John W. Chambers and John Young, 
Deacons. From this time until 1864, the pastors of the church were 
Elders B M. Blount and Thomas Bernow, Dr. C. N. Blount and A. J. 
Gaffin were Elders, and John Stanley and Wesley Ayers were Deacons. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 107 

About March, 1864, Elder Knowles Shaw secured here and there 
nearly one hundred additions to the church. The building in which this 
congregation now worships was built and dedicated in 1870, at a cost of 
about $6,000. Elder B. M. Blount, who was instrumental in raising 
the subscription, and who gave his time in overseeing the work, deserves 
great credit. He, W. S. Armstrong, T. J . Smith, G. W. Boyer, R. W. 
Wright and C. N. Blount, made the largest subscription. In addition 
to the Elders mentioned, Charles Brown and George W. Boyer, have held 
that place. Following, the names of the preachers who have occupied the 
pulpit since 1869, are given: Elders Collins, W. S. Winfield, J. E. 
Tayor,. J. B. Blount, L. H. Jamison, H. R. Pritchard, D. R, Van Buskirk, 
B. M. Blount, A. H. Morris, A. F. Armstrong, R. S. Blount and R. A. 
Gilcrist, the present pastor. At this time, J. M. Clark, Dr. G. M. Collins 
and John Harding are Elders; L, T. Bunch, William Daum, Samnel Vaw- 
ter and William B. Young are Deacons, and E. B. Martindale, Clerk. 
The present membership is 150. 

The Methodist Episcopal of Tipton was organized about 1847. 
Preaching, at this early date, occurred in the private residences of the 
members. In 1851, the society undertook to build a house for worship, 
but this woi'k was not completed until 1856. The court house burning 
down in 1857, this church building was used for a court room for three 
years. The congregation prospered and thrived and increased in num- 
bers, until this building became too small; and accordingly, in 1879, 
the society erected a new and commodious brick chui'ch building on North 
Main street. The old house was sold to the New Lights. The society 
has been quite prosperous, and now owns substantial as well as elegant 
buildings for church services and for a residence for the pastor. Their 
property is worth, at the present time, about $8,000, and the church has 
a very large membership. The records of the early history of the church 
are gone. It is impossible to acquire much knowledge of the early time, 
except by conversing with the older members. Only a partial list, there- 
fore, of the pastors who have served this congregation can be given, and 
no pretense is made to do this in chronological order. The founder and 
first pastor of the church was Dr. R. D. Robinson. After him came the 
following: Revs. J. Colclazer, Hoback, Morrison, Richey, Munson, 
Stout, Havens, Bradford, Shackleford, Strite, Martindale, Ervin, Staf- 
ford, Brock, Block, Collins, Pike, Earp, Harrison, McKaig, Sells, Metts, 
and A. S. Wooton, the present pastor, who is now serving his third year 
in this charge, such excellent satisfaction has he given. 

SECRET SOCIETIES. 

Austin Lodge, No. 128, A., F. & A. M. , was organized in the year 
1850. The lodge has a large membership, has been harmonious, and 
has exercised a good influence upon society. It has a pleasant hall in 



108 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

the third story of the Armstrong & Gleason Block. The following is a 
list of present officers: Dr. A. M. Vicki-ey, Worshipful Master; Charles 
Gibbony, Senior Warden; Dan Wangh, Junior Warden; J. P. Thomas, 
Senior Deacon; M. Rosenthal, Junior Deacon; D. M. Kirkwood, Secre- 
tary; H. A. Woodrufl", Treasurer; R. Charles and J. M. Robinson, 
Stewards. 

Tipton Lodge, No. 220, I. O. O. F., was organized in 1857, since 
which time it has prospered and grown, until now it has a large mem- 
bership and has a hall of its own in the Armstrong & Gleason Block. 
Its influence has been beneficial. Following are given the names of the 
present officers: H. C. Finney, Noble Grand; T. E. Tichenor, Vice 
Grand; S. P. Martindale, Permanent Secretary; James Johns, Record- 
ing Secretary; Levi Motes, Treasurer. 

LEADING INDUSTRIES. 

Banks. — Tipton has two banks, both private. Vickrey's is the oldest, 
having been started prior to 1870. It is owned by Dr. A. M. Vickrey, 
and does a sfeneral banking business. It is one of the solid institutions 
of the town. The other bank, known as the Tipton County Bank, was 
opened in 1876. E. H. Shirk is President, and E. H. Shirk, Jr. , Cash- 
ier. It has large capital, does a large and paying business, and is, in 
every sense, a credit to the town and the county. 

Hotels. — Four hotels furnish entertainment for the traveling public. 
The Commercial House, E. C. Waits, proprietor, is situated at the south- 
west corner of the public square. It is a large, roomy, brick structure, 
elegantly furnished. Mr. Waits has been in the hotel business nearly 
all his life, and understands it thoroughly. The City Hotel, on East 
Jefferson street, is under the management of Selsman Meeker. It is a 
three- story frame, and it has been a featui'e of the town for a score of 
years. The Farmers' Hotel, also on East Jefferson street, is owned and 
managed by Harrison A. Woodruff, who first began the business over 
thirty years ago, but who has given most of his time since then to the 
management of a splendid farm west of town. The Indiana House, also 
on East Jefferson street, is managed by S. F. Legg. It was started by 
A. Lay several years ago, who was recently succeeded by the present 
owner. 

Dry Goods. — Pickens & Bros, began business in Tipton in 18G2, and 
have been engaged ever since in the exclusive dry goods business. They 
carry a large stock. M. Rosenthal has been in successful business since 
January, 1874 W^ R. Oglebay & Bro. came to Tipton from Thorntown 
in February, 1881. They carry an extensive stock, as do Haynes, Gri- 
shaw & Shook, who succeeded the Granger Co-operative Store in 
1878. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 109 

Dry Goods and Groceries. — A. Jackson began business in 1870, and 
subsequently admitted H. C. Finney into partnership. 

Groceries and Provisions. — William Barlow succeeded Tui'pen & 
Taylor in 1871. Deal & Means is composed of A. Deal and Charles 
Means. J. A. Gleason will soon move into a new building. The firm of 
Wilson & Harvey is composed of Woodrow W. Wilson and Henry Har- 
vey. A. Reddelberger came to Tipton about two years ago from Brook- 
ville. A. Bennett came to Tipton from Monticello, about the beginning 
of 1883. J. H. Zinn succeeded to the business of W. H. Wallace. 

Drugs. — Henry Mehlig began the business in 1869, and has con- 
ducted it continuously since that time. He is one of the oldest mer- 
chants in the place, there being only two or three who have been longer 
in business in Tipton. Dr. Van Nuys succeeded Grleason, Wilson & Co. 
He has practiced medicine for many years, and is an experienced drug- 
gist J. C. F. Evans has been a resident of Tipton and Tipton County 
all his life. He bought out the di'ug stock of Moore & Co. in January, 
1883. 

Hardware and Agricultural Implements. — M. L. Bowlin has been in 
the business for years, having succeeded his father, C. C. Bowlin, who 
began it in 1864. E. A. Overman is an es.perienced business man. He 
has ^been a resident of Tipton for many years. He succeeded J. P. 
Hutchings. T. S. Armstrong began the hardware business in 1860, and 
is now the oldest merchant in Tipton in one continuous pursuit. 

Boots and Shoes. — Finley M. Hill has been in this business since 
1868, as manufacturer and dealer. L. B. Bradbury became a citizen of 
Tipton in 1879, and opened his present business shoi'tly thereafter. 

Saddlery and Harness. — The principal dealers in these articles are 
S. B. Bradbury and Tichenor & Bros., the [latter firm being composed of 
J. A. and T. E. Tichenor. 

Bakeries and Restaurants. — The most prominent of the persons en- 
gaged in these industries are Martin Kleyla and Henry Saar. 

Merchant Tailoring. — Stephen Lowley began in this business in 
1856, in Tipton. Frank J. Lebo is the only other prominent merchant 
tailor. 

Jewelry. — Granville Grove is the most prominent jeweler. 

Millinery. — The dealers in millinery goods are Mrs. F. Avis, the 
Misses Rothgery, Miss Fisher and IVIrs. P. P. Clark. 

Furniture. — The most prominent dealers in furniture are Young & 
Nance and Collins & McNeal. The former do, also, a general under- 
taking business. 

Music Dealers.— Prominent among the music dealers are J. E. Rum- 
sey and J. A. Wertz. 

Seiving Machines. — A. M. Weed and E. A. Overman are the dealers 
in these necessary domestic articles. 



110 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Photographers. — Henry Hysman and George M. Lebo are the only 
photographers. 

Livery Siables. — There are fonr livery stables and they are operated 
by the following named persons: Bates Bros., J. A. Tichenor, IVIr. Tin- 
dall and E. B. Fippen. 

Blacksmithing. — George Boyer began blacksmithing in Tipton in 
1851, and has continued it to the present. Among the others in this 
business are John Bower, D. C. Jones and Charles & Warner. 

Gtmsmiths. — Martin Prilliman is the only gunsmith. He is a pioneer, 
having lived in the town almost from its organization. 

MILLS AND MANUFACTURES. 

Tipton Flouring Mills. — After the completion of the Peru & Indian-^ 
apolis Railroad through Tipton, William Dickson, James Price and 
others, under the firm name of Dickson, Price & Co. , built and operated 
a flour mill at the intersection of Jefiferson street with the railroad. 
Prior to this time, King & Buffington's mill on Cicero Creek was the only 
one near town. They continued the business until 1862, when they 
were succeeded by Staley, Barlow & Co., who conducted it for several 
years. Isaac Parker & Sons succeeded Staley, Barlow & Co. Subse- 
quently, the mill was in various hands, and among the men who have 
been interested in it may be mentioned Hugh Dickey, John M. Patter- 
son, S. M. Taylor and E. Propst. It is now owned and operated by 
Messrs. Friend & McFall, composed of K. M. Friend and A. C. McFalL 
This mill is of large capacity, and here is handled most of the grain 
marketed in Tipton. 

Planing Mills. — There are two planing mills in Tipton. That of 
William B. Young was established by him prior to 1870, and is still 
owned by him. It is in active operation and requires several hands. 
The other mill is owned by John H. Tyner. It was erected in 1873, since 
which time Mr. Tyner has been connected with it, fiist as part owner and 
now as sole proprietor. These mills, in addition to planing lumber, are 
engaged in manufacturing sash, doors and blinds, and the proprietors 
also deal in dressed lumber. 

Saio Mills. — Among the principal saw mills are those owned by Will- 
iam L. Berryman and M. L. Bowlin. These gentlemen are also extensive 
dealers in lumber. 

Staves. — M. Rosenthal operates probably the largest stave factory in 
the State. It is located near the intersection of the Lake Erie & West- 
em and Wabash Railroads. In it are employed a small army of hands. 
Since its establishment three years ago, 8,000,000 staves have been 
handled. 

Heading and Hubs.- — This industry is owned and conducted by Ty- 
ner, Hasket & Co. , employs a large number of men, and is one of the 
important enterprises of the town. 




■==^' 



,'B^f^^^ 




^^^^^^Z^^^^n^ /^-l^L^^ 




TOWN OF TIPTON. 113 

Carriages and Wagons. — The manufacturers -of these vehicles are 
Boyer & Wafflar, Raphael Charles, John Bower and Fred Avis. 

Tile and Pressed Brick. — Very extensive works for the manufacture 
of these commodities have been erected by the firm of Berryman & 
Qualter, composed of William L. Berryman and Thomas Qualter. 

Monuments. — The only marble Avorks in the town are owned by 
Samuel P. Martindale. 

Brick. — Caleb B. Shank and W. B. Graham supply the town with 
brick. 

Amusements. — Two excellent halls with everything necessary to the 
presentation of the drama grace the town, namely. Newcomer & Moore's 
Opera House, seating capacity, 500, erected in 1880 ; and Kleyla's Theater 
seating capacity, 900, erected in 1882. These halls have large, roomy 
stages, which are provided with magnificent scenery. All their arrange- 
ments are first class in every particular. 

THE PROFESSIONS — SUMMARY, ETC. 

The foregoing exhibit will show to some extent the character of the 
business enterprises of the town, but to it must be added the names of 
A. M. Vickrey, M. V. B. Newcomer, G. M. Collins, M. V. B. Vickrey, 
W. Van Nuys, A, B. Pitzer, A. S. Dickey and F. M. Batman, physicians; 
N. H. Allen and J. M. Grove, dentists; Wright & Long, Martindale & 
Hancock and I. H. Montgomery, real estate dealers; and also the law- 
yers, the insurance agents, the abstracters, loan agents, railroad agents 
and employers, carpenters, contractors, and all other classes of persons 
who go to make up a business community. Two competing railroads 
furnish shippers low rates for transportation, and connect Tipton with 
the neighboring towns and cities, with which it also has connection by 
telephone. 

Within two years, a beautiful new cemetery, Fairview, has been pro- 
vided at a convenient distance. 

'Since the original plat of the town was filed, besides the outlots 
which number about seventy- five, a total of over 500 lots have been 
platted and placed on the market for sale. These are embraced in 
twelve additions, namely, North Addition, South Addition, Cassler's, 
Barlow & Wilson's, Jackson & Rumsey's, Blount's, J. I. Young's, Cox's, 
Kimberlin & Webb's East Addition, Van Buskirk's, Kimberlin & Webb's 
Oak Hill, Condo Bishop's, Mary T. Evans' and Armstrong's. Large num- 
bers of these lots have been sold and built upon. 

Samuel King, who may be considered the founder of the town, is 
now a resident of Sumner County, Kan. He was for many years a 
resident of Iowa. Twice has he made the pilgrimage to Tipton, once in 
1865, and the last time in 1877, when he traveled the entire distance 
from Iowa on hoi-seback, although nearly an octogenarian. The present 



114 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

officers of the town are as follows: Newton W. Cooper, Clerk and 
Treasiirer; Elias G. 'Smitson, Marshal; and Frederick Wafflar, M. L. 
Bowlin, Henry C. Finney, Robert M. Robberson and John M. Langan, 
Trustees. The assessed value of town property for taxation is $300,000, 
but this cannot be taken as a correct estimate of its actual value, which 
must exceed these fisrures. 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 

BY M F. COX. 



One who attempts to collate into anything like a history the important 
events and conditions of development of any portion of Tipton County, 
at once finds himself confronted on the threshold of his investigations 
with a newness which is inimical to speculation, and utterly destructive 
to that tendency to high-wrought imagery and to glowing passages of 
mystery and romance, in which so many writers have in all ages delighted. 
It is doubtless pleasing to the excursive mind to push back into the mil- 
dew and the mold of the semi-unknown and revel in conjecture and 
fancy; and it is no less gratifying to the reader whether he reads for 
instruction or amusement. Mankind delights in the skill which por- 
trays in harmonious colors th^ possibles and the might-have-beens, and 
re-incarnates the crumbling skeleton of antiquity and clothes it in the 
apparel which toilsome research has conceived to be most fitting and 
appropriate. But the task of the present writer is allied to none of 
these. Its merit will depend upon an accurate statement of facts, 
stripped of any attempt at poetic veneering or the charm of sound. 
Many, if not all, of the matters with which he is called upon to deal, 
and which it is his duty to rescue from the shadows which will soon 
deepen into darkness, are within the memory of men still living among 
us, now gray and venerable, but who came in the strength and vigor of 
their youth to subdue forests and to endure the trials and privations in- 
cident to pioneer life. 

Cicero Township, although it contains within its borders the seat of 
the county Government, can boast of nothing erected by civilized man 
which the world would call old. Until 1845, all that portion of it north 
of the Indian reserve line was occupied by the Miami Indians, and was 
their especial territory. But here and there a trespassing white man 
had located a claim, expecting to perfect his title when the red man 
should be removed. This reserve line enters the western boundary of 
the township about four miles north of its southern limits, and, running 
north of east, strikes the eastern boundary about five and one-fourth 
miles north of the southern limit. All that part of the township south 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 115 

of the reserve line was then within Hamilton County, from which it whs 
severed by the act of the Legislature, approved January 15, 1844, 
creating the county of Tipton. All muniments of title, therefore, to 
lands situated in this part were, prior to said date, recorded in Hamilton 
County, but they were afterward transferred to the Recorder's office in 
Tipton. The title of the Miamis was finally extinguished in 1845, and 
they were removed in that year to a reservation provided for them in 
Kansas. 

At the first session of , the Board of County Commissioners held at 
the house of Jesse Brown, located about one mile south of where is now 
the town of Tipton, on the 3d and 4th days of June, 1844, one of the 
first items of business was to divide the texTitory of the county into 
townships. It was accordingly ordered that the township of Cicero 
should be constituted as follows: Beginning at the southeast corner of 
Section 32, Township 21 north, Range 5 east, thence north sis i miles, 
thence west six miles, thence south six miles, thence east to the place of 
beginning. Subsequently, the township was enlarged to its present di- 
mensions, namely, eight miles north and south and eight and one-half 
miles east and west. Ifc contains, therefore, 43, 520 acres. The laud south 
of the reserve line was surveyed chiefly in the spring of 1820, by Will- 
iam B. Laughlin, Deputy United States Surveyor, assisted by Charles 
H. Test. Mr. Test afterward held several judicial positions. He is 
still living, at a very advanced age, making his home most of the time 
in Indianapolis. The writer has heard Judge Test speak of this survey 
and of the incidents connected with it. The land north of the reserve 
line was not surveyed until the winter of 1842-43. 

It would seem that in the economy of nature this spot which for 
governmental convenience has been made and named a township, was de- 
signed almost solely for agricultural purposes. But, like the precious 
metals which are concealed in the bosom of the earth, or the pearls of 
the sea, which are hidden in the deep, it had to be reclaimed by a hard 
and persistent battle with obstacles not only irritating but stupendous. 
No soil is deeper, nor could it well be richer, not even by the application 
of the best known methods of artificial stimulation than is this just as, it 
came from the crucible of the divine and eternal alchemist. That it 
might be prized more truly, heaven had decreed that, like the Tartar maid, 
it should yield only to the most daring and persevering of those who 
desired to possess it. It was necessary to separate it from the dross of 
superfluous water and timber. The water was valueless for commercial 
purposes, but the timber, tangled, luxurious and gigantic, was not by 
any means devoid of usefulness. For uncounted centuries its leaves had 
fallen each autumn with 'a pi'ofuseness and prodigality rivaling Vallam- 
brosa, unconsciously enriching the ground beneath for the future sons of 
Jacob, who having gr^wn aweary in the discouraging eftbrt to raise corn 



116 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

among the stones, and hard clay of Canaan, were to find this their more 
than Egypt. Magnificent oak and walnut trees, with beech and ash scat- 
tered among them, thickly covered the soil. Of this timber, the most 
valuable has long since disappeared, some of it into fencing, some of it 
into honses and barns, some of it into firewood, and very much of it in 
the early days 'before its value was fully realized and before a market 
was easy of access, vanished in the flame and smoke of the clearings. 
That which escaped primal destruction at the hands of the settlers, has 
been since greatly reduced in quantity, owners in some cases paying for 
their lands from the proceeds of the sale of the timber, and still finding 
in their possession a handsome surplus "with which to meet needed im- 
provements. But it is proper to state that a great deal of valuable tim- 
ber remains, as each farmer has always been careful to leave sufficient 
standing upon his land for farm purposes. 

DRAINAGE. 

The topography of this township in common with the whole county 
for many years was not properly understood. It was believed by no in- 
considerable number of people who prospected through here that the sur. 
face of the land was low and excessively flat, and that it was not 
susceptible of successful drainage. So sincere was this belief and so 
common was the error that it in a great measure accounts for the tardy 
and hesitating settlement. But the mistake was remedied as soon as it was 
known that there was a clear, well-defined elevation in the township which 
afiorded an excellent water-shed and sufficient fall for all necessary drain- 
age. The altitude at Tipton above tho sea is over 900 feet. Three miles 
north it is several feet higher. Large open drains have been contsructed 
in every part of the township, almost sufficient to afford every farmer an 
outlet for tile draining. 

It would be impossible to jgive anything like an accurate statement, 
in miles, of the open ditches, as many have been cut by the mutual con- 
sent of neighboring owners, of which there is no record, while those 
which have been petitioned for, and ordered constructed by the proper 
authority, are scattered throughout the official records of many years. If 
definite statistics could be given, it would, probably, serve no material 
purpose, except (if we can regard this as material) to create amazement 
in the minds of persons unacquainted with the necessity. An approzi- 
raate statement can be made, however, of the amount of tile draining 
which has been done. Ninety thousand rods is probably not too large 
an estimate. Not only has this increased the quantity of tillable soil, 
but has likewise improved the public health. Since this vast drainage, 
this monument to the thrift and enterprise of man, the books of physi- 
cians will show a decrease of from one-half to two-thirds in the number 
of cases of miasmatic disease. The ague, that torment of the early set- 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 117 

tiers, has almost disappeared; it is shorn of its terrors. So with other 
disorders which are traceable to miasmatic influence. 

The laws of the State for the reclaiming of wet lands have been of 
various degrees of m«rit. Formerly, all petitions for drainage had to 
be directed to the Board of County Commissioners, who ordered the 
work. Individiials could also form themselves into an association or cor- 
poration for ditching purposes, and at least one such, " The Union Drain- 
ing Association," operated in Cicero Township. Such associations 
were, however, not subject to all the immunities of corporations gener 
ally, for it was provided that the members should be personally liable for 
all claims for manual labor performed. The Legislature of 1881 
enacted a law giving the Circuit Courts jurisdiction of drainage matters, 
and providing for the appointment of two Commissioners, who, with the 
County Surveyor, should view all lands affected by the proposed work 
and make their report, of benefits and damages, to the court. If the 
report were favorable, and no successful remonstrance intervened, one 
of the Commissioners was ordered to take charge of the work and super- 
intend its construction. Under this law, which has been in operation 
only two years, many miles of excellent ditch have been cut in the town- 
ship. Remonstrances have not been frequent, only being interposed 
where the objectors believed their grievances were manifest and unmis- 
takable. This right could not be denied them, nor could it well give 
offense to the most ardent friends of public improvement. 

FIRST SETTLEMENT. 

The first permanent white settlements were made south of the reserve 
line before spoken of. All that portion, being a 'part of Hamilton 
County, was open to entry at the land ofiices at the Government prices, 
but the books show no entry prior to 1834, and, indeed, there were but 
two in that year, one by Absalom Sumner and the other by Philip W. 
Sparger. All of the remainder of this portion of the township was en- 
tered during the years 1835, 1836, 1837 and 1838. Some of it was taken 
by speculators, the late Stoughton A. Fletcher and Nicholas McCarty, of 
Indianapolis, being of the number. Actual settlements began to be 
made during the years mentioned upon these lands, which constitute the 
" Old Purchase." It cannot be said, with accuracy, who the fii-st bona 
fide settler was. Whoever he was, when he planted his cabin in the un- 
thinned wilderness he was still within Hamilton County, and was re- 
garded by his fellow-pioneers as only a little more venturesome than 
they. If the county line had then been established, as it is now, the 
circumstance might have been noted with some particularity, but as it 
was, it was suffered to drop from the memories of those who knew, if, 
indeed, they ever charged their minds with it. Charles Freel, a hunter 
and Irapper, came at a very early day, and made his headquarters in 



118 HISTOllV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

the eastern part of the township. Not veiy much is known of him, as 
he left when the settlement began to thicken. 

Isaac J. Parker came from Wayne County, Ind. , in 1837, and settled 
Qn the land one mile east of the present town of Tipton, where he lived 
until he died in 1866. Mr. Parker was a native of New Jersey. For 
some time after his settlement here, his nearest trading place was at 
Strawtown, in Hamilton County, a distance ot more than twelve miles. 
Joab E. Parker, a brother of Isaac J., came about the same time, and en- 
tered land further south, where he lived until his death in 1859. 
Thomas Corbin settled in the east part of the township, probably as early 
as 1836, and at this time had no neighbor nearer than four or five miles. 
James Goodpasture and Allan Goodpasture came about the year 1836, 
and continued to reside here until their deaths. 

Joseph Shank entered land in 1836, and came here about that time. 
His widow, Marinda Shank, and his son, Caleb B. Shank, still live and 
reside in Tipton, where they own excellent property. James Egler came 
later, and settled in the western part of the township. He died in 1882. 
His widow is still living, making her home in Tipton, where she has a 
handsome cottage. 

William Bishop purchased land of the United States in 1835, on which 
he settled on a year or two afterward. This was in the southern part of 
the township, in the immediate neighborhood where now stands the 
"Bishop Schoolhouse. " He is now dead, bTit, his widow is living. 
Daniel Smith also settled in the southern part of the township, as early 
as 1835 or 1836. He subsequently removed to Tipton, and further men- 
tion will be made of him and his wife in the history of that town. 

John Whisler and his brother, Jacob Whisler, located about two 
lailes and one-half east of Tipton some time prior to 1840. Jacob was 
first Treasurer of the county, and also the first of the brothers to leave 
the county, going into Hamilton, where he still lives. John Whisler 
continued to reside in the county until the spring of 1883, at which time 
he removed, with a portion of his family, to Kansas. William Deal was 
also one of the early pioneers, coming, probably, as early as 1837 or 
1838. He is dead. John Emehiser came in 1838 or 1839, and settled 
south of Tipton. He was a thrifty German, a native of Pennsylvania, 
but came here from Wayne County, Ind. He has had two sons, still liv- 
ing in this township, Kenyon and John. 

William Dickson located in this township in 1837 or 1838. He 
afterward became a citizen of Tipton, and more will be said of him in 
that connection. Anson King settled on land west of Tipton prior to 
1840. Samuel King entered land in this township as early as 1835, and 
at one time owned over one thousand acres, including the site of the 
county seat, but he was never a resident of the county. John Forkner 
settled south of Tipton, on land now owned by his son, Matthew Fork- 
ner, about 1839. 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 119" 

Dr. Silas Blount moved from Ohio, and located where he now lives, 
just north of the Hamilton County line, in 1841. The village of West 
Kinderhook was subsequently established there by him, and the post 
office of that name is still continued. Dr. Blount was one of the first 
physicians to practice in Tipton County and the territory now compos- 
ing it. He was also one of the first Associate Judges. For foi'ty years 
he gave his services to this people for nominal compensation, riding over 
almost impassable roads. He and his good wife are still hale and hearty, 
and will, likely, live many years to recount the trials and experiences 
of the early days. 

Jackson Reed came, also, at an early day, and settled in the eastern 
part of the township. It is probable the first religious services held by 
the Methodist denomination were conducted at his house. Harvey 
Goodykoontz was one of the first pioneers. He located in the southern 
part of the township, close to where the Peru & Indianapolis Railroad 
was afterward built. He held the positions of Justice of the Peace and 
Assessor, having been the second Assessor of the township. He died in 
1882. John S. Ressler, Newton J. Jackson, Martin Prilliman, William 
Buffington, Jesse Brown, William F. Brady, William H. Nelson and 
others, who lived in or near the town of Tipton and took an active inter - 
est in its organization and growth, are spoken of in the chapter on that 
town. 

In addition to the foregoing, the following may be given as the 
names of early settlers of Cicero Township, some of whom, also, were 
citizens of Tipton. The list may not be entirely correct, there may be 
omissions, but the writer has done the best he could in the time at his 
disposal to make it as complete as possible. Time works many changes; 
it not only fills the hair with the frost which no sunshine can melt, but 
it clouds and impairs memory as well. On account of this fact, proper 
allowance must be made for any errors which may creep into a compila- 
tion of this character. The names follow: John Beck, George Smith, 
Joshua Eliason, Thompson Innis, Andrew Tucker, Peter Hyde, Joseph 
W. Jackson, William Donaldson, Benjamin Clifford, Daniel Haskett, 
John Ciiflford, William Buffington, Isaac Clififord, John Moone} , John 
Kidwell, Joseph Pfeiffer, John T. Basey, Minor L. Thomas, James 
Basey, Joseph VanBuskirk, John C. Williams, David Webbard, Alexan- 
der Smith, Lewis Jones, William Johnston, James Copley, George 
Bowser, Brighton Bailey, Thomas G. Carson, Samuel Downhour, John 
B. Carson, William Williams, Louis Beck, Richai'd Hall, John Landig, 
Thomas Jackson, John Craighead, George Osier, Sr., George Rhodes, 
David King, Joseph Morgan, Michael Short, James Maiden, Minor 
Malory, Piatt Maiden, John Failey, James Fielding, Caleb Parish, 
Martin Kleyla, James Ragsdale (colored), David Lilly, Joseph Sumner, 
George Johnson, William Conoway, March Tucker, Sr., Samuel Paul, 



120 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

George Tucker, Squire Tucker, James Tichenor, Martin Smith, Timc^thy 
Tichenor, Simeon Yelton, Robert Barton, John McNeal, John Murphy, 
Frederick Smelser, Dr. Aaron H. Hensley, Alexander Pennock, William 
Bracken, Harrison A. Woodruff, George Kane, John Alexander, Conde 
Bishop, Milton W. Shafer, Jam«s King, Andrew J. McClanahan, Henry 
Kinder, William Ferguson, Jonathan Reed, Justice Meyers, Henry Shoe- 
maker, Charles Meyers, John McCarty, Wilson Crow, James Walker, 
Gurey Smith, Robert E. Davidson, James Daly, Andrew J. Kedmon, 
David Robinson, Arthui' Davis, Seth Buffington, William Buffington, 
Robert Davis, Joseph Goar, George Cloud, John Lynam, William B. 
Young, Fleming Eliston, James McElhaney, William Gregory, John W. 
Chambers, William Welshous, William Stivers, Daniel Welshous, An- 
drew Evans, Reuben Childers, Daniel B. Redmon, Henry Goar, David J. 
Caldwell, Matt F. Goar, James Palmer, John Simmons, George Kelly, 
James McMurtry, George Motes, Jacob Miller, Henry Shirey, Samuel 
Miller, Solomon Hedrick, William McNeal, Milton Mozingo. George 
McNeal, James Sparks, Joseph Nelson, Jefferson Cook, Henry Shafer, 
Robert Stewart, Allan Hopkins, Aaron Steelman, William Innis, Elias R, 
Conner, David G. Wilks. 

It must be remembered that many of the names given above are of 
persons who settled north of the Miami reserve line, and that these lands 
were not open to purchasers prior to 1848, although there were " squat- 
ter " settlers prior to that time several years; hence, the period of their 
occupancy dates from that time, or about thirty-five to forty-five years ago. 
While this is not a long time, it is, nevertheless, sufficient, in a new 
countiy, to make old settlers of comparatively young men, paradoxical 
as it may seem. Taking the township as a whole, its first settlements 
were made by a strong and vigorous class of men, most of whom came 
from older settled parts of Indiana, many from Ohio and Kentucky, and 
a few from other States. By far the larger portion of the land was pur- 
chased from the United States. A few tracts in the northeast corner of 
the township, which had been patented to the State of Indiana as 
swamp land, were bought of the State. It is not to be supposed that 
the persons who came here expected an easy task in subjugating swamp 
and wilderness, but it is doubtful if they had in their minds even a 
shadow of a shade of the colossal undertaking before them. The fact 
that they remained, and persevered in their labor to redeem the soil from 
the chaos of thicket and morass, should be an everlasting honor to their 
names, and should link them inseparably with great deeds well wrought. 
It is a greater thing to make a home than to win a battle or conquer a 
province. 

EARLY HABITATIONS. 

The houses in which the first pioneers made their homes were of a 
similar kind to all first habitations erected in a wooded country. Most 





'fOX^ 




CICERO TOWNSHIP. 123 

of them were rude structures of unhewn logs, covered with clapboards 
rived from some convenient oak, and containing but one room. They 
were daubed with a kind of mortar made of clay mud, which might, for 
aught that was known or cared, have contained, among its other ingredients, 
the ashes of some forest chieftain or pre-historic king. For even 

" Imperial Ciesar, dead aud turned to clay. 
Might stop a hole, to keep the wind away." 

At one side of the room, a very large fireplace was erected, from 
which rose a stick and mortar chimney. The unthinned wilderness 
supplied an abundance of fuel, and in that day, with such splendid 
facilities for destruction, quantity was an object of little importance. The 
family food was cooked at the open fire. The furniture for the interior 
was simple and inexpensive, and provided without much difficulty. 
There was no neighborhood rivalry in the matter of ornamentation or ex- 
travagant display. In the absence of a more convenient and sightly 
bedstead, one was frequently arranged by inserting the ends of two 
small poles between the logs, at a proper distance apart, while the ends 
within the room were laid upon forked sticks driven into the ground 
through holes made in the puncheon floor. Upon these was laid the 
foundation for the bed proper. In many instances, the furniture for 
the entire house was of this cheap and primitive character. If a light 
were needed at night, it was supplied by a "tallow dip," or by burning 
shell-bark hickory. Notwithstanding the crudeness and unalloyed sim- 
plicity of all these arrangements, notwithstanding the extreme toil and 
hardship of every-day life, here was to be found home and happiness and 
personal liberty. No prince could have greater aflfection for his palace, 
nor lord for his castle, than these dauntless people cherished for their 
cabins. 

EOADS. 

Of the roads existing at that early period, very little can be said, 
because there were few, if, perchance, there were any, which truth will 
permit to be dignified by the application of so respectable a title. It is 
true that at the September term, 1844, of the Board of County Commis- 
sioners (which was the second session after the organization of the 
county), the township was divided north and south into three road dis- 
tricts, each two miles wide, yet it was impossible that much could then 
be done in the way of this class of improvement. Highways were peti- 
tioned for, granted by the County Board aud laid out and worked at 
periods, but the labor put upon them was, in the nature of things, pro- 
ductive of only temporary benefit. During the wet seasons of the year, 
they were impassable for any kind of conveyance or vehicle except the 
homely and useful class called, in the matter-of-fact language of the 
time, mudboats. No plank roads were ever laid within this township. 



124 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Corduroys were built in very bad places, and traces of them may yet be 
seen. The first Supervisors of Eoads in this township were David G. 
Wilks, Jesse Brown and Allan Goodpasture, 



Such conveniences as modern bridges were, of course, wholly un- 
known. Within Cicero Township there was no stream of water of any 
importance except the one bearing the same name; and it, save during 
flood periods, was in most places easily fordable. If a bridge over any 
stream were found necessary, one was quickly constructed by throwing 
from bank to bank the trunks of two trees, parallel with each other, 
upon which were laid slabs, flat side down, split from other trees, thus 
providing a safe and substantial passage until carried away, which was 
frequently the case, by some extraordinary freshet. 

THE HUNTING OF GAME, 

Game abounded in quantity, and in quality it probably could not 
be excelled. Deer, wild turkeys and squirrels were almost as common to 
the first settlers as the water they waded or the leaves which murmured 
above them. Black bears were plentiful in the country skirting Cicero 
Creek, while gray wolves, catamounts and wild hogs numerously roamed 
the forests. Settlers never thought of putting up meat in the fall for 
use, as the farmers do now; for if they wanted it, they went to the woods 
and easily procured any quantity desired. The contumacious and nim- 
ble-footed raccoon existed in sucli numbers that its pelt almost acquired 
sufficient dignity to be used and circulated as a medium of exchange. 
This may seem to the grave and sedate reader an attempt at facetious- 
ness, but such it is not. It was several years from the time of the first 
settlement before any market for hogs or grain was accessible, and dur- 
ing this period the necessities of the home, which the woods and fields 
did not yield, were obtained in exchange for the skins of coons, deer and 
wolves. The methods of capturing these animals were proportioned ac- 
cording to their cunning. Coons were hunted with dogs trained for the 
purpose, which frequently caught them on the ground. If they took re- 
fuge in trees, they* were either shot from the limbs or the trees were 
felled and the dogs did the rest of the work. Wolves were captured in 
pens or in steel wolf-traps. It was a difficult thing to shoot them. 
Indeed, an old resident asserts that an inexperienced huntsman would 
find it almost impossible to kill one of them in this manner. 

Deer hunting was a favorite occupation, combining as it did both in- 
dustry and amusement. Along the creeks, fire-hunting was the most 
usual and successful method. After nightfall, the hunters would get 
into their boat and proceed to the most frequented resorts of the deer. 
In the prow of the boat was arranged the light, in the following man- 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 125 

ner: Two boards, of proper length, were nailed together, so as to form 
a right angle, the inner surface of each having been previously burned 
and charred until perfectly black. These were then fastened to the boat, 
and the light secured to the horizontal board. This, shining both upon 
it and the charred surface of the upright piece, would cast the entire 
boat and its occupants into profound shadow. The deer, coming to the 
water to drink, would see the light and nothing else. Their curiosity 
being aroused, they would walk close up to the object of their wonder, 
and thus fall an easy prey to the bullets of their concealed slayers. A 
single boat would, in this way, frequently be loaded with six or eight 
deer as the result of one night's sport. Bears were tracked down with 
dogs and shot. It was a cunning trap indeed into which bruin would 
obtrude any portion of his shaggy anatomy. 

AMUSEMENTS. 

Every person has need of amusement and recreation; the desire for 
such is inherent in man. In this day, in the cities and populous tjwns, 
there are theaters and plays, concerts, dancing and masquerades; and, 
in the way of field sports, horse-racing and base- ball. Of these amuse- 
ments, the early pioneers of whom we write knew little or nothing. 
Dancing was indulged in at intervals, to the music of a single violin. 
Foot races were the substitute for the running, trotting and pacing races 
which their children and grandchildren now witness with delight and 
enthusiasm at the county fairs. If any settler had more turkeys or 
chickens than he needed for domestic purposes, he would give out a 
"shooting match," which all his neighbors would attend. Each partici- 
pant would pay so much for one or more shots, and the best marksman 
would carry home the spoils. At these matches much friendly rivalry 
was shown, for in those days a man's gun was his pride, and his skill 
in using it in tournaments of this kind had not a little to do in deter- 
mining his standing among his neighbors. 

In addition to these sports, there was a species of pastime (if such it 
may be called) which was practical in its results. Log rollino- and 
house and barn raising would, no doubt, how be considered very severe 
and arduous labor, and such it in reality was, even to our strono- and 
hardy fathers; but under the stimulating effect of good cider and j)!!!'^' 
whisky, with the assurance of an excellent dinner, the labor was trans- 
formed into a pleasure, the hardship into an accommodation. This ref- 
erence to what is termed ardent spirits, in this day, is meant in no sense 
as anything discreditable to those who used alcoholic stimulants. It was 
one of the unbroken customs of the times. Liquors were regarded as any 
other cheer, and wore partaken of with equal temperance. Seldom, in- 
deed, were they taken in sufiicient quantities to cause inebriation and 
drunkenness. During the harvest season, a jug of whisky was in every 



126 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

field, and it was considered as almost as indispensable as the cradle, 
sickle and scythe. And who will say they were wrong, and, in a spasm 
of assumed virtue, write of them in rebuke ? In judging men by the 
lives they have lived, an intelligent and just opinion can only be formed 
by taking into account the surrounding circumstances and conditions 
from which those lives would, almost necessarily, take their direction. 
Measuring the pioneers of Cicero Township by this standard, they are 
found abreast of the best classes of men, who have turned the somber 
silence of dense woods into fair and fruitful fields, rife with industry, 
and made prairie wastes smile and blossom as a garden of the Lord. 
Their only intemperance consisted inexcesssivetoil, their only dissipation 
in sleepless nights spent in watching the fires in the clearings or in hunt- 
ing the deer and raccoon. 

A FIGHT WITH WOLVES. 

The Cicero boys and girls of to-day have, doubtless, read many nar- 
ratives, some of them fact and some of them fiction, in which desperate 
encounters with wolves were graphically depicted, without knowing that 
within an easy walk of their own quiet and cultured homes an actual bat- 
tle with these scourges of the forest once took place, and that the son of 
the principal actor therein now resides among them; yet such is the 
fact. Minor L. Thomas came to Tipton County in 1838, and in that 
year located in this township, about one mile west of the spot upon which 
the town of Tipton was subsequently built. He erected a log house, 
after the custom of the times, and cleared a patch of ground around it 
for planting. Game was so plentiful that it was no trouble for him to 
supply the family larder with the choicest of vonsion and the most palat- 
able of turkey and pheasant, for his fame as an expert hunter and an 
unerring shot filled all the surrounding settlements. At all the shooting 
matches his chances were considered best, for when he glanced along the 
barrel of " Dirty Camp"- -for such his rifle was named — the bullet sped 
straight and true to the mark, whether it was the " bull's eye " or the 
breast of a deer. Near where Mr. Thomas lived there was a pond, to 
which the deer were in the habit of coming at early dawn to slake their 
matin thirst, and to that place he went one morning, just as the day was 
breaking, thinking to replenish his stock of meat. Concealing himself 
in the bushes, he awaited their appearance. Minute after minute passed, 
but no deer came A noise some distance away attracted the hunter's 
attention, and he looked in that direction, only to see a gray wolf skulk- 
ing through the thicket which fringed the water's edge. At the time he 
gave it no thought, as he had brought no ammunition with him except 
the load in the rifle, and did not care to waste that upon so worthless 
an object. He continued waiting, but the passing time brought no deer, 
while the wolf was still prowling within tempting reach of his bullet. 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 127 

Finally, growing impatient, as the first beams of light began to chase the 
lazy shadows away, and thinking to leave, he lifted his gun and tired so 
carelessly that he only wounded the wolf, which raised a howl of pain 
and distress. The cry was almost on the instant answered by its com- 
panions, who came fiercely dashing to the scene to ascertain the cause of 
the trouble. Mr. Thomas had no doubt they would attack him, and his 
situation was desperate. His gun was empty, and he had no time to re- 
load, if even he had had powder and ball, and these things he did not 
have. But he was not given time to think of expedients, for he could 
barely do more than take the barrel of the rifle in his hands until the as- 
sault was made. The entire pack of wolves, numbering, probably, a 
dozen, rushed toward him, showing their vicious teeth and snarling and 
snapping ferociously. When the foremost one came within reach, he 
crushed its pkull with the stock of the gun, and then springing back- 
ward, fighting as he went, he succeeded in reaching the trunk of a tree 
that he had previously' noticed, which, in its fall, had broken off four or 
five feet from the ground, the upper end still resting upon the stump. 
All the wolves were now upon him. He beat them back, and again they 
came, filling the morning silence with frightfu.1 growls and yelps of 
agony and rage as the heavy gun fell with terrible and relentless force 
upon their heads and bodies. Again and again they renewed the attack. 
and were as often beaten ofl', Thomas, in the meantime, calling loudly 
for his dogs, which he had left at the house, hoping they would hear 
and come to his assistance. The minutes passed like hours, and the ex- 
ertion was tremendous, but the dauntless courage of the pioneer never 
failed him. His gun was reduced to the barrel, with only a few splin- 
tered fragments of the stock still clinging to it. The wolves showed no 
inclination to retreat, but, maddened and furious, they kept up the battle 
with the malicious persistence of devils. He had disabled some and 
wounded and battered others, until their teeth were covered with bloody 
froth, but he could n(jt continue the unequal contest forever. The brave 
man's peril was momentarily becoming greater, when, to his great joy 
and relief, his dogs bounded upon the scene, and at once engaged the 
savage brutes in conflict. Their attention being thus diverted from him- 
self, Thomas ran to his house, exhausted, torn and bleeding, carrying 
with him the remnant of his lifle, " Dirty Camp," which was preserved 
for many years after this memorable struggle. For a long time it was 
in the possession of Martin Prilliman, of Tipton, where it was looked 
upon as a rare curiosity and handled with reverence. Mr. Thomas con- 
tinued to be a resident of the county, and afterward owned its first 
threshing machine. It was an old-fashioned " traveler." At the break- 
ing-out of the war, he became a soldier; was with Grant before Yicks- 
burg, and in that siege he contracted a disease from which he died 
shortly after, while at home, in Windfall, on furlough. His son, Henry 
H. Thomas, the well-known stock-dealer, is now a resident of Tipton. 



128 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



FIRST INDUSTRIES. 



The first mill put in operation in what is now Cicero Township was 
due to the enterprise and thrift of Samuel King. Water was the motive- 
power, and sawing lumber the principal occupation, although the mill 
was supplied with a, small corn bnhr, capable of grinding ten or twelve 
bushels of corn in a day. This mill was, as may well be supposed, an 
unpretentious structu'-e. It stood on Cicero Creek, about two and one- 
half miles southeast of the site of the county seat, on land then owned 
by Mr. King, but which, in this day, is known as the Mallory farm. 
There was not, at that time, a single completed line of railroad in the 
State of Indiana, as the " Old Madison road," which was chartered 
in 1831, and taken in charge by the State in 1836, under the " Internal 
Improvement System," was not completed to Indianapolis imtil the 1st 
of October. 1847. 

The next mill was built in the year 1848, by Samuel King and Will- 
iam Buffington. Yt was a much more important concern than the one 
above spoken of. It was located on the north side of Cicero Creek, just 
immediately west of the point where the Peru & Indianapolis Railroad 
crossed the stream foui' years later. This mill was constructed both to 
saw timber and to grind wheat and corn. It was oj^erated by steam, the 
boiler and machinery having been hauled by wagon from Indianapolis, 
a distance, as the roads then ran, of fifty miles. Some of the timbers of 
this mill may yet be seen. About 1851, George Kane and Newton J. 
Jackson erected a steam saw mill in the reserve, at the place now known 
as Jackson Station. Upon the completion of the railroad to Peru, in 
1854, thus forming a connection with the Wabash & Erie Canal, some- 
thing more than the hesitating and uncertain local trade was opened up 
to this mill and the other mills on the line of the road. In the year 
1854, or near that time, Thompson Innis built a steam sawmill four 
miles west of Tipton, at the place since known, interchangeably, as 
Parker's Corner or Parker's Mill, which was operated by different per- 
sons until very recently. 

As early, probably, as 1850, Brighton Bailey, who lived two and one- 
half miles north of Tipton, on a portion of the land now owned by 
Geoi'ge F. Maxwell, had a horse-mill for grinding corn. Every neighbor 
who wanted to use this mill, put his own horse to the lever and ground 
out his grist. This was the custom, and it was invariably followed, ex- 
cept in cases where the customer had no horse. We of this generation 
may think this method of supplying meal for corn-pone inconvenient and 
unsatisfactory, but it was one of the necessities of the time, and as such 
it was recognized by the settlers as a blessing. At any rate, it was far 
superior to the mortar and pestle with which the dark-eyed Mexican 
housewife to this day crushes the corn for breakfast tortillas. 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 129 

EARLY ELECTIONS AND OFFICERS. 

As there was, at the time of the oi'ganization of the township, no 
public biiildino^ of any kind, elections were first ordered by the Board of 
County Commissioners, at its first session, to be temporarily held at the 
house of Jesse Brown, which seems to have been the most convenient, 
and probably it was the most commodious, then existing in anything like 
a central location. At the same session, the township was allowed two 
Justices of the Peace, certainly a sufficient number at that time, to ad- 
minister the law and perform the marriage ceremonies for the widely- 
scattered inhabitants. In August, 1844, Jesse Brown was elected the 
first Justice of the Peace, and commissioned for five years from the 20th 
day of that month. In September of the same year, Elias R. Conner re- 
ceived the appointment as Constable, and he was the first for the town- 
ship. He made a return of '^the Presidential election in that year, and 
was allowed 37 J cents for the work. The first assessment list ever pre- 
sented to the Board of Commissioners was rerjeived by them at their June 
session, 1844. It had been prepared by Jesse Brown, acting under ap- 
pointment by Nathan C. Bales, Assessor of Hamilton County, He was 
allowed $18,75 for twelve and one- half days employed in assessing all 
the taxable land and personal property in the county. 

At the June term, 1845, of the County Board, the Congressional town- 
ships were authorized to elect Trustees. The electors of Congressional 
Township 21 north, Range 4 east, were directed to meet at the town of 
Canton (now Tipton), which had been established the previous year, on 
the last Saturday in August, 1845, for the purpose of electing three 
Trustees for the township, for school purposes. Daniel Smith was ap- 
pointed Inspector of this election, but any further report of it is not 
found. In September of this year, all elections in Cicero Township were 
ordered to be held at the town of Canton. 

Jesse Brown appears to have been in general demand in the public 
service, for, notwithstanding his election to the judicial office of Justice 
of the Peace, in 1844, we find him acting as Township Assessor from 
March, 1846, to March, 1847, being then succeeded in this duty by 
Harvey Goodykoontz, who performed it for several years and then gave 
way to George Cloud. Daniel B. Redmon was the second Justice of the 
Peace, having been commissioned from 1845 to 1850. 

STATEMENT OF TAXATION, VALUES OF LANDS, ETC. 

For the year 1844, the tax levy was 25 cents on each $100 in value of 
property, and 50 cents on each poll. The delinquent tax for that year 
was returned as being $210.15; of this amount $58.25 was State tax, 
$70.12 county tax, $78.80 road tax, $2.19 lunatic asylum tax, and 
40 cents deaf and dumb asylum tax. The following year, the 
total amount of unpaid tax was $139.76. For the year 1846, it 



130 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

had advanced immaterially. These figures refer, of course, to the 
township of Cicoro, as do also those which follow, showing, with the ex- 
ception of the first exhibit, the amount of taxes and the assessed value 
for taxation of all property: 

For the year 1846 — Number of acres for taxation, 17,151; value 
of land, $55,080; value of improvements, $8,590; value of lots and 
improvements, $1,330; value of personal property, $12,927; total value 
of taxables, $77,927; number of polls, 68; total amount of taxes, $709.95; 
delinquent for former yfiars, $141.29. 

For the year 1850 — Number of acres for taxation, 20, 5 14; value of lands, 
$65,003; value of improvements, $14,749; value of lots and improve- 
ments, $8,934; value of personal property, $32,261; total value of tax- 
ables, $121,847; Number of polls, 158; total amount of taxes, $1,487.86; 
delinquent for former years, $337.36. 

For the year 1860 — Number of acres for taxation, 42,752; value of 
lands, j$448,673; value of improvements, $104,733; value of lots and im- 
provements (outside of Tipton), $650; value of personal property, $135,- 
074; total value of taxables, $753,490; number of polls, 310; total amount 
of taxes, $7,813.22; delinquent for former years, $3,780.38, 

For the year 1870 — Number of acres for taxation, 43,035; value of 
lands, $443,300; value of improvements, $105,385; value of lots and im- 
provements (outside of Tipton), $1,480; value of personal property, $189,- 
215; total valueof taxables, $739,380; number of polls, 410; total amount 
of taxes, $21,867; delinquent for former years, $7,526. 

For the year 1880 — Number of acres for taxation, 43,163; value of 
lands, $619,672; value of improvements, $90,168; value of personal 
property, $148,880; total value of taxables, $858,720; number of polls, 
464; total amount of taxes, $17,971; delinquent for former years, $3,639. 

The foregoing exhibits do not show the actual value of the property 
within the township, but only the value placed upon it for purposes of 
taxation. To make the exhibit complete, from i860 to 1880, both in- 
clusive, it will be necessary to add the valuation of Tipton town prop- 
erty, which is given elsewhere. 

SCHOOLS. 

Education in the mysteries of books is acquired with a difficulty, in 
all pioneer settlements, which may differ in degree but not in kind. It is 
not a matter of wonder that the means of learning should be limited 
to the smallest and rudest proportions; the wonder is that, under such 
circumstances, they should exist at all. With any other people they 
probably would not. But American settlers, wherever they went, car- 
ried with them the ruling idea that their first duty was to build themselves 
homes, and the next to build schoolhouses for the education of their chil- 
dren. The first school in what is now Cicero Township was started in 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 131 

West Kinderhook, and was due, in a great measure, to the public spirit 
of Dr. Silas Blount. The following quotation is from a paper prepared 
by Prof. B. M. Blount, son of the former: " In the autumn of 1S42, 
having donated a lot for the purpose, Dr. Blount, with a few of his en- 
terprising neighbors, erected upon it a hewed-log schoolhouse. This, so 
far as known to the writer, was the beginning of educational efforts in 
what now composes Tipton County. In this house schools were taught at 
intervals, as teachers could be found who would teach for such compen- 
sation as the poor pioneers were able to give them from their scant earn- 
ings. As a specimen of the meager compensation of those times, I may 
state that David Lilly, a brother of one of our County CommissiouerH, 
taught a school for $8 per month; this amount increased, of course, to 
some extent by boarding around." 

The first teacher employed at the Kinderhook School was George 
Howard, a man about forty years of age, who came from Ohio. He gave 
satisfaction, being well esteemed by the patrons, and was continued 
in charge several terms. Prof. Blount was also one of the earliest 
teachers, beginning about forty years ago, when he was a mere boy of six- 
teen or seventeen years of age. John Van Buskirk was another early 
teacher, doing very much of his educational work in the western part of 
the township. All of the first schoolhouses were log structures, built by 
private means and labor, and the teachers were paid by subscription. 
Light was admitted through a window cut in the side, eight and ten feet 
in horizontal length and two in width. Heat was furnished by a fire- 
place of such ample dimensions as to consume logs from five to eight 
feet long and large in proportion. Getting the " back-log " into place 
was no muan undertaking, requiring the united exertions of the teacher 
and the big boys. The seats were made of slabs, capable of accomodat- 
ing a dozen urchins, and freqiiently put on such high legs that the feet 
of their occupants would dangle several inches above the floor. If the 
teacher possessed no bell — and this was a very common thing — the chil- 
dren, at the expiration of the recess, or noon intermission, were called 
in by the rapping of his rule upon the door or window, or by the ex- 
clamation, " Come to books!" and when they had assembled they had 
" taken up books. " The general rules of the school were usually writ- 
ten out by the teacher, and hung up in a conspicuous place on the first 
day for the information of the pupils. It was the understanding all 
around that they were to be obeyed, and any infraction was punished 
according to the aggravation and willfulness of the offense. Beech 
switches were the common instruments used in enforcing discipline, and 
if one were not at hand Avhen an emergency ai'ose, one of the boys 
would be sent out to procure it. It is but just to say, however, that few 
indeed were the instances where punishment was administered to great 
excess. It might not always have been nicely proportioned, but seldom 
was it inflicted in cruelty. 



132 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Reading, writing and arithmetic;, with Webster's spelling book, con- 
Btituted the curriculum of that day, while here and there a more am- 
bitious pupil would take a timid excursion into grammar and the won- 
ders of geography. The latter study, when it was taught generally, was 
learned, to a great extent, by the singing method, in which the whole 
school would join in thundering chorus. What child's memory that ever 
sang " Maine — Augusta — on the Kennebec River," will prove false to 
its triTst? He may forget the , names of the continents, and the width 
of the seas, but the fact that Augusta is the capital of Maine, and that 
it is situated on the Kennebec River, is,a part of himself. Spelling was 
a favorite study, and there were classes, graded along from the "b-a, 
ba," of the sturdy five-year-olds, to the mighty words of seven syllables 
reserved for the champions of the spelling-matches. 

The backwoods spelling school was revered in its day, next to the 
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and when a night was 
appointed for one, every person in the neighborhood for miles around, 
who prided himself on his correct orthography, would be present, to 
compete for the honors of the occasion. When the momentous hour ar- 
rived, two of the best spellers would " choose up," having previously de- 
termined by chance who should have first choice. The members of the 
opposing force were selected alternately, according to the chief's 
knowledge of their ability to " stand up," and never did Generals select 
soldiers for a service of special importance with greater caution. Hav- 
ing completed this work, they were arranged on different sides of the 
room, in the order in which they were named, and the words given out, 
beginning at the head and spelling toward the foot of the row. If a 
word were missed by a speller on one side, the unlucky person would sit 
down disconsolately, and it would be passed to the opposite side, and so 
on. Those least accomplished in the art would soon be in their seats; 
bijt the better equipped, who had performed prodigies of valor in other 
closely contested fields, would, not infrequently, remain on their feet un- 
til compelled by sheer weariness to succumb. Such were spelling schools 
ill the old days, but their glory has departed, like the scepter from 
Judah, and in its place are found the refinements of rhetoric and the 
mysteries of algebra and philosophy. 

Another feature of the early school, and one not yet obsolete, was the 
manner in which Friday afternoon of each week was employed. The time 
not taken up with spelling and singing the capitals of the States was devot- 
ed to declamations, covering a wide range, from the first effort of the bashful 
child to the confident orator of sixteen, who repeated, with animation 
and eloquence, Rienzi's Address to the Romans or Dr. Knott's Sermon 
on Duelling. It was the custom, also, in the country schools, for the 
teacher to treat his pupils, on Christmas or New Year's Day, usually 
with candy, and this custom he violated at the peril of personal incon- 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 133 

veuience and discomfort. Early on the morning of the important day, 
the large boys would take possession of the schoolhonse and " bar the 
teacher out." If, when he arrived, he brought the expected sweets, the 
barricading was removed and he was admitted. But if he had unluckily 
forgotten to procure them, or m his own mind concluded not to do so, he 
was kept out in the cold until a compromise of some sort was effected. 
If he should prove obstinate, and refuse to yield to the propositions of 
his fortified scholars, the chances were that they would emerge from 
their stronghold, capture him, and either roll him in the snow or dip him 
in some neighboring pon<i It was a rare thing, however, for the matter 
to be pushed to such extremities, as overtures of peace were apt to be 
made by one or the other of the belligerents, and the affair amicably set- 
tled. The modern rule of adjourning over these holidays saves the 
weary pedagogue, no doubt, much trouble and sore tribulation. 

For the decade prior to 1852, the schools were mainly supported by 
private subscriptions, and in no instance were they kept open for a 
longer period than three months in a year. The teachers were paid from 
$8 to $12 a month, and boarded around among the patrons in rotation, 
staying, usually, one week at a place. Beginning with 1852, public 
schools, for which teachers were employed at ^30 and $35 per month, 
commenced to make their appearance for three months in the year, but 
they were far between for several years, as may well be supposed. They 
have gradually increased, with the constantly multiplying population, 
until the preseot day. Terms have been lengthened, the wages of 
teachers have been increased, the log schoolhouses have disappeared, and 
in their places have come substantial brick and frame structures, with all 
the appliances for comfort and instruction which the ingenuity of the 
age has suggested. The number of schoolhouses in this township, out- 
side of the town of Tipton, is now twenty. Of this number, eleven are 
of brick and nine frame. Four of the frame buildings will soon give 
way to brick. During the school term of 1882-83, each of the twenty 
districts was open the full term of five and one-half months. Of the 
twenty teachers, sixteen were men and four were women. The average 
pay was $2 per day. The number of children in the township (not in- 
cluding Tipton), between the ages of six and twenty-one years, is 
1,143, and of this number only six are colored. Out of this total num- 
ber, 1,023 attended the district schools during the last term. There are 
only fifteen persons in the township between the ages of ten and twenty 
one years who cannot read or vTi'ite. In District No. 4, in a total enroll 
ment of seventy-five, there was an attendance, duringthe last term, of that 
number. For 1882-83, the revenue for tuition was $4,359.72. 

An education is prized in proportion to the difi&culties which have to be 
overcome in securing it, and the fathers and grandfathers of the present 
generation, who trudged through woods and swamps to the rude cabins 



134 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

of learning, fully understand this truth. The youths of the year of grace 
1883, with the modern schoolhouse at their doors, with its comfortable seats, 
its maps, charts, black-boards and libraries, can only appreciate the ad- 
vantages they enjoy by contrast with the past. The hardships, and the 
toil, and the self-denial of that early time made the ease and the comfort 
of to-day possible, and a knowledge of these things ought to be suffi- 
cient in itself to awaken and stimulate the energies of the boys and girls 
who are reaping a harvest grown from seeds planted in the midst of 
gigantic obstacles, and in the face of ever-present dangers. 

PRODUCTS AND MARKETS. 

Prior to the completion of the old Peru & Indianapolis Railroad to 
Peru, in 1854, there was no convenient market for the products of the 
farm. The Wabash & Erie Canal was finished through Peru and other 
towns north in 1837, and trade naturally flowed in that direction. But 
the railroad opened up a local and home market at Tipton, from which 
point grain was shipped either south, through Indianapolis and over the 
Madison Eailroad to the Ohio River, or north to th<!i canal, and thence 
to the lakes. With the increase in cleared and drained land, the pro- 
ducing capacities of this township have grown to very large proportions 
— so large, indeed, that they are probably not excelled anywhere in the 
State. From the latest official statistics, an estimate has been made, 
for an average year, of the principal products, and the result given 
below. If must be borne in mind that the acreage in cultivation is not 
given as accurate,' and it is, likely, too small: 

Wheat, 5,000 acres, 15 bushels per acre, total bushels, 75,000; corn, 
6,000 acres, 35 bushels per acre, total bushels, 210,000; oats, 500 acres, 
25 bushels per acre, total bushels, 12,500: potatoes, 200 acres, 20 bush- 
els per acre, total bushels, 4,000; hay, 1,500 acres, 2 tons per acre, total 
tons, 3,000; tobacco, 15 acres, 656 pounds per acre, total pounds, 
9,750. 

In addition to the above, there is a small acreage of barley and rye. 
To all this must be added the cattle, hogs, horses and sheep, which 
are marketed in large numbers, and constitute a very considerable part 
of the farmer's income. Tipton dealers buy of the farmers nearly all of 
their various commodities, and pay the ruling prices. These dealers 
ship to Indianapolis, Chicago and the East. 

JACKSON STATION. 

There are no villages in the township of any importance iu size, and 
none, with the exception of Jackson Station, possessing any commercial 
importance. This place, which is situated three and one-half miles 
north of Tipion, owes the name, and probably its existence, to the fact 
that about 1851, three years prior to the time of the completion of the 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 135 

Peru & Indianapolis Railroad, in 1854, Newton J. Jackson and George 
Kane built and operated a steam saw mill in that immediate neighbor- 
hood, and began the sawing, and subsequently the shipment of lumber. 
Trains began to stop there, a side-track was laid, and from that time 
Jackson Station has been known on the time cards and conductors' 
checks. As the country surrounding it has improved, the amount of 
shipping from that point has grown. Shortly after the war, Elijah C. 
Elliott located there, and established a general store, and still conducts 
it. By his energy and enterprise, he has built up a thriving trade. He 
has also, for several years, operated a stave and heading factory, giving 
employment to several hands. In 1882, he erected an elevator of large 
capacity, thus enabling him to buy and ship large quantities of the grain 
of the farmers in that vicinity. Mr. Elliott is also Postmaster and 
station agent. He has the entire confidence of all his neighbors, as he 
has always been found a man of integrity, upright in business, and pay- 
ing the best prices in the market. His business building is a two-story 
brick, and his handsome frame residence is adjoining. There is an ex- 
cellent brick schoolhouse at this point, and in it religious services are 
sometimes held. Several private dwelling houses have been erected here, 
but the population of the place is small. 

WEST KINDEEHOOK. 

In 1841, Dr. Silas Blount had the village of West Kinderhook, situ- 
ated on the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 32, Township 
21 north, of Range 5 east, laid o£f and surveyed. The plat was recorded 
in Hamilton County, of which that territory was then a part, on the 4th 
day of September, 1841. There were thirty-one lots in the plat, sixty- 
six feet wide and 132 feet long. Upon one of these lots, a hewed log 
schoolhouse was built in 1842, as spoken of elsewhere. A few other 
lots were sold at various times, but when the railroad was built, a decade 
of years later, two and one-half miles west, the town of Buena Vista 
sprang up, just south of the Tipton County line, and what promised to be 
the flourishing village of West Kinderhook became so in fact only on 
the pages of the records and on the maps. Dr. Blount remained true to 
this child of his earlier years, and is again the proprietor of it all, liv- 
ing where he located nearly a half century ago. 

PAREOTSVILLE. 

Parrotsville was surveyed on the 29th day of September, 1853, by Ed- 
ward M. Sharp, and the plat filed for record on the 5th day of October, 
of the same year. It was located on the railroad, on the west half of the 
southeast quarter of Section 27, Township 22, Range 4, about one-half 
mile south of Jackson Station. Benjamin F. Goar was the proprietor. 
The recorded plat shows thirty-six lots, and of this number several were 



136 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

subsequently sold by Mr. Goai-, but all have since been resolved into 
corn and wheat fields. Andrew J. McClannahan, for many years a Jus- 
tice of the Peace of Cicero Township, was one of the early dwellers in 
this neighborhood. 

INDEPENDENCE. 

Independence, or Parker's Mill, four miles west of Tipton, was never 
platted, but is composed of a straggling cluster of a half dozen houses 
and a two-story schoolhouse, which shows the wear of time. This school- 
house was built on a plan furnished by Jehu Van Buskirk, a man who 
has been prominent in the educational matters of the township almost 
since its organization. The name " Independence " was given to this 
school to signify that it was independent of any other organization, as 
it was built by private subscription. Noah Parker is one of the old res- 
idents, and he was the early proprietor of the saw mill from which ori- 
ginated the term " Parker's Mill," by which the place is frequently 
called. 

CHUKCHES. 

The Christian Church at Independence, four miles west of Tipton, 
is in a very flourishing condition. About ten years ago, the congrega- 
tion erected a large and substantial frame church building, pleasantly 
located, in which they hold worship. 

The Centre Grove Presbyterian Church, in the western part of the 
township, has a large membership and an excellent building, located on 
high ground. The members are prosperous, meet regularly and are 
doing good work. 

Albright Chapel, in the southwestern part of the township, belongs 
to the denomination indicated by its name. The only other church is 
" Newhope," belonging to the New-Light denomination. It is south of 
Tipton. 

EETKOSPECTIVE. 

Until within the last decade, the subject of gravel roads was not serious- 
ly broached. Such roads were thought of, it is true, many years before, 
but only in that vague, indefinite way in which matters are considered 
that barely fall within the limits of the possible. It was long supposed 
that there was little, if any, accessible gravel, but sufficient quantities of 
it have recently been discovered, and substantial roads have been con- 
structed, and others are now in process of construction. And so the 
citizen of to-day sees the handsome carriage where the early settlers saw 
principally mudboats. He not only sees this, but he sees large and 
elegant brick and frame farmhouses where formerly stood rude log cabins, 
with stick and mortar chimneys. He sees commodious barns where stood 
the straw covered sheds; he sees well-tilled and well-drained fields where 
stood wildernesses of water and wood; he sees a machine binding the 
wheat as it cuts it, where the pioneer saw only the sickle and the cradle; 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 137 

he sees the steam thresher doing the work which the flail once did; be 
sees the children going to school five and one-half months in the year 
where in the past they went a precarious two and th]'ee; he sees horses, 
and sheep, and cows, and hogs where the original settlers saw deer and 
wolves and wild cats; he sees the ralroad train where once was only the 
packhorse and wagon. But why repeat ? It is merely the story of a de- 
velopment of twoscore years, with which almost evei-y child of to-day is 
familiar. The present population of the township, not including the 
town of Tipton, is considerably in excess of three thousand. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 

BY G. N. BERRY. 



"The ax rang sharply 'mid these forest shades, 
Which, from creation's dawn till now, had towered in unshorn beauty." 

In folk lore is the story told of a man who became tired of patient 
cultivation of the soil, and who desired to become rich without the 
drudgery of labor. The lack of wealth had made life become stale and 
unprofitable. He dreamed three nights in succession that there was a 
rich treasure hidden somewhere beneath the soil in his orchard. Three 
is the lucky number that makes a dream true, so, in an ecstacy of excite- 
ment, he imparted the good news to his wife, and together they at once 
began to dig for the buried treasure. Around one tree they dug a mound 
of earth, and around another, until there was not a gnarled trunk about 
whose roots he had not let in the vitalizing air, biit the hidden gold could 
not be found. Of course, he became angry over his wasted labors, and a 
sorry time he had of it when his neighbors passed by and smiled at his 
folly. Springtime, however, came, and the trees were full of blossoms. 
Autumn followed, and they were loaded with luscious fruit. Years rolled 
by, and the orchard became the source of a rich revenue to the old man, 
who realized that there was, indeed, a golden treasure in the soil, which 
only needed proper exertion to bring it to the light. In the fertile region 
of Northern Indiana, we can see the moral of the foregoing story practi- 
cally demonstrated in the richly cultivated farms, fine residences, and 
other evidences of wealth Avhich have been wrung from the bosom of 
Mother Earth, by the patient toilers, who first sought homes among the 
forests and sloughs forty years ago. Especially is this true of that por- 
tion of Tipton County to which the following pages are devoted, and 
where nought but dense woods, thick underbrush and extensive quag- 
mires greeted the pioneer's first arrival. To remove these foi'midable 
obstacles and develop a region rich in all tlie resources of agricultural 
wealth required patient, arduous toil, hard digging, and manifold pri- 



138 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

vations ; but, as years passed by, the labors of the hardy home-seeker 
returned a golden reward, as is shown by the present advanced civiliza- 
tion of the township. Wild Cat occupies the northeast corner of Tipton 
County, and was formed in the year 1847, with the following outline: 
Beginning at the northeast corner of Section 32, Town 23 north. Range 
6 east, thence south five miles, thence west twelve miles, thence north 
five miles, thence east twelve miles to the place of beginning. Two 
years later, this boundary was modified by taking twenty- five sections 
from the western part of the division, and using them in the formation 
of Liberty Township, leaving the area thirty-five square miles, its present 
territory. The surface is uniformly level, very flat in certain local- 
ities, and was originally heavily timbered, the leading varieties being 
walnut, poplar, elm, beech, sugar- tree, ash, linn, etc., with a dense under- 
gi'owth of spicebrush, dogwood and willows. The soil is a deep black 
vegetable mold, resting upon an impei'vious clay sub-soil, and is well 
adapted for general farming. Where its productiveness has been devel- 
oped by tile drainage, it yields abundant crops of all the fruits and 
cereals indigenous to this part of the State, although but a portion of 
the land has been properly reclaimed. Much attention has been given 
to ditching, and the farmei's realize that successful drainage is their key 
to wealth. Large public ditches traverse the country in various direc- 
tions, by means of which extensive tracts of swamp land, once looked 
upon as comparatively valueless, have been brought under a good state 
of cultivation, and are now among the best farming districts of the 
township. 

The water-courses are Mud Creek and its several tributaries, all of 
which play an important part in the drainage of the country. Mud Creek 
drains the northwest corner of the township, and passes, in its course, 
through Sections 32, 33 and 34, flowing in a northwesterly direction. 
Adjacent to the stream, the land is low and marshy, and, during rainy 
seasons, is overflowed for considerable distances on either side. At the 
present time, active measures are being inaugurated for the purpose of 
ditching this creek, and when once that project has been successfully 
carried out, a large amount of low, wet land will be reclaimed, and the 
contiguous farms increased in value many per cent. The largest tribu- 
tary of Mud Creek is Turkey Branch, which enters the township near the 
southwest corner. It flows in an irregiilar channel through Sections 20, 
17, 16, 9, 4 and 3, and empties into the main sti-eam in Section 34. A 
creek not designated by any name on the county map flows an easterly 
and southeasterly course through the central part of the township, and 
affords the chief means of drainage for that portion of country. All 
these water- courses are running streams throughout the year, and some- 
times, during wet seasons and spring freshets, become raging torrents, 
overflowing their banks, and doing considerable damage to the farms 
through which they pass. 




^•' 




^# 




WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 141 

THE PIONEERS. 

Wild Cat originally formed part of the Miami Reservation, and was 
not opened for actual settlement until the year 1847, at which time the 
Ian came into market, subject to entry. Prior to that date, however, a 
number of adventurous pioneers located in various parts of the township, 
and selected claims on which they lived in expectation of procuring the 
land as soon as the privilege of entry was granted them. A number of 
these settlers carried out their original designs, by holding their respect- 
ive claims until patents were obtained from the Government, while others 
remained only temporarily, and spent most of their time hunting and 
trapping, by means of which a livelihood was procured their families 
during their sojourn. 

So far as can be learned, the tirst actual settlers came about the year 
1845, and located near the North Fork of Wild Cat, in the northern part 
of the township. These were David Decker, Philemon Plummer, Robert 
Stephens, Ira Plummer and their respective families. The first named 
came from the adjoining county of Madison, and took his claim where 
Mr. Plummer lives, which land he entered four yeai's later. On his claim 
our pioneer erected a rude pole cabin, around which afew rods of ground 
were cleared for a "'truck" patch, and began life in his new home under 
no very flattering circumstances. The countiy at that time was in a very 
wild state, and the wet condition of the soil precluded the possibility of 
gaining a livelihood from its cultivation, consequently Mr. Decker was 
obliged to rely upon his rifle as the chief means of pi'ocuring a subsist- 
ence for himself and family. Game of all kinds was plentiful and supplied 
the table with choice meat, while from the sale of skins and wild honey 
the groceries and few articles of wearing apparel necessary, were ob- 
tained from the older settlements, in the southern part of the county. 
Decker lived upon his original claim about five years, at the end of which 
time he disposed of it and moved a little further south, near the present 
site of Windfall. Here he became the possessor of a valual^e tract of real 
estate, which he owned until 1871, when he sold his property and moved 
from the township. He appears to have been a man of considerable 
prominence in the commiinity and at the first election after the township 
organization, was chosen Justice of the Peace, on account of his peculiar 
fitness for the office. Philemon Plummer moved from Rvish County and 
located temporarily near the eastern boundary of the county, where he 
lived for a short time, when he changed his location, and took a claim on 
Turkey Creek, in the northern part of the township. Like the majority 
of early pioneers in a new country he came with but a meager outfit of 
this world's goods, and for several years hunted extensively over the 
greater part of the Indian Res^^rve, doing but little in the meantime 
toward improving his claim. In later'years, he became a minister of the 
Christian Church, and assisted in the organization of many of the early 



142 HISTORV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

congregations of bis sect. Stephens located on Turkey Creek, near the 
northern boundary of the township, and was a true representative of the 
original baf;kswoods pioneer, whose greatest pleasure was rambling over 
the country in search of game and wild honey, from the sale of which 
he managed to eke out an existence for his family during the period of 
thoir sojourn in this part of the coiintry. He appears to have been a man 
of roving tendencies. He sold his claim, after occupying it a short time, 
to David Gray, who entered the land in the year 1 848. 

Ira Plummer, a brother of Philemon Plummer. settled in the northern 
part of the township, near Irvin Creel:, on land at present owned and 
occupied by Philip Armstrong. He sold the claim a short time after- 
ward to Joshua Bailey, and moved near the site of Windfall, where he 
entered land and resided until the time of his death in 1881. 

John Nutter came also in 1845, and is the oldest resident of the 
township living at present. He made his first settlement in the western 
part of the county, where he lived seven years before taking a claim in 
Wild Cat TownsAiip. He came to the new country penniless and in debt, 
but, nothing daunted, went to work with stout heart and willing hands 
and soon had a cabin erected on his claim, where he lived for several 
years in blissful bachelorhood, monarch of all he surveyed. He describes 
his household outfit as consisting of one case knife, which he found while 
out hunting, a gallon pot, with one leg broken oif, and an old cracked 
skillet for which he traded a pound of coffee, a three-legged stool which 
answered the twofold purpose of table and chair, and a large rough 
trough in which his stock of provisions was kept. A sad calamity befell 
him one day, when the cherished pot slipped from his grasp and fell up- 
on a rock, breaking a large hole in the bottom. Being unable to pro- 
cure a new one, and finding it impossible to get along without his favor- 
ite vessel, he set his wits to work, contriving means to i-emedy the dire 
disaster. This he accomplished by running lead into the opening, a suc- 
cessful operati-on, which made the utensil as good as new. The few 
articles of wearing apparel he brought with him to his new home soon 
succumbed to the ravages of time and the wear and tear of rough usage, 
and needed to be replaced with others. How to obtain the necessary 
raiment was a problem which sorely taxed the ingenuity of oui- pioneer. 
To purchase was out of the question, as the sura total of his available 
cash aggregated about 3 cents, and to borrow of his distant neighbors 
could not be thought of, as they had no more clothing than was necessary 
for their own convenience. Necessity, however, is the mother of inven- 
tion. A large piece of buckskin was procured, out of which our Crusoe 
cut a pair of pants with his hunting knife, sewed them up with thongs 
and shoe thread. We are safe in saying that Solomon in all his glory 
was not arrayed like unto Nutter in his leather breeches. These pants 
served well their purpose for two years, when they were traded for a more 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 143 

showy pair made of home spun jeaus. The latter were first used by our 
frontier farmer upon an important occasion, which terminated his bachelor- 
hood. By hard work and many privations, Nutter cleared a tract of ten acres 
of ground, and fitted it for ciiltivation the second year after his arrival. 
Seven acres of this patch were planted in corn, the ground being dug over 
with a mattock and the crop tended wi th the same implement. From the sale 
of this corn, he realized a sufficient amount of money to buy a two-year -old 
colt, which can be termed the beginning of his good fortune. The first 
land he owned in this township was a 160-acre tract situated in Section 
9. By persevering industry he has accumulated a handsome property, 
and is now passing down the shady side of life, enjoying the well-earned 
fruits of his labors. 

Other early settlers who came in a short time after those mentioned 
were John Morris, James Hitt, and a man by name of Forbes. Morris 
took a claim on what is known as the John Pumphrey land. He was a 
"squatter" merely, and did nothing in the way of improving his claim 
beyond erecting a rude habitation, and clearing a few acres of ground. 
His death, in the year 1846, was the first event of the kind that occurred 
in the township. Hitt's arrival dates from the spring of 1847. He set- 
tled two miles east of Windfall on land at present in possession of the 
Widow Miller, where he lived two years, when he disposed of his claim 
to the Gharris brothers, and entered land in the vicinity. Forbes located 
in the northern part of the township near Mud Creek; and pi'oved a val- 
uable acquisition to the community. His tastes, however, did not run 
in the direction of farming, and thinking there were more easy ways of 
gaining a livelihood besides digging and grubbing, he procured a small 
stock of groceries and notions, which he kept at his house for the accom- 
modation of the sparse settlement. In after years, he traveled about the 
country as a clock peddler, and when that occupation no longer returned 
a fair profit, he turned his attention to tinkering. 

Another early settler was Samuel Baldwin, who located about two and 
a half miles east of Windfall, where he acquired some prominence as a hun- 
ter. He was in every respect a backwoodsman. He dressed in the conven- 
tional buckskin garb, wore moccasins and treated the usages of society 
with the most profound indifference. He had been a soldier during the 
war of 1812. and never tired of describing the glorious engagement at 
New Orleans. 

From 1845 until 1848, the development of the county progressed 
rather slowly, and in the latter year there were but forty acres of culti- 
vated land in the township. The settlements were confined principally 
to the northern and eastern parts, and it was not until the beginning of 
1849 that any attempts were made to bring under cultivation the interior 
and southern portion of the township. 

The actual settlers who came in 1848 were .Ivery Chase, who pre- 



144 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNT V. 

empted a claim in Section 4, which he sold to James B. Fouch six years 
later; John Smith, who located on North Fork, where he lived live or six 
years, when he sold to Cyrus Halloway and emigrated to Missouri; 
Theop' ilus Calmut, who secured land a short distance west of Wind- 
fall; Elisha Pickering who settled near the northeast corner of the 
township; Henry Yeakley, who secured land in the same locality; Will- 
iam Myers, who entered land in Section 5, a short distance north of 
Windfall, and Thomas Legg, who made his lirst entry near Windfall. 
The last named was one of the prominent citizens of Wild Cat, and a 
man of more than ordinary energy and intelligence. He remained in 
the vicinity of Windfall a few years, when, becoming dissatisfied with 
this part of the country, he moved further north and entered land, where 
a son had previouslj' settled, and died. Arthur, Benjamin and William, 
sons of Thomas Legg, came a few years later, and are still residents of 
the township. They are men of character and influence, and have been 
prominently connected with all movements calculated to advance the 
material resources of the country. 

Other settlers who arrived at an early day and participated in the 
struggles of pioneer life, were Silas Mitchell, John Pumphrey, Richard 
and David Beeson and T. J. Wheeler. The first named was a native of 
Kentucky, but came to Wild Cat from Decatur County, to which place he 
emigrated in his early manhood. He became a prominent farmer, and 
for several years served as Township Trustee. Pumphrey entered land 
near the northern boundary of the county, and earned the reputation of 
being a good citizen during the period of his residence in the township. 
The Beeson brothers rented not far from \\'indfall, and Wheeler located 
on Irvin's Creek. 

During the year 1848, entries of land were made in Wild Cat by the 
following, persons : Irwin Tennell, John Pierce, John Cliflbrd, James 
Legg, Joseph Qninn. William Comer, Salathiel Vickery. A. Chase, L. B. 
Johnson, Preston Smith, John Wright, Richard Parker, F. J. Deer, 
James Fouch, D. B. Martin, Samuel McCrary, W. A. Boldon, C. B. Nay, 
R. C. Forsythe, William Alley, John Cochran, Andrew Pumphrey, Nathan 
Smith, Hiram Plummer, David Decker and Abel Gibson. In 1849, 
entries were made by A. Fletcher, J. W^. Beeson, Lewis Mitchell, D. Y. 
Smith, Thomas Wheeler, Isaac Eaton, Thomas Cochran, Silas Mitchell. 
Theodore Parker, Benjamin Mugg, James H. Sherman, Peter Lambrised, 
J. H. Pumphrey, William A. Davidson, James Recctbs, William Tousley, 
John W. Wykoff, Robert T. (ioon, John W. Hall, and others. 

LIFE IN THE WOODS, 

Life in this country forty years ago was eutii'ely different from what 
it is do-day. In nothing are the manners and customs of the people 
similar to those who first introduced civilization into the Western wilds. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 145 

The dwellings, clothing, diet, and social customs have \indergone a total 
revolution, and it is ditficnlt to give anything like an adequate picture of 
the manner in which the pioneer lived and prospered when the country 
was a wilderness. Like the settlers in all new countries, the pioneers of 
this section depended veiy largely upon game for their chief subsistence 
during the first two or three years, after which their crops yielded a tol- 
erable support. Wild animals of all kinds infested the woods, and 
every settler's table was supplied with choice meat, in quality and quan- 
tity according to demand. Venison was no rarity, but served as a sta- 
jile article of food, deer being so numerous as to cause great injury to 
the crops. Hence many were killed even when not needed for food. 
Some bear were found by the early hunters. To kill one of these ani- 
mals was considered a mark of superior skill, and the man who was fort- 
unate enough to bring down a bruin enjoyed an enviable reputation in 
the community. Three of these animals were killed by Samuel Bttld- 
win a short distance east of Windfall, in the year 1847. Wolves were 
especially numerous, and for several years all domestic stock had to be 
tightly penned at night in order to protect them from the fangs of these 
gaunt scourges. During very cold winters, they became voracious, and 
old settlers tell of having to take their dogs into the house to keep them 
from being torn to pieces. An old pioneer relates that upon one occa- 
sion the wolves surrounded his house in such numbers as to cause great 
uneasiness by their continued loud barking and howling. Thinking to 
frighten the animals away by shooting among them, he cautiously opened 
the door, but before he had time to bring the gun to bear, his favorite 
dog leaped from the room into the midst of the pack, and was literally 
torn to shreds in a few minutes. The report of the gun failed to scare 
the infuriated animals, and the door was closed just in time to prevent 
them getting into the house. All that night the family remained awake 
listening to the snarling and howling of the brutes as they ran around 
the house and scratched i^pon the door, and it was not until sunrise the 
next morning that the animals left the premises. A man by the name of 
Thomas,* while in the woods one day, was attacked by wolves, and com- 
pelled to tight for his life. He kept up the struggle against great odds 
for some time, and only saved himself by climbing a tree, in the branches 
of which he remained until assistance arrived. As the country improved, 
these animals gradually disappeared, and none have been seen in the 
township for a number of years. 

During the early days of the county, but little money was in circula- 
tion among the pioneers, and in many localities deer skins were used as 
a circulating medium. These represested a value of from 25 cents tu 
$1, according to size and quality, and for several years was the settler.s' 
chief source of revenue. Other articles of commercial importance were 
ginseng and wild honey, for which cash could be obtained at the 
different market places. 



146 IIISTOKV OF TIPTON COUxNTY. 

The lirst hogs fattened for market in the township were driven to the 
city of La Fayette and sold for $1.25 a hundred in " 6/ite ^jhjo" money, 
worth at that time about 85 cents on the dollar. The year following 
this transaction, a man by name of Peck bought up all the hogs in the 
county for a nominal sum of "canal scri}),'' and drove them to Cincin- 
nati, where he received $1.40 in good money. The tirst wheat was mar- 
keted at Peru, thirty miles distant, and brought the exorbitant price of 
GO cents per busliel, part in cash and part in trade. Twenty bushels was 
a large load, and to make the trip with that amount required four or five 
days, as roads had to be cut the greater part of the way through a dense 
woods, which, with the muddy condition of the gi'ound, made traveling 
an exceedingly difficult matter. Flour and meal were first obtained at 
the Perkinsville Mill, twenty-five miles distant, and at Somerset in Miami 
County, to reach which the pioneer was obliged to travel about thirty 
miles. 

Many of the first settlers manufactured their own meal by crushing 
the corn when dry in a kind of rude mortar, made by chiseling out a hoi 
low in the top of a sound stump. The pestle was an iron block or more 
often an iron wedge made fast to a sweep, and with this simple contriv- 
ence a coarse article of meal coiild be made. A still simpler means was 
often resorted to before the corn became hard enough to shell, namely, 
the common tin grater utensil found in every household. The first mill 
in Wild Cat was built by James B. Fouch, at the village of Windfall, 
about the time the town was platted. It was erected as a saw mill, but 
buhrs were afterward attached for grinding both corn and wheat, which 
met a long- felt want in the community. This mill was in successful op- 
eration several years, at the end of which time it was destroyed by fire, 
and another erected in its place. Of the latter a more extended mention 
will be given in the history of the village. 

The first frame house in the township was the residence of James B. 
Fouch, at Windfall, and the first brick dwelling was erected by John 
Nutter, on his farm near the village. 

ROADS, ETC. 

The first road through Wild Cat was surveyed in the year 1849, and 
traversed the township in a southwesterly direction toward Tipton. The 
petition for the highway was gotten up by John Nutter, and the follow- 
ing viewers appointed: John Smith, John Nutter and A. Forbes. They 
reported favorably to the route, and a scientific surveyor, whose knowl- 
edge of engineering was not very profound, was selected to run the line. 
Everything progressed favorably until the stu'veying party reached a 
thick woods, where the knight of the theodolite became completely fud- 
dled, and acknowledged himself iinable to proceed further. At this 
juncture, Nutter's master mind took in the situation, and procuring a cow 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 147 

bell he went in advance of the trio, and rang wherever he wanted a stake 
set. By means of this ringing, which the engineer followed up with his 
instrument, the route was successfully laid out, the letter of the law ful- 
filled, and the term "Bell road" attached to the highway. Another 
early road crossed the northern part of the township from east to west, 
about one-half mile from the county line. It was established in the year 
1851, and for a number of years was an extensively traveled highway. 
A road leading from the old " Bell Mill " to the county line, between 
Sections 4 and 10, was laid out in an early day, and is one of the lead- 
ing thoroughfares of the township at the present time. The Windfall 
& Howard County pike was constructed in the year 1881. It extends 
from the village to the county line, and was made by taxation for free 
travel. In the year 1882, the highway leading from Sharpsville to Wind- 
fall was gravel, and is also a free pike. These roads extend through 
rich agricultural regions, and have been the means of developing the 
country in a very marked degree. The Richmond Division of the Pan 
Handle Railroad was surveyed through the township in 1852, and com- 
pleted in 1855. It crosses the southwest corner, about five miles of the 
road being in the township, and has been the direct means of developing 
the country's re&oui'ces by increasing the value of land, and bringing 
good market places almost to the doors of the farmers. 

EARLY DEATHS CEMETEKIES. 

The first death in the township, to which allusion has already been 
made, occurred in the year 1846. The interment took place at the Old 
Baptist Graveyard, in the northern part of the township, near the forks 
of Wild Cat. This cemetery was laid out about the year 1850, on land 
belonging to Silas Mitchell, although a few interments had been made 
some time prior to that date. Among the early bm'ials at this place were 
Mrs. Cash, Elizabeth Rosier and Mrs. John Nutter. The second place 
used for burying the dead is the old cemetery on Irvin Creek, in the 
northei-n part of the township. It was laid ofi" for the purpose in a very 
early day. and the first interment therein were two small children of James 
Pulley. 

A small graveyai'd was also started on Turkey Creek intheyeai' 1850, 
but only three burials ever took place there. These were a son of John 
Morris, William Myer's child and a child of John Deer. 

The largest cemetery in the township is the Windfall Graveyard, 
which was consecrated to the burial of the dead a short time after the 
origin of the village. Among the first laid to rest in this place were 
Joseph Keith, James Knight and Samuel Gill. 

FIRST BIRTH. 

The first birth within the present limits of Wild Cat occurred in the 
family of David Decker, a short time after their arrival in the township. 



148 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Other early births were in the families of Wesley Chase and Robert 
Stephens. 

SCHOOLS. 

The subject of education has from an early date received a good deal 
of attention in this township. Before the law authoriz ng a system of 
piiblic schools was in force, the pioneers of Wild Cat took steps toward 
the education of the youth in the primary branches of learning. Com- 
])aratively few of the first settlers were men of letters, most of them hav- 
ing been children when ''book learning" in the States where they were 
brought up was considered a matter of minor importance. And yet these 
people seemed to fully realize the losses they had sustained in the neglect 
of their own schooling, and were therefore anxious to do the next best 
thing, by making amends in the case of their children. The first school 
was taught in a rude little cabin which stood near Mud Creek, in the 
northern part of the township, about the year 1848. This building was 
hastily constructed by the few neighbors living in the vicinity, and served 
its purpose about three years, at the end of which time it was abandoned 
and allowed to fall into decay. The first pedagogue who wielded the rod 
of aiithority at this place was David Decker, who is remembered as a very 
competent instructor for that day. As no certificates of qualification 
were requisite at that time, we are unable to enlighten our readers as to 
Prof. Decker's scholastic attainments. The second house erected for 
school purposes stood at the village of Windfall, and was built by volun- 
tary contribution, the majority of the neighbors working out their sub- 
scriptions, BO that but few dollars in money were expended upon the 
structure. Among the early teachers at the village were Mr. Jackson, 
Benjamin Legg and Arthur Legg. The first frame schoolhouse was built 
near the northeast corner of the township, in what was known as the 
Pierce settlement, but the date of its erection could not be ascertained. 
An early schoolhouse, known as the Couch Schoolhouse, was built some 
time prior to 1855, and stood about two and a half miles east of Windfall. 
It was a comfortable log structure, and was in use a number of years. 

In the year 1855. an election was called to decide whether the town- 
ship school land should be sold, but no one coming out to vote for or 
against the measure, a petition was gotten up in favor of the project, by 
John Nutter, to which the names of all the citizens, except one, were 
subscribed. As soon as the section was disposed of, measures were inau- 
gurated to erect public schoolhouses at proper intervals, and an enumera- 
tion of children taken. This enumeration shows that fort}^ children be- 
tween the ages of six and twenty-one years were at that time residing in 
the township. The enumeration for the school year 1882-83 shows an 
increase of 477 pupils over the above number, there being at the present 
time 517 children of proper age attending the difierent schools. To ac- 
commodate this large number requires eleven schoolhoiises, one of which. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 149 

the Windfall building, is supplied with three departments. The teachers 
for the year ending March, 1883, were W. H. Eandolph, J. D. Reeve, 
C. C. Duncan, W. P. Mulligan, W. O. Legg. J. M. Couch, Mollie V. 
White, W. C. Legg, A. D. Legg,W. M. Couch, J. '6. Hall, L. S. Barrow, 
A. F. Swoveland, W. C. John and J. A. Butler. The sum required to 
compensate these teachers was $1,698.48. 

RELIGIOUS HISTORY. 

Society, as it circles outward from a common center, has a tendency 
to degenerate from its original and higher type to one of a lower tone 
and standard. History reveals the fact that every receding circle of civ- 
ilization has lessened the forces forming and completing a perfect state 
of society. 

On nearly every wave of immigration, some good seed is borne to 
grow up in the opening soil of the new country. The good seed is 
usually sufficient to begin the work of raising society to a higher level of 
civilization, and its transforming power counteracts those demoralizing 
influences which tend to social degeneration and disruption, as the law- 
less and vicious seek +he frontiers, where there is less restraint from 
civil power. This good seed becomes the nucleus around which gather 
those loftier feelings necessary to carry society onward to a state of com- 
parative perfection and happiness. Christian truth is the great super- 
structure on vv^hich every society approximating perfection must rest. 
Said an old minister of the Gospel once: "It used to make my heart sick 
in the early days of my ministry to dismiss members of my charge to 
churches in distant regions, and have brothers and sisters and neighbors 
leave us for settlements in the opening territories. But, as I have 
grown older, and followed these emigrants to their new homes, and have 
found them far more useful in church and State than they ever could have 
been in the regions they left behind, where others held their places and 
influence, as I have seen them giving a healthy and vigorous tone to 
society, while the separation caused a pang of sorrow, the good accom- 
plished more than compensated for the pleasure lost." It was to such 
immigrants as those mentioned in the above extract that Indiana is in- 
debted for her civilization to-day. The good seed brought hither by 
these humble pioneers has brought forth good fruit, and produced 
blessings more than a hundred-fold. 

The first preachers in the Wild Cat were of the Baptist denomina- 
tion. The earliest religious services held within the present limits of the 
township were conducted by Rev. Archibald Leach at the residences of 
Silas Mitchell and John Pumphrey shortly after their arrival in the 
country. These meetings were held from time to time, and so increased 
in numbers that ' private dwellings were not sufficient to accommodate 
the congregations. A log house was built by the neighbors of the com- 



150 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

munity, ou the farm of Mr. Mitchell, and immediately after its comple- 
tion a society was orj^anized under the title of Salem Church, consisting 
of the following members: John Pumphrey and wife, Silas Mitchell 
and wife, Jackson Pumphrey and wife, William Rosier and wife, and 
John Nutter and wife. This number was soon afterward increased by 
several additions, among whom were Henry Martin and wife, and Moses 
Martin and wife. The organization was brought about chiefly by the 
labors of Revs, Cobb and Leach, the latter of whom was the first pas- 
tor. He served for a period of about fifteen years. He was a man of 
eminent piety, and worked hai'd for the success of the church which owes 
much of its prosperity to his faithful watch and care. He was succeeded 
by Rev. Mr. Cobb, who exercised pastoral control at intervals for several 
years, and was in turn followed by Rev. Denton Simpson, who preached 
acceptably for about the same length of time. The pastor in charge at 
the })reseat time is Rev. Mr. Carver, a man well beloved by the congre- 
gation, who give him their hearty support. There are forty-eight mem- 
bers at the present time, and the church is reported in good condition. 
Jacob Barrow is Superintendent of the Sunday school, which is in good 
working order, and well attended. The present temple of worship is a 
neat frame building, capable of seating 250 persons. It was erected in 
the year 1869, and cost the sum of $1,500. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Windfall was organized by Rev. 
George Havens, at the village schoolhouse, in the year 1857, with an 
original membership of four or five families. The schoolhouse was used as 
a meeting place until the year 1873, at which time the present church 
edifice was erected. It is a frame building, with a seating capacity of 
300, and represents a value of $1,800. Rev. Greorge Havens was the 
first pastor. After him came in regular succession the following preachers : 
Fv. A. Newton, F. A. Fish. E. M. Baker, D. D. Powell, R. B. Powell 
John Kame, P. J. Albright, F. A. Fish, E. W. Osborne, the present in- 
cumbent. From a small and inauspicious beginning, the church has con- 
stantly increased in numbers and influence until at the present time it is 
the strongest religious organization in the township. Its present mem- 
bership is 125. Thomas Durbin and C. B. Nay are class -leaders. The 
Board of Trustees consists of W. Austin, J. K. Allen, B. Gilford and 
A. Riffe. Thomas Durbin is Superintendent of the large, flourishing 
Sunday-school. 

The Windfall Christian Church was re-organized from an old 
church which formerly existed near Irvin Creek, in the northern 
part of the townshij). The original organization was brought about 
through the labors of Elders Richard Cobb and Philemon Plummer. 
A house of worship was erected on Jefferson Wheeler's farm about 
the year 1854, and a good society maintained for a period of twelve 
or thirteen years, at the end of which time it was abandoned, the 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 151 

DQHJority of the members uniting with the Windfall congregation. The 
first meeting in the village was held at the schoolhouse about the year 
1866, and an organization effected \yith fifty members. Meetings were 
held at the schoolhouse about eighteen months, when steps were taken to 
erect a house of worship more in keeping with the constantly increasing 
congregation. A lot was purchased in the northern part of the village, 
and work on the new edifice began at once. The building is a frame. 
40x50 feet in size, and cost the sum of $2,200. It contains the most 
commodious audience room in the village, and will conafortably seat 350 
persons. The first pastor was Elder Jacob Blount, who preached one year. 
He was succeeded by Elder Wright, who remained the same length of 
time. The next pastor was Elder James Blackman, after whom came in 
regular order C. Quick, Mr. Taylor, M. W. Jamison, P. Blount, Mr. 
McGruffin, Hiram Ford and Mr. Franklin. The pastor in charge at the 
present time is Elder C. Quick. The present membership is about 
seventy-five. The church officers are L. McAlister, J. Sasser and Rich- 
ard Freeman, Elders; Benjamin Osborne and D. B. Vice, Deacons ; D. B. 
Vice and Nathan Bailey, Trustees ; George Cook, Sunday School Super- 
intendent. 

The Windfall Baptist Church was organized in the year 1871, by mem- 
bers of the Salem Church living in the village and vicinity. The con- 
stitutional members were John Nutter and wife, James Edwards and 
wife, Elizabeth Alexander and Vinnie Mulligan, a number which was 
afterward increased to sixteen. Rev. Mr. Cobb preached two years and 
was followed by Rev. Denton Simpson, who served as pastor for several 
years, preaching at irregular intervals. The other pastors were Revs. 
Odell and McDade. The society at the present time is in a veiy weak 
condition, and no services have been held for about six months. The 
village schoolhouse was used for a meeting place several months, after 
which the Methodist and Christian Churches were thrown open to the 
congregation. 

The Hazel Dell Quaker Church was organized in the year 1881. at 
theHazle Dell Schoolhouse, a short distance southeast of Windfall. This 
society has a small bat active membership, and promises to become a 
healthy organization at no distant day. The preachers who have minis- 
tered to the congi'egation are James Ellis, Edmund Peelle and Mr. Cox. 

VILLAGE OF WINDFALL. 

The town of Windfall Avas laid nut by James B. Fouch, the original plat 
embracing part of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter Section 
16, Town 22 north. Range 5 east. Fouch located at this point for the purpose 
of engaging in the lumber business, and platted the village in order to 
secure a station on the C, C. & I. C. R. R., which had been surveyed 
through the county in the year 1852. He erected a large saw mill in 



152 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

1853, and had the lots surveyed the same year, the lines being run by 
"William H. Nelson, County Siu'veyor. The first house in the new vil- 
lat^o was erected by Josiah Ross and used by him for a store. It is a 
frame building and still stands in the southwest part of the town, being 
used at the present time as a residence. Ross sold goods for about four 
years, at the end of which time he disposed of his stock and moved to 
the village of Mier. The second stock of goods was brought to the 
place by James Knight, who erected for the jjurpose a frame building in 
the southwest part of the town near the railroad. This storeroom now was 
a small affair, about 16x18 feet in size, and was occupied by Knight with 
a meager assortment of merchandise for about ten years. William 
Dixon erected a warehouse and storeroom near the rail I'oad, in the year 
1858, ard opened up a good business both in buying gx*ain and sell- 
ing goods. He kept a large general stock and was identified with the 
business interest of the village for several years. In 1859, Messrs. 
Taylor & Smith built a large storehouse near the railroad, which they 
stocked with merchandise to the amount of several thousand dollars. 
They did a flourishing business for several years, when they closed out 
to other parties and left the village. Another early merchant was "Will- 
iam Hammond, who erected a building at the "Five Points" where he 
sold goods about four years, when he disposed of the stock and house to 
J. H. Zehner, who occupies it at the present time. 

Among the early business men and firms were, Richard Freeman, 
Banta & Wines. AVilliam Cummack, Mr. Attenheimer, John Zehner and 
John Bailey. The oldest merchant at the present time is D. B. Vice, 
who commenced business in the village in 1865, and has been here ever 
since. 

The manufacturing interests of Windfall have been considerable. The 
first enterprise was the saw and grist mill erected by James B. Fouoh, 
prior to the laying out of the village. It was in successful operation 
several years, and did a large business, having been extensively patronized 
by the citizens of Wild Cat and surrounding townships. It was burned 
about the year 1858, and another combination mill took its place the year 
following. The second mill was erected by Fouch also, and stands in the 
southwest p. rt of the village. It was operated as a saw and grist mill for 
several years, when the machinery was taken out and replaced by a hoop 
and felloe factory, and. as such it is still run. The present proprietors 
are Messrs. Conklin and Scott. Michael Null commenced the manufacture 
of staves in the year 1865, and erected a factory near the western limit of 
the village on the railroad. The enterprise proved remunerative, and 
was operated until the proprietor's death, after which it passed into 
the hands of his descendants, who conduct a successful business at the 
present. A large saw mill and felloB factory was established in the year 
1877, by Thornburgh & Hirous, Avho ran it in partnership until about the 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 153 

year 1881, at which time the former sold his interest to B. F. Gifford. 
They do an extensive business, and ship as much material as any other 
factory on the railroad between Richmond and Kokoino. The Windfall 
Steam Flouring Mill was built in the year 1873, by a joint-stock company 
consisting of ten members. The building is a substantial frame struct- 
ure, three and a half stories high. 36x46 feet in size, and has three runs of 
buhrs, with a grinding capacity of 168 bushels of wheat per day. It. 
stands near the railroad in the southeast part of the village, and was 
erected at a cost of about $10,000. The company operated it until 1875, 
when the shares were purchased by Messrs. Null & McAlister, who ran it 
as partners one year, at the end of which time the (entire interest was 
purchased by McAlister. The mill was operated under McAlister's super- 
vision until 1879. when it passed into the hands of Mr. Marshall, who 
ran it until the time of his death, a short time afterward. It is operated 
at the present time by the Farrer Bros. , who have a large custom and 
merchant trade. 

SECRET SOCIETIES. 

Windfall Lodge, No. 834, A., F. & A. M. , was organized in the year 

1876, with a good membership. The organization increased in member- 
ship quite rapidly, and in 1878 was able to build and furnish a neat hall. 
It stands in the northeastern part of the village and represents a capital of 
about $900. The present officers are B. F. Gifford. W. M.; R. Parish, 
S. W. ; Hall Graham, J. W.; William Newton, Treasurer; Nathan Bailey, 
S. D. ; A. D. Riffe. J. D. ; D. B. Vice, Tiler ; and S. S. Newton, Secre- 
tary. The lodge numbers twenty-two members at the present time, and 
18 reported in good working order. 

Windfall Lodge, No. 438, I. O. O.- F., was instituted November 20, 
1873, with the following charter members: F. S. Zeek, George Dunn, 
William Brooks, G. W. Boyer, W. S. Armstrong, Joel Reece, S. G. Young 
and H. H Lindley. The first officers were J. H. Zehner, N. G. ; John 
B. Thorn, V. G.; F. S. Zeek, Secretary, and T. J. Lindley, Treasurer. 
The officers at the present time are J. D. Baker, N. G. ; R. P. Rice, V. 
G. ; Thomas Hiroiis, Recording Secretary; E. Perry, Permanent Secretary ; 
W. J. Miner, Treasurer, and Jacob Barrow, District Deputy G. M. The 
Trustees are Jacob Barrow, G. H. Cook and H. N. Steele. The present 
membership is about thirty-four. Meetings are held in a hall belonging 
to the lodge. 

THE PRESS. 

The Windfall Neirs, a five-column weekly quarto, was established in 
the year 1876 by Messrs. Sweet & Fugit, who issued it regularly until 

1877, at which time a half interest was purchased by P. and J. O. Be- 
hymer. They afterward bought the entire interest, and changed it into 
a seven-column folio. It was started as a neutral sheet, but nnder the 
management of Messrs. Behymer was conducted as an independent 



154 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Democratic paper, and reached a circulation of about 400. It was 
issued at Windfall until the year 1880, at which time 
it was moved to Tipton and merged into the Times of that 
place. In 1877 appeared the first number of Oicr Home, a juvenile sheet, 
started by Sweet & Fugit. It reached a good circulation, but was 
short-lived, only about five or six numbers having been issued, when the 
material was purchased by the projn-ietor of the Windfall Neirs and the 
two papers consolidated. 

PHYSICIANS. 

The first practicing physician in Windfall was Dr. Zimmerman, a 
man of good abilities, who commenced practice soon after the town was 
laid out, and continued several years. Dr. S. Murray was also an early 
physician, and perhaps the nest to Zimmerman. Afterward, came Perry 
Shockney and Austin Zeek, the former of whom died in the village sev- 
eral years ago. The medical profession is well represented at the present 
time by the following: L. McAlister, T. S. Zeek, W. L. Price, W. Austin, 
J. L. Spitzmesser, J. A. Horine, Dr. Hermann and George Woods. 

INCOEPORATION OF WINDFALL. 

On the 24th of March, 1871, the village, by a unanimous vote of the 
citizens, took upon itself the dignity of an incorporated town, and elected 
the following Board of Couucilmen: J. H. Zehner, T. J. Alexander, W. 
A. Dennis and L. B. Carver. This board organized for work, by elect- 
ing J. H. Zehner, President, and T. J. Alexander, Clerk. Other officers, 
whose names could not be ascertained, were appointed at the same time. 
The present Boai'd of Councilmen is composed of the following gentle- 
men : Dr. Zeek, Thomas Hirous, J. I. Seward and B. F. Vice, J. I. Sew- 
ard being President. The other town officers are Madison Wright, 
Marshal; D. D. John, Clerk and Treasurer; aud Perry Behymer, Attorney. 

THE CRIME RECORD. 

While Windfall claims to be a law-abiding village, and can probably 
boast as many upright citizens as any other place of its population, it 
has in years past been the scene of several bloody tragedies, of which the 
following is very brief mention. In the year 1865, a man by name of 
Noble Gofi" was murdered in his bed, the assassin using for the purpose 
a large old-fashioned hatchet. Goff had been at one time a reputable 
citizen, but in later years became very dissipated, a fact which led to 
many family quarrels. His wife, a woman of very fiery temper, had been 
heard to make frequent threats of violence. She was arrested on sus- 
picion, and tried for the murder. The case was stubbornly contested by 
the attorneys on both sides, but the evidence of guilt was so clearly 
established that she was convicted aud sentenced to a long term in the 
penitentiary. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 155 

In the year 1864 or 1865, Dr. Ai-mstrong shot and killed Henry 
Thomas. The motive which prompted the bloody deed was jealousy 
on the part of the former. Armstrong was arrested for the crime, and 
had his trial at Muncie, to which place a change of venue had been 
taken. He pleaded "not guilty" to the charge of murder, and was 
successful. 

During a drunken altercation which took place in one of the village 
saloons a number of years ago, a man by the name of Perry was killed 
by A. Balser. The deed was the culmination of a quarrel which grew 
out of a game of cards. 

A fatal shooting affray occurred near the village about the year 1867, 
in which a man by the name of Gififord was killed by James Stewart. It 
seems that the former went to Stewart's place for the purpose of attach- 
ing some cattle, and not being very warm friends, soon got into a bitter 
quarrel, during the progress of which the shooting was done. Stewart 
was arrested and tried, but got cleared on the plea of self-defense. 

A BIG FIRE. 

On the 13th of March, 1883, occurred a very de.structive tire, which 
laid in ruins several tine business houses, and entailed heavy losses on 
the owners. The tire originated in the large brick drug store belonging 
to Dr. McAlister, from which it leaped to his I'esidence, near by, which 
was soon enveloped in flames. Every possible effort was made to check 
the devouring element, but without avail, and it soon spread to the store 
buildings of Vice & Nutter and Legg & Patterson, both of which were, 
in a few moments, reduced to a moldering mass of ruins. The fire is 
supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. 

WHAT THIRTY-ONE YEARS HAVE DONE. 

This brings us to the end of our sketch of Windfall. Thirty-one years 
laden with sorrows and joys, bright anticipations and vanished hopes, 
have added both age and dignity to the little city. Many of the old 
citizens who were wont to indulge in pleasant dreams of what the town 
would some day be are quietly sleeping in their last resting-places. 
The boys and girls of those early years are children no longer, but have 
taken their places in the ranks of men and women, and are doino- the 
work assigned them. During these years, almost a third of a century, 
the village has steadily gained in business importance and financial 
strength, until, at the present time, it is the second town in the county, 
and boasts a population of 800 souls. Its business houses are as follows: 
J. H. Zehner, dry goods and general store; W. H. Crafton, general 
merchandise; Vice & NuHer, general merchandise; "W. J. Miner, hard- 
ware; A. H. Zehner, groceries and notions; "VV. R. Bailey, groceries; E. 
McAlister. E. L. Pickering and J. A. Schell, ch'Ug stores; H. N. Steele, 



156 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

undertaker and furniture dealer; I. P. Emery, harness shop; Samuel 
King, E. H. Farrington and P. Hofifman, shoe shops; Thomas Flatt, 
Peter Applegate, John Carr and C. C. Gray, blacksmiths; William Claw- 
son, hotel; E. Osborne, wagon-maker; Mrs. Gray, boarding-house; Claw- 
son & Bailey and Jones & Son, livery stables; Perry Behymer and W. 
A. Dean, attorneys. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIl' 

BY GEOKGE C. WOOD. 



Liberty Township is in the north-central part of the county. It is 
seven miles long east and west, and five miles wide north and south, con 
taining thirty-five square miles. The greater portion of the township is 
in Congressional Township 22 north, Kange 4 east. There are six sec- 
titms on the north in Township 23 north. Range 4 east, and one section 
in Township 23 north, Range 5 east. On the east end of the township 
there are four sections in Township 22 north, Range 5 east. The town- 
ship is bounded on the north by Howard County, on the east by Wild 
Cat Township, on the south by Cicero Township, and on the west by 
Prairie Township. Its surface is level. It has a deep, rich soil, and 
was in its primeval state covered with a dense forest, consisting chiefly 
of walnut, poplar, oak, sycamore, elm, beech, maple, hickory and ash. 

Mud Creek enters the township a little south of its center on the 
west, flows northeast and leaves the township ju.st south of the corner 
section. North Creek rises in the extreme southwest corner of the town- 
ship, flows northeast, and empties into Mud Creek, one mile and a half 
east of Sharpsville. Turkey Creek crosses the extreme southeast cor- 
ner of the township, being confined almost within the southeast quarter 
of the corner section. 

INDIAN HISTORY. 

All the northern portion of the county once belonged to the Miami 
Reservation. Hunting parties from this tribe of Indians visited the 
township every fall and spring until about 1J^52 or 1853. At this time, 
raccoon, turkey and deer, were found in abundance, and occasionally 
"old bruin " was to be (encountered, though the number of black bears in 
this region was never very numerous. 

The Miauiis had a camping ground just south of Sharpsville on the 
Grishaw farm, also one east of Nevada, where John B. Reeder's house 
now stands; one west of Nevada where Mr. Coate now lives, and another 
southwest of Nevada, where Mrs. Schaefer now lives. Just south of Reed- 
er's house is the grave of an Indian chief by the name of Shockamore. 
Tradition has it that several of the chiefs, who were jealous of his pro- 
motion and influence in the tribe, while in a drunken carousal killed 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 157 

him. The mound beneath which he is said to have been buried has been 
pointed out to numbers of the settlers, but no one has ever dug into the 
grave to verify the story. There is another Indian grave on the Sippy 
farm. On the Bowlby farm there are two Indians buried, a man by 
the name of Pete Cornstalk and a squaw, by name " Over-the-garden-wall." 
The latter name is probably fictitious, but these graves, as well as that of 
the one buried on the Sippy farm, remained for many years inclosed by 
pens bviilt of rovmd logs. 

EARLY SETTLERS. 

It IS probable that the first settler in Liberty Township was a man 
by the name of Kaywood, who built a cabin north of the creek on what 
is now the Needham farm. Kaywood was a frontier man and soon 
moved away. Whence he came and whither he went are not now known. 
Perhaps the next settler was William Riggs, who came from Madison 
County and pre-empted land where Fish now lives. He afterward sold his 
claim, and pre-empted land where William Jarrett now lives, two years 
before the land came into market. Riggs returned to Madison County 
in 1853, where he still lives. Frederick Parsons pre-empted what is now 
known as the McGee farm. He sold his claim to Frank McGuire in 
1846 and moved to Howard County, where he died in about 1870. Mc- 
Guire went to Iowa in 1858, thence to Missouri. 

Caleb Richardson and his wife Celia came from Boone County and 
pre-empted what is still known as the old Richardson homestead in 1845. 
Unto them were born sixteen children, fifteen of whom lived to have fam- 
ilies of their own. Their names, though not in the order of their ages, 
were William, Charlotte, Jane. George, James, Stephen, Jackson, Strange, 
Caleb, Emeline, Cynthia, John. Joel, Mary Ann, Jonathan and Francis 
Marion, the last dying when he was an infant. Mr. Richardson died 
several years ago, but Aunt Celia is still living. She is now about sev- 
enty-seven years old, and has seen all her children buried but five. Rich- 
ardson was one of the first settlers in his neighborhood. His house was 
a home for the traveler and the land seeker. He was the founder of 
Methodism in this part of the county. For several years his house was 
the place of meeting. He helped establish the Pleasant Grove Associa- 
tion, and with David and P. Hutto built the Pleasant Grove Meeting 
House. His infant child, Francis Marion, was the first to be buried in 
ihe Richardson Graveyard. A remarkable fact connected with the his- 
tory of this graveyard is that there were sixteen children buried in 'it 
before any grown person. 

Thomas Cole, born and reared in Kentucky, came to Shelby County 
in 183-5. From there he moved to Liberty Township in 1847, and pre- 
empted a quarter-section of land where he now lives. James Cole, 
brother of Thomas, came from Henry County, Ind., in the spring of 1848 

10 



158 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

and bougiit the claim where he lived the remainder of his years, dying^ 
in 1870. 

Granville Wilson came from Shelby County in the fall of 1848 and 
bought the land where James H. Chase now lives. James Maze came 
from Butler County, Ohio, to Shelby County, Ind., in 1827; theuce he 
moved to Liberty Township in 1848, where he entered the tract of land on 
which he has lived ever since, with the exception of one year he lived in 
Terre Hall, Howard County. 

William Jarrett came from Greenbrier County, Va., to Decatur Coun- 
ty, Ind., in 1847; thence he moved to JNIadison County and thence to 
Liberty Township in 1851. He entered the farm that Mr. Needham 
now owns, and bought the place on which he is now living in 1853. 
Benjamin Denny, William Sims and William Marshall were the first set- 
tlers in the northeast part of the township. They came from Madison 
County in 1850. Benjamin Denny died there in 1855, and William Sims 
in 1863. William Marshall went to the army and died in service in 
1864. Lindsay Ballew came from Howard County and settled in Ne- 
vada in 1854. He is still living in the township. Other early settlers 
in that part of the township were John Smith, William Smith and 
James Barrow. Among the early settlers in the southeast part of the 
township were Alexander Mills, Esq., Jesse Smiley, Messick Turner, 
Jonathan Hay worth and Lilburn Cox. Among a great number who en- 
tered land in 1848, the following were first: Lewis Small, George Stew- 
art, James Bennett, Larkin Ward, John W. Pike, George B. W. Parks, 
W. M. Hutto. W. Caldwell, Wesley Umfreys, E. M. Sharp, P. H. 
Smiley, Jesse Wells, William Bess, Francis McGuire and Henry Goar. 
These early settlers underwent all the hardships and privations which 
were common to pioneer life. Their houses were log cabins with clap- 
board doors and puncheon floors. 

The corn huskings, raisings and log rollings were occasions never to 
be forgotten by " ye old settlers." For supplies in the way of milling 
and what few groceries they could afiford the early settlers in the west 
part of the township journeyed to New London, Howard County, and La 
Fayette; those on the east went usually to Perkinsville on White River. 
The following incident, illustrative of the hardihood of the women of 
those days, is told and its accuracy vouched for by a living witness: The 
Widow Van Horn moved from Wayne County and settled south of 
Sharpsville in the fall of 1851 or 1852, bringing with her a roan mare. 
One day the following winter, when the snow was five inches deep, and 
the mercmy below zero, the mare got out of the rail inclosure near the 
house and started to return to their oM home. Toward night her es- 
cape was discovered. Mrs. Van Horn set out in pursuit on foot. She 
trailed the mare in a southwest course, the trail leading through Teters- 
burg and Boxleytown and thence southeast, crossing the Peru road be- 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 159 

tween Cicero and Noblesville. She came up Vv'itli the mare in the nei(i-h- 
borhood of Perkiiisville. Mounting her, she made her way back, reach- 
ing home before daylight the next morning. 

THE FIRST DEATH. 

The first death in the township was probably that of an old man by 
the name of Praul,who lived on the farm Dr. Baxter now owns. Praul. 
it is supposed, started to go to the settlements in Grant County, and on 
his way fi'o^e to death. If Praul's death was not the first, then tlie 
first must have been that of Messic Turner's son. This boy was about 
fifteen years old, and was killed by a tree falltng on him. He was bur- 
ied on the Turner farm, Avhich Calvin Holman now owns. The first to 
be buried in the Sharpsville Graveyard was a child of William Riggs. 
that died of scarlet fever in 1850. The second was William Bowlby's 
child, and the third a young man by the name of Joseph Van Horn. 
The first to be buried in the Nevada Graveyard was John Smith, who 
died in 1848. The first in the Richardson Graveyard was the infant 
son of Calf>b Richardson. It is not now known who was first buried in 
the old Mud Creek Graveyard. The first in the new graveyard south of 
the road was John McGee. 

MARRIAGES. 

The first marriage license issued in the county was that of John G. 
Brown and Lorinda Sharp, July 31, 1844. The marriage was solem- 
nized by John B. Cole, Justice of the Peace, August 8, 1844. The fol- 
lowing is a copy of the second marriage license issued in the county, 
the contracting parties living in this township: 

State of Indiana, /,>,„.• 
Tipton County, f <-reetmg: 

To any person empowered by law to solemnize marriage. You are hereby au- 
thorized to join together as husband and wife Hickman Smiley and Elizabeth Mills, 
and make return of said marriage to this office as required bj' law. 

In testimony whereof, I, Newton J. Jackson, Clerk of the Tipton Cir- 
[SEAL.] cuit Court, hav^ hereunto set mj hand and seal this 3d day of 

August, 1844. 
State op Indiana, } 
Tipton County, f 

This is to certify that on the 8th day of August, 1844, I joined Hickman 
Smiley and Elizabeth 3Iills as husband and wife, according to law. Given under 
my hand and seal, this 30th day of Augaist, 1844. 

Joseph Goar, Associate Judge, [seal.] 
It will be noticed that these two couples were married on the same 
day, viz., August 8. It is claimed that Smiley's wedding was the first in 
the county, the marriage having occurred earlier in the day than that of 
Brown. The next parties to wed in this township were John Brown 
and Philena Kay wood, who were married February "2, 1845. The third 
marriage was that of George B. W. Parks and Cynthia Richardson, 
which took place July '26, 1845, Judge W. H. Nelson officiating. 



160 mSTOUV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

EARLY SCHOOLS. 

The first school in Sharpsville was tau<i;ht in a little log house where 
Edward Roswog now lives, by Martha Ann Grishaw, in 1852. She re- 
turned to Ripley County and married G. W. Holman in 1858; she is 
still livino-. The next school was taught by Lizzie Smith in a little 
frame house south of the sc^uare. Miss Smith taught two or three terms, 
the last in 1855. She died at Zionsville in Boone County, of erysipelas. 
John Vaughn taught a school in the winter of 1853, and John W. Gris- 
haw one in the summer of 1854. These wore all subscription schools, and 
nothino- definite can be learned as to the number of scholars or the price 
of tuition. 

In the Richardson neighborhood, the first schoolhouse was a little 
round-loo- house just in the edge of what is now Prairie Township. It 
had one window and a fire-place. It is not known who taught the first 
school in this house. The second school was taught by L. Adams, who 
is now in Benson County, Iowa. He received $2 per scholar for a three- 
months' winter term. The second schoolhouse in the neighborhood was 
built near where Granville Wilson now lives in 1849 or 1850. Matthew 
Hawthorn, who now lives in Kokomo, was among the early teachers, 
also L. Adams. At this time each school district had three trustees. 
Thomas Cole and G. M. Wilson were two of the first Board of Trustees 
in this district. 

The law for the establishment of public schools was passed in 1852. 
A new house was soon after built on the present site. It has always 
been known as the Cole Schoolhouse. The first public school taught in 
it was by L. Adams. John Ballinger taught the second term. Other 
early teachers were Dr. Chew and John King. 

The first school in Nevada was taught by James H. Martin, who is 
now in the dry goods business at Fairfield, Ind. He had fifteen or six- 
teen scholars and taught in a little old, deserted log house. Other 
teachers were John C. Riley, J. Hyatt and George Wise, the latter teach- 
ing in a portion of his own house. The first free school was taught by 
Jesse Morgan and the second by Lizzie Morgan. 

CHURCH HISTORY. 

Poplar Grove Separate Baptist Church was fii-st organized in the old 
log schoolhouse where the Jackson Cemetery now is. The society af- 
terward held meetings in Sharpsville for a year or two, and finally built 
the church on James Maze's farm. This building was torn down only a 
few years ago, the chur^jh organization having been broken up in 1862. 
The early members were: Reuben Jackson and wife, George Wiseman, 
James Bess, James Maze and wife, J. A. Maze and wife, Maj. 
Bennett, Oliver Brown and Andy Mills and wife. Elder Joy Ran- 
dolph was its founder and attending pastor for many years. No one 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 161 

who ever heard the old man preach will ever forget the fervor and 
earnestness which characterized the delivery of his sermons. Other 
pastors who attended the church were Renben Jackson, A. J. Graham 
and Robert Sharp. 

The Old School Baptist Church was organized on the third Saturday 
in September, 1864, by a council composed of Wilson Thojnpson, John 
A. Thompson, A. B. Nay and George S.AVeaver. The original members 
were Jesse G. Jackson and wife, W. J. Tyner and wife, Elizabeth Tharp, 
Charity Jack-^on, Joseph Heudrickson, James Powers and Elizabeth 
Lyon. The church was organized at the Lutheran Meeting House. The 
present church edifice was built in 1866. Elder Jesse G. Jackson has 
been the pastor in charge ever since the organization. The total mem- 
bership at present is fifty- four. 

The Richland Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sharpsville was or- 
ganized by Rev. A. H. Scherer in Mud Creek Schoolhouse on the 23d 
day of June, A. D. 1857. At this time John Long was elected Elder 
and Jonathan Ulrick, Deacon, for two years. The number of members 
of the organization was nine, viz. : John Long, Jonathan Ulrick, Hemy 
Swing, Oliver Saunders, Jane Long, Barbara Swing, Martha Ann Saun- 
ders, Sallie Swing and Ladoskey Swing. The chiu'ch edifice, two and a 
half miles southwest of Sharpsville, was built in 1863, at a cost of $900. 
Since the 8th day of January, 1879, their meetings for the most part 
have been held at the Cole Schoolhouse, on account of greater conven- 
ience. The present membership is twenty-four. Rev. A. H. Scherer 
has been the pastor in charge most of the time since its organization. 
Other pastors who have preached for the church are Alonzo Scherer, S. 
P. Snyder and Samuel McReynolds. The present board of trustees con- 
sists of Jonathan Ulrick. Jacob Piatt, Daniel Coon,E. G. Becker and E. 
W. Ulrick. 

Hopewell Presbyterian Church, two and one half miles east of 
Sharpsville, was organized February 22, 1873, by Rev. J. S. Craig, by 
consent of the Presbytery of Muncie, Synod of Northern Indiana. The 
organization consisted of eight members, viz., William Bowlby, John 
C. Henderson and wife, Abraham V. Voris and wife, Martha E. Voris, 
Ann Caldwell, Lydia Kirkpatrick and Olivia M. Davis. William Bowlby 
and John C, Henderson were elected and ordained Ruling Elders, and 
Abraham V. Voris Deacon; William Bowlby, John C. Henderson 
and John Kirkpatrick were elected Trustees, and steps were immediately 
taken toward erecting a church edifice. The building was completed the 
following summer at a cost of $1,600, and dedicated in October by Rev. 
J. S. Craig. Rev. Craig has been pastor of the church ever since its or- 
ganization, preaching every four weeks. The meml^ership at present 
numbers fifty-six. A Sabbath school is held every Sabbath, with forty- 
one scholars and three teachers. 



162 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

The Rock Pi*airie Church, four miles southeast of Sharpsville, was 
organized by Elder Joy Randolph in 1852, with nine members. The sue 
cessive pastors have been Elders Langman, G. ^V. Turner and W. H. 
Spurlin, the last having been the pastor in charge since 1878. A very 
good frame church building was erected at a cost of $1,200, and dedicated 
in 1876 by Elder G. W. Baumgardner. This church has had a slow but 
steady growth, its couimunicants now numbering eighty. 

Rev. Richard A. Newton was the pioneer preacher in Liberty Town- 
ship. In the fall of 1851, he preached at ihree different points in this 
township, viz.. Sharpsville, MeGee Schoolhouse and at Uncle Gale Rich- 
ardson's. A portion of what afterward became the Hopewell class was 
organized by him at the McGee Schoolhouse in 1851. The Methodist 
Episcopal Church at Sharpsville was organized in the fall of 1852, by 
Rev. Hopkins, who was preacher in charge of the Normanda Circuit. The 
first class was composed of the following members: Madison Grishaw, 
America Grishaw, James Comer and wife, Washington Grishaw, Caleb 
Richardson and wife, George Richardson and wife, Callaway Pierce and 
wife, V. C. AVisner, and a few others whose names cannot now be ascer- 
tained. In 1854, Milton Mahan, of Logansport, was Presiding Elder, 
and Nathan Shackleford preacher in charge, assisted by W. K, Hoback. 
Martin Morrison was appointed in the fall of 1854, re-appointed in the 
spring of 1855, and failed to fill the charge. Rev. Richey was appointed 
in 1856 by Elder Lamb to fill the place. The district was then known 
ns the Peru District. In the spring of 1857, J. J. Cooper, Presiding 
Elder, appointed William Bradford, who remained two years. Under 
his supervision, the Methodist Episcopal Church building was com- 
menced. Thfin followed Rev. George Havens, from 1859 to 1861, who 
finished the church edifice, which was dedicated by his father, Rev. 
James Havens. J. W. T. McMullen was the preacher in charge in 1861. 
The following year, Rev. William Edmonson was in charge. [The dates 
attached to some of the foregoing are, perhaps, incorrect, and there is 
perhaps one preacher omitted between Richey and Bradford. With that 
exception, they are probably given in the exact order of their ministra- 
tions. ] The following spring (1863), Joseph Shackleford was appointed 
and remained two years. In the succeeding spring came D. F. Streight, 
who remained one year. After that came Silas Stout, one year; James 
Black, one year; and W. J. Martindale, six months. The Presiding 
Elder employed C. W. Stafford to fill out Martindale's time. Then was 
sent Charles Martindale, one year, who was followed by J. E. Erwin, 
the Rev. Keeler, Rev. C. Brock and H. C. ClingJe. 

In the spring of 1869, Sharpsville was set off from Tipton and made 
a separate circuit. In 1870, Rev. L. R. Streeter was sent here and re- 
mained three years. During his pastorate, Nash's Chapel was built. 
Then followed T. J. Elkin, who remained three years; A. H. Currie, 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 168 

three years; D. D. Powel, two years; T. H. C. Beall, one year; and F. 
A. Fish, one year. The Rev. Mr. White is the preacher in charge at 
this writing. The Methodists held their meetings at Uncle Cale Rich- 
ardson's house for some years before they moved to town. In town they 
iirst met in an old vacant dwelling house south of the square, and then 
in the schoolhouse until the church was built. 

VILLAGE OF SHARPSVILLE. 

E. M. Sharp, the founder of Sharpsville, came from Washington 
County, Penn., to Morgan County, 111., in 1831, thence going to Jen- 
nings County, Ind., in ]838, and to Liberty Township in the spring of 
1849. At the latter date, there was no road between Tipton and Kokomo, 
except in the vicinity of Fairfield. The first settler in the present lim- 
its of Sharpsville was a man by the name of Wiseman. The second was 
Reuben Jackson, who kept a small store in the south part of town. This 
was the first business enterprise ever started in the town. A plat of the 
town was made May 24, 1850, and recorded May 27, by Sylvester Tur- 
pen, Recorder. The town was laid off with the expectation that it would 
be the county seat, and accordingly a public square was left. This ex- 
pectation having failed, the square was indeed a public one until the 
township trustee built the brick schoolhouse on it. This house is a two- 
story brick with three rooms, one above and two below. The town was 
subsequently incorporated, and the School Trustees fenced in the square 
and set out quite a number of beautiful shade trees. It is now the most 
. beautiful school property in the county. When the house was built, Mr. 
and Mrs. Sharp signed a quit-claim deed to the grounds. 

The first mill for grinding corn was a horse mill in the Balser neigh- 
borhood. The second was a corn-cracker attached to the saw mill then 
owned by a man by the name of Siunner. The mill was built in 1851 or 
1852. It subsequently burned down and was never rebuilt. Mr. Sharp 
commenced building a flour mill in the summer of 1852, completed it in 
the summer of 3853 and commenced grinding in September of 1853. 
This mill was 60x70 feet on the ground floor, and three and one-half 
?tories high, with four runs of buhrs, three for wheat and one for corn. 
It contained storage room for 20,000 bushels of grain, and at that time 
was the largest and best equipped mill in this region of country. Mr. 
Sharp ran the mill till about 1862 or 1863, and then sold to Cornelius 
Barlow. Barlow sold the mill in about 1865 to Franklin & Thompkins, 
who continued to run it till March 28, 1868, when it burned down, re- 
sulting in a total loss, as there was no insurance. Franklin associated 
with him John C. Halley, and immediately rebuilt. The new mill was 
running in jiTst one hundred days from the time of the fire. The firm 
continued to operate the mill till 1871. 

The first saw mill was built in what is now Needham's meadow, in 



164 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

1851, by a man of the name of Strickland, from Ripley County. Strick- 
land sold the mill to Eli Sumner, who put in a corn-cracker, as mentioned 
elsewhere. The mill was afterward burnt and never rebuilt. Thompson 
subsequently built a mill south of the creek, sold it to Robinson & Bland, 
and they to Squire Armstrong, who afterward moved it to Prairie Town- 
ship. List & Blunk built a mill just north of town, Webb & Co. suc- 
ceeding them. Miner «fe Howard next built a mill in town. Miner event- 
ually selling his interest to Howard. While Howard owned the 
mill, it was burned and rebuilt on the same site. Howard sold out to 
J. H. Hoback in 186U. The mill burned again in 1873 and was rebuilt. 
L. D. Thomaf^ took a half interest in 1878, and the same year the mill 
was a third time burned and rebuilt. Berryman & Bates bought the 
mill in 1881, A. L. Bates succeeding to the business. 

Murzy Adams built a saw mill on Mud Creek in an early day, and 
several years afterward added a grist mill. This mill was eventually 
moved to Normanda by Milton Mozingo. 

The first mercantile business started in Sharpsville was by Reuben 
Jackson, who kept a store in the south part of town. Jackson afterward 
went to Missouri, but the date of his coming and the time he left can 
not now be determined. It is believed that Forbes & Fugit succeeded 
Jackson, and in about 1853 moved their stock to some other town. 

The second mercantile business started in Sharpsville was by Madison 
and Washington Grishaw in 1853, in a store room fronting the railroad, 
where the old building now owned by Haynes, Grishaw & Shook stands. 
Washington Grishaw succeeded to the business and the house was 
burned in 1856. 

J. A. Franklin came to Liberty Township in the fall of 1850, from 
Hancock County, and settled on what is now the Merrill Townsend farm. 
He came to Sharpsville in the fall of 1851 and started a dry goods and 
grocery store in the south end of his residence (the building now be 
longs to J. W. Grishaw and is rented as a residence), having associated 
with him N. Spaulding. They sold goods there till the fall of 1851, 
and then sold out to Fish & Hill. Franklin, after going to Kansas on 
a prospecting tour, returned and built what is now the I. O. O. F. build- 
ing in the spring of 1855, and went into business again, the firm being 
Franklin & Haynes. In 1857, the name of the firm was changed to 
Franklin, Haynes & Co, Silas Needham being a partner. In the fall of 
1858, William Haynes died, the firm thus becoming Franklin & Need- 
ham. It remained so till 1859, when Needham sold out to W. P. Gard. 
The firm of Franklin & Gard continued in business till the fall of 1865, 
when Franklin took the whole st:)ck. In 1866 or 1867, Franklin asso- 
ciated with him J. W. vStratford & Bro. . and finally sold the entire 
stock to them. Stratford & Bro. continued till October, 1869, when they 
sold a third interest to N. W Halley and an equal amoimt to Moses 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 165 

Samples. The remaining one-third was sold to I. J. Henry in January, 
1870. The firm of Samples, Halley & Co. continued till June, 1870, 
when Samples & Halley succeeded to the business. Samples finally 
bought out the whole business and continued till March, 1873, when he 
sold a one-half interest to John W. Grishaw, Sr. Grishaw & Samples 
continued in business till 1875, in the meantime buying the remnant of 
goods belonging to Randolph, and moving aci-oss the street to the Fish 
& Hill building. In 1875, J. VV. Grishaw succeeded to the business and 
continued till 1876. In that year Calvin Holman came in as a partner. 
The firm of Grishaw & Holman continued till 1877, when H. E. Wool- 
ey came in as a partner, the firm then being known as Grishaw, Hol- 
man & Co. Holman retired in the fall of 1877, and Grishaw & Wooley 
continued till the fall of 1878, when Wooley died, and Grishaw contin- 
ued the business till March, 1879, when he sold to N. Spaulding. Spauld- 
ing continued in business till March, 1882, when he sold to George W. 
McGee & Co. W. E. Richards of this firm retired in the fall of 1882, 
the firm name remaining the same. In March, 1883, the stock was sold 
to John W. Grishaw, Jr. 

The history of the business done in the Fish & Hill building pre- 
vious to the time it was occupied by Samples & Grishaw is about as fol- 
lows: D. A. Fish and Ellison Hill bought the stock of goods in Frank- 
lin's residence from Franklin & Spaulding in the fall of 1854. The 
next year they built the business house on the corner. They continued 
in business until 1857. Hill succeeded to the business, and in 1858 
sold out to William B. Hill. William B. Hill sold the stock to Wishard 
& McGuire in 1862. They continued in business till 1864, when Mc- 
Guire succeeded to the business and moved the stock of goods to Wind- 
fall. D. A.. Fish put in another stock of goods in the building in the 
spring of 1865. In 1866, McGuire became a partner. Fish & McGuire 
sold to Harlin & Bolin in 1868. They continued the business two years, 
when Harlin sold his interest to Bolin & Son. They sold to Andy Wal- 
lace, and Wallace to Randolph. 

George W. Mix commenced business in the dry goods line in the 
building by the railroad in September, 1865. In November, 1865, 
George V. Haynes became a partner. They continued until July, 1867, 
when the firm name changed to Haynes, Mix & Grishaw. In April, 1870, 
the firm assumed its present name, Haynes, Grishaw & Shook. In the 
latter part of 1875, they built the magnificent brick structure which they 
have since occupied with a large stock of goods. The fii'ui took a one- 
half interest in the Tipton store in December. 1877, and assumed full 
control in Febniary, 1882. 

The store room north of the road running by the church was built in 
1855, and Thomas T. Walker commenced business in the dry goods and 
grocery line. He continued till 1858, and then moved his stock of goods 



166 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

to Tennessee. Mix & Brown next started business in the same building. 
They sold out to Nathan Spanlding, who continued in business for a 
number of years. The remainder of the history of this building is nar- 
rated elsewhere, commencing with its occupation by W. N. Heath & Co. 
Stratford & Bro. put in a stock of drugs in their back room while 
they were in business, and sold that part of their business to Dr. W. N. 
Heath & Co., in September, 1868. Heath succeeded to the business. 
In Februai'y, 1870, a stock of groceries was added and the whole stock 
moved north of the road under the firm name of Heath & Co. In April, 

1870, this slock was sold to J, N. Davenport & Co, and the business con- 
tinued till August, when Davenport succeeded to it. In February, 

1871, the stock was closed out by Sheriff's sale to Joseph Cooper. 
Cooper sold the stock to Ja"mes F. Merrick. Then followed S. C. Seiler 
and Drs. Franklin and Alma'n. The stock ran down, in quantity as well 
as reputation, till finally the whole business " turned up its toes to the 
daisies." 

In 1875, after J. W. Grishaw had vacated the Odd Fellows' building, 
Louis Mehlig started a drug store in it. In 1881 a stock oi groceries 
was added. In 1882 Mr. Mehlig moved to his present commodious 
quarters in the building erected by Thomas & Hoback. 

For several years previous to 1872, J. E. Ballenger was proprietor of 
a grocery in a small building next to the old Haynes storehous'e. In 
that year, L. D. Thomas became a partner. They continued till 1878, 
when Thomas succeeded to the business and built the storehouse now 
occvipied by Mehlig. When the stock was removed to the new building, 
J. H. Hoback became a partner. Thomas & Hoback continued in busi- 
ness till July, 1881, when they made an assignment. 

The lodge of the Free and Act3epted Masons received its dispensation 
December 26, 1854, H. C. Lawrence, G. M. The officers and charter 
members were Silas Needham, W. M. ; George W. Rose, S. W. ; Levi 
Moorly, J. W, ; James A. Dunnigan, S. D. ; Robert McLain, J, D, ; J. 
A. Franklin, Secretary, and N. Spaulding, Treasurer. The charter was 
granted May 31, 1855, with A. C. Downey, G, M., and Silas Needham, 
W. M. In 1863, on account of so many of its members having gone to 
the war, the lodge was compelled to surrender its charter. John N. 
Daly was then W. M. The charter was restored in 1868, with Silas 
Needham as W. M. The preliminary meetings for the organization of 
the lodge were held up-stairs in Silas Needham' s house. During the 
dispensation and until 1855, under the charter, the lodge met in a build- 
ing now known as the old barracks, then owned by S. F. Randolph. 
In 1855, and for several years subsequent, its meetings were held in 
what is now the Odd Fellows' building. The lodge next met in a room 
over what is now Seller's blacksmith shop, and continued to meet there 
until the Masonic building was bought and fitted up. Silas Needham 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 167 

was W. M. from the organization of the lodge in 1S54 to 1861. N. R. 
Griffith was the second W. M., and John N. Daly the third. When the 
charter was restored in 1868, Silas Needhatn was again W. M. until 
1871. G. M. Hawthorn was probably his successor. Then followed 
Hiram Heath, 1872 to 1876; William N. Heath. 1876; J. K. Baxter. 
1877 to 1879; J. K. Shook, 1879 to 1881; and J. K. Baxter, 1881, to the 
present time. This lodge has been one of the most prosperous in the 
county, having, perhaps, made more Masons than any other. Owing to 
death and the removal of many of its members, the membership now 
only numbers twenty- three. 

The I. O. O, F. Lodge was organized May 18, 1870, with J. A. Wild- 
man, G. M. The charter members were Simeon Massena, N. G. ; M. E. 
Clark, J. E. Rumsey, William J. Franklin, William Dickson, G W 
Buyer, George V. Haynes, D. E. Gilbert and W. S. Armstrong. The 
lodge was instituted June 2, 1870, and the following persons initiated: 
John Baker, Pe^er P. Illyes, I. W. Gardner, J. L. Grishaw and George 
Wooldridge. The first Trustees were George V. Haynes, W. J. Frank- 
lin and I. W. Gardner. This has always been a prosperous lodge. Its 
membership numbers forty- three. B. F. Hall is the pi'esent N. G. 

The first doctor of Sharpsville was Reuben Jackson, who came 
from some point in Boone County in 1849 and left in 1853, going to 
Missouri. Dr. James P. Lindsay, the father of medicine in Sharpsville, 
came from Decatur County in 1850, and has lived here ever since and 
been engaged in the active practice of his profession. Dr. Chew came 
from Clinton County in 1852 and remained till 1854, when he moved to 
the west part of Howai'd County. Dr. Cross came from Madison, Ind., 
in 1855, left in 1857 and i-eturned to Madison. Dr. Cummings came 
from New Marion, Ripley County, in 1856, and went to -Jennings County in 
1857. Dr. New came from Vernon in 1856, and left the next year and 
went to Kentucky. Dr. J. K Baxter came from Jefferson County in 
1855, continued in practice till 1871, when he moved to his farm in ihe 
country. Dr. Basey came from New London, Howard County, in 1854, and 
went to Spiceland, Henry County, in 1856. Dr. Grooms arrived about the 
year 1857, was elected County Treasurer in 1862, and died in Tipton. 
Dr. L W. Stratford came in 1865, and left about 1869, going to Indian- 
apolis. Dr. W. N. Heath came from Jefferson County in 1868, and is 
still in the practice. Dr. A. B. Pitzer came from Prairie Township in 
1868, was elected County Clerk in 1879, and is now practicing medicine 
in Tipton. Dr. Houser came in 1875, and left the next year. Dr. W. 
L. Price came from Cari-oU County in 1878, left in 1879, going to Wind- 
fall, where he is now engaged in the practice. Dr. A. I. Wilson came 
from Prairie Township in 1879, and went to Colorado in 1881. Dr. D. 
P. Rubush came from Jefferson Township in 1879, and remained hero in 
the practice. The summer and fall of 1855 are memorable as the sickly 



168 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

season. Intermittent fever, complicated by fatal congestive chills, was 
t«>rrible in its devastation. On one day Dr. Lindsay visited every family 
in Sharpsville except that of William Heaton. The groans of the suffer- 
ers could be easily heard from house to house. The malady was equally 
severe in the country. The next year was much the same, though the 
disease did not assume so severe a form. 

The iirst hotel in Sharpsville was built in 1853 b}' Cornelius St. Clair, 
on the corner where T. L. Aa'mstrong now lives. A gentleman by the 
name of McClellan was the second to occupy the building. The third 
was Daniel Campbell, who was host for a number of years. At present 
there are two hotels, R. S. Fish being proprietor of one and Edvvard 
Roswog of the other. 

The first blacksmith shop was started by James Comer in about 
1852. The second, by S. C. Johnson, in March, 1854, who has worked 
at his trade here ever since, with the exception of one year in the army 
and three years that he was at Indianapolis. 

Sharpsville was incorporated in 1873. Monroe Grishaw and Gr. M. 
Hawthorn were two of the first Trustees. William Harrold was elected 
Marshal, and T. Adkins, Treasurer. The corporation was voted down 
in 1881. 

The first Postmaster in the township was John Ballenger, who kept 
the office on the old Henry Swing farm. The next was Thomas Cole, in 
about 1849, who had the office one year and kept it at his house. At 
that time letter postage was 25 cents and paper postage 50 cents. There 
were only two papers that came to the office, one taken by Thomas Cole, 
the other by Caleb Richardson. Before the Peru Railroad was com- 
pleted, the mail was carried from Indianapolis to Peru once a week. 
When the office was moved to town, Reuben Jackson was the first Post- 
master: then in order of their appointments came Arthur St. Clair, Al- 
len Franklin, Dr. Grooms, William Griffith, Thomas Lambert, D. A. 
Fish and W. A. Robinson, who has held the office continuously now for 
eighteen years. 

The present business enterprises of Sharpsville are as follows: 
Haynes, Grishaw & Shook, general store; Louis Mehlig, drugs, grocer- 
ies and hardware; John W. Grishaw, Jr., dry goods and groceries; Rob- 
inson & Wells, harness; J. A. Ballenger, groceries; George I. Daugherty, 
restaurant; Edward S Green, restaurant; George W. McGee, dealer in 
grain a ad live stock: S. C. Johnson, blacksmith; John Seller, blacksmith; 
M. Hoffman, wagon shop; Edward Roswog, saloon; Logan Renner, sa- 
loon; V. C. Wisner, shoe shop; Daniel Lance, shoe shop; A. L. Bates, 
saw mill; Ed Wesei. saw mill; William Smith, grist mill. 

VILLAGE OF NEVADA. 

Benjamin Denny was the first settler in what is now Nevada. He 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP lt)9 

came from Madison County in about 1850. At the same time came 
William Sims and WiJIiam Marshall. Lindsay Ballew came from How- 
ard County and settled in Nevada in 1854. He has been a resident of 
the town almost ever since, and the following sketch is for the most 
part given by him: Nevada was laid off by Samuel Denny and William 
Marshall in October, 1852, and recorded October 28, 1852. Sylvester 
Turpen was then Recorder and proposed to charge nothing for making 
the recorrl if the people would let him name the town. He named it 
after, a town in Mexico. 

A post office wag established in Nevada in about 1850. William 
Wooley was the first Postmaster. The mail route was the C. & C. Rail- 
road. James Morrison was the next Postmaster from 1854 to 1857. 
Preston Ballew served from 1857 to 1872, Lindsay Ballew acting as his 
deputy from 1858 to 1872. GaiTett Rickets served from 1872 to about 
1874; John B. Reeder from 1874 to 1876; John C. Riley from 1876 to 
1881, and Mr. Coate from 1881 to the present. 

The lirst business enterprise was a general store started by William 
Wooley and George W . Wise, in about 1850. Lindsay Ballew succeeded 
them in 1854 and continued till 1862. John W. Wright succeeded him 
and continued until 1865. Dr. John Siimmers bought Wright's stock in 
1865 and continued the business till 1867. He then sold to H. Allan 
and W. Ballew, who continued till 1870. The propi-ietors then were 
Lindsay Ballew, from 1870 to 1873; Garrett Ricketts, from 1873 to 
1875; Swoveland & Kessler, from 1875 to 1877; Walter P. Ferguson, 
from 1877 to 1879; John B. Reeder, from 1879 to 1881; John C. Riley, 
from 1881 to the present time. D. L. Coate & Co. started the second 
general store in 1881, and still continue. 

The first grist and saw mill combined was built by Lindsay Ballew 
in 1854. The first settlers had their milling done either at Jonesboro or 
Perkinsville, in Madison County, until the Sharpsvilln Mill was built in 
1853. 

The United Brethren have preached in Nevada from an early day, 
but have never organized a church. 

A Methodist class was organized in the fall of 1858, by John B. Fish, 
of Sharpsville, who was a local preacher and traveled extensively in 
that capacity. He also filled vacancies in circuits sometimes, and was 
one of the pioneer Methodists. He died at his home in Sharpsville in 
1879. Some of the original members were William Stockdale and wife, 
AVesley K. Bailey and wife, and A. D. Doggett and wife. 

The first wedding that occurred in Nevada was that of George "Wise 
and Jeannette La Flesh. 

EARLY ELKCTIOJJS. 

Previous to 1849, Prairie Township extended to Sharpsville, and 
then Wild Cat began. The first elections were held at Circle's, about 



170 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

■whei'e Mr. Baldwin now lives, and the next where old man Kirtley lived. 
Afterward they were moved back to the Evanb neighborhood, where they 
remained till Liberty Township was organized. The oldest record that 
can be found at the court house shows that Richard Humphries was 
elected Justice of the Peace August 27, 1845, and qualified December 
12, 1845. with the following sureties: Jesse Harding, David Humphrey, 
Willis Ball and Caleb Richardson. 

ORGANIZ.\TION OF LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. % 

At the June term, 1849, of the County Board of Trustees, it was or- 
dered " that there be a new township organized out of the west part of 
Wild Cat Township, to be called Liberty Township, to be bounded and 
described as follows: * * * (Making the township five miles square, 
the west line running north and south on the road by the church in Sharps- 
ville.) Also that the foregoing boundaries form and constitute one road 
disrict to be called Road District No. 1, Liberty Township, and that the 
place of holding elections should be on the place now owned by Aaron 
H. Hensley, in Section 4, where Hugh Smiley now resides." Hugh Smiley 
Avas at that time appointed Supervisor, and Jesse Horton Inspector of 
Elections till the spring election following. The board also ordered an 
election be held the first Monday of August, 1849, to elect one Justice 
of the Peace. At the September term of 1851, the board ordered <-.hat a 
two-mile strip from Prairie Township be added to Liberty Township on 
a petition headed by "William Brookbank and thirty-five other citizens 
of both townships. The board ordei'ed that thereafter the elections 
should be held at the village of Sharpsville. 

COUNTY RO.\DS. 

The first one laid out was a road beginning at the county line on the 
north on Range line No. 3, thence one and a half miles south, then in a 
southeast direction to Tipton. Harvey Wells and Thomas Cole got up 
the petition for this road in the spring of 1848, and Cole took it before 
the County Board. The nest road was between Sections 22 and 23, be- 
ginning at the range line and running to Nevada. This was in the fall 
of 1848. 

WAR RECORD. 

During the civil war. Liberty Township furnished her full quota of 
the men for the service. Capt. M. C. Holman raised two companies, 
officered as follows : Company C, Twenty-sixth Indiana, 1861 — M. C. 
Holman, Captain; W. P. Gard, First Lieutenant; Robert Sharp, Second 
Lieutenant; Tj. Gardner, Orderly Sergeant. Company G, One Hundred 

and Fortieth Indiana, 1864 Guthridge, Captain; M. C. Holman, First 

Lieutenant; William Biu'ton, Second Lieutenant; George W. Mix, 
Orderly Sergeant. John C. Halley succeeded Mix as Orderly. Besid^^s 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 171 

these two companies, many men enlisted in other companies not accred- 
ited to the township. 

RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT. 

The inadequacy of a description of the township in early times, ex- 
cept it be written by an eye witness, is apparent. When white men tii'st 
began to erect their cabins in different parts of the township, it was one 
continuous dense forest, with its gigantic trees of oak, walnut, poplar 
and sycamore, many of which served as land marks to guide the pioneer 
wheii out hunting to his cabin. Winding paths led from one settlement 
to another. Swamps, the draining of which at that time was never 
thought of, spread their weary lengths in all directions. Mud Creek was 
a river so far as breadth was concerned, lacking only the two elements 
of depth and a current. In the summer, as the waters would begin to dry up 
and a thick green scum form over its surface, the chills and bilious fe- 
ver would set in and follow it from its source to its mouth. This phe- 
nomenon occurred with the regularity of the seasons, and the doctors 
were never disappointed. At one time, in the streets of Sharpsville, 
logs were used on the side-walks to keep pedestrians out of the mud and 
water. 

But a great change has been wrought. Roads have been opened out 
on almost every section line: the fine timber which was not destroyed by 
the early settlers in order to get rid of, has all been worked into lumber 
and staves. Swamps have been drained and the forests cleared away. 
With her two gravel roads already built and the two others soon to be 
built: with her numerous large open ditches; with her enterprising and 
energetic farmers, who are draining their farms and clearing them of 
stumps, building fine houses and beautifying their homes; with her twa 
railroads; with her school privileges and churches, Liberty Township is 
destined to bud and blossom as if touched by the magic wand of some 
magician, and become one of the most wealthy and beautiful in the 
countv. 



PRAIKIE TOWNSHIP. 

BY G. N. BERRY. 

Nature, in her green mantle, is nowhere more lovely than in that 
portion of Tipton County set aside by survey as Prairie Township. Cozy- 
farmhouses nestle in somber quietude amid green orchards which dot 
the landscape in every direction. Though it has the appearance of new- 
ness, this division has been settled fur many years, and scenes once 
familiar to the older residents are 'ast fading from view. Only too 
frequently is it the case that people do not see beyond the narrow limits 
of their own lives, and items of private and public interest are alloAved 



172 HISTOllV OF TIPTON COUNTV. 

to drift into the channel of the forgotten past. Many important facts 
connected with the early history of Prairie Township are irrevocably 
lost, while a few have been found by careful research and will be ap- 
propriately mentioned in the following pages. 

Prairie Township embraces territory lying in the northwest corner of 
Tipton County, west of Liberty and north of Jefferson Township. 
It borders on Howard County on the north and Clinton County on the 
west, and was formed at the general division in 1844. It originally in- 
cluded the western half of Liberty Township, and was reduced t^ its 
present area of thirty- nine square miles in the year 1849; viewed from 
a topographical, geological or agricultural standpoint, it is so similar to 
other townships already described as to render it unnecessary to enter 
into minute details. The surface in the main is level, yet sufficiently 
undulating to present a very pleasing prospect to the observer. The soil 
is of the black loamy nature common to this part of the State, and noted 
for its depth and fertility. When first seen by the white man, the sur- 
face of country was covered with dense forests, the leading varieties of 
timber being black and white walnut, beech, several species of oak, hard 
and soft maple, elm and ash, with a thick undergrowth of willows, spice- 
brush, etc. 

In the western part of the township is a long, wet slough, or prairie, 
embracing many acres of rich soil too marshy for cultivation. Much of 
this prairie has been reclaimed of late years by a successful system of 
tile drainage, and at the present time presents some of the best farm 
laud in this portion of the county. Indian Prairie, from which the town- 
ship was named, extends into the southwest corner. It was originally 
nothiug but a quagmire, but artificial drainage has developed its pro- 
ductiveness to such a degree that the land is second to no other portion 
of the township for agricultural purposes. The principal streams by 
which the country is watered and drained, are Mud Creek and its 
tributaries, Little Wild Cat and Shanty Creek. The first named flows 
through the eastern and southern parts and leaves the township from 
Section 12. It is a stream of considerable size and importance, and 
affords the chief outlet for the drainage of this part of the county. The 
country though which it passes is low, and in some places stretches away 
into large sloughs and quagmires, on both sides of the stream. Little 
Wild Cat rises in Section 19, flows in a northeasterly course, and leaves 
from Section 35. Shanty Creek flows in a northerly course and has its 
source in Section 19. Two small streams not designated by any names 
on the county map flow through the southeast corner of the township. 

The leading occupation of the citizens of this township is agricult- 
ure, although considerable attention is given to stock-raising, an indus- 
try which promises to assume some importance in the near future. At 
present, however, it is to the difi'erent crops that the majority of the 



PTxAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 173 

people look for their chief support. The soil appears peculiarly adapted 
to corn, although wheat and the other cereals are produced in abundance. 
Friiit of many varieties is found in almost every orchard. The pioneers' 
attention was early called to fruit-culture and many old orchards that 
have been bearing for years, are to be seen in various parts of the town- 
ship. 

SETTLEMENT. 

Forty years ago, the area embraced in Prairie Township was compara- 
tively an unbroken wild. The settlements were few and far between, 
and it was only after a ride of several miles through the dense woods 
that the traveler might find evidence of advancing civilization in the 
presence of a diminutive, rough pole cabin, planted near a spring, or 
some small stream, or an insignificant round-log shanty, in the midst of 
a small opening in the forest. 

Broad expanses of woodland lay around without the sight of a human 
habitation, while the country furnished but few signs that it had been pene 
trated by white men, and these signs were principally the blazed paths 
made by cutting through the bark of the trees, a sign scarcely distin- 
guishable after twilight set in. Here and there claims had been marked 
out by home-seekers, and they were always welcome sights to the luck- 
less one who found himself lost in the deep, trackless woods. But the 
scene has changed marvelously since then, and the wilds of prairie now 
blossom and bloom like the rose. Her broad, fertile acres are divided ofif 
into well- tilled farms, in which are many tine and elegant residences, 
evidences of the prosperity with which the farmer is surrounded and 
blessed. 

This portion of the county was not opened for settlement as early as 
some of the neighboring townships in the southern part, as it formed a 
part of the Indian Reserve, which did not come into market subject to 
entry until the year 1847. Prior to that time, however, quite an exten- 
sive settlement had been made along the western border, where the 
pioneers pre-empted claims and held the land until patents were ob- 
tained from the Government. A number of hunters and transient set- 
tlers entered the township several years in advance of the permanent 
residents, but just when they made their appearance cannot be deter- 
mined with any degree of accuracy. It is known, however, that when the 
first permanent settlers, who became owners of land, appeared, there 
were living along the creeks several of these squatters, none of whom ap- 
pears to have made much improvement in the way of clearing the land 
or tilling the soil. They were sojourners rather than settlers, and a por- 
tion of them were but the scum which crested the tide of advancing 
civilization, and having a large region from which to choose, soon di'ifted 
to other localities. Their names and history have alike been forgotten. 
Among the first, if not the first actual settler, was one Alexander 



174 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Suite, father of Riley Suite, who pre-empted a claim in the northwestern 
corner of the township as early as the year 1842. He was a native of 
Tennessee, but came to Indiana at an early day, and located a few miles 
from the present village of Russiaville, in Howard County, where he lived 
until the survey of the Indian Reserve was made, when he moved to the 
locality mentioned. His son, then a mere urchin, describes their advent 
to the new home in a very graphic manner. A small cabin, 16x16 
feet, had been erected on the claim a few months previous, the work 
being done by a young man whom Mr. Suite hired for the purpose, giv- 
ing him a gun for a compensation. The understanding between Mr 
Suite and the architect was that a house should be erected. This con- 
tract the builder carried out to the letter of the law, and then presented 
himself to his employer for his pay. The gun was handed over, and the 
family prepared to move. They loaded up their few household effects 
and agricultural implements in a single wagon, and set out for the little 
mansion, the wife and mother driving, and the father and son going 
ahead, and cutting a way through the thick woods and underbrush 
After a toilsome journey, the destination was finally reached ; but what 
was the surprise of our pioneer when he found the little cabin with no 
floor, no " chinking" in the cracks, and neither door nor window. A tem- 
porary shelter was hastily improvised for the family outside the build- 
ing, after which Mr. Suite took his ax and chopped a door into the 
house, which was ready for occupancy in a short time. The few house- 
hold goods were arranged in one end of the domicile, while the other end 
was reserved for a fire place. Before this could be constructed, however, 
the good wife did her cooking over a fire built on the ground floor, the 
smoke making its escape through the large openings between the logs as 
best it could. In a few weeks, Mr. Suite had improved his residence by 
the addition of a rough puncheon floor, a fire-place, and a window made 
of greased paper. The apartment, if not large, was at least very airy 
and served to shelter a family, many of whose happiest days were spent 
within its humble walls. Suite lived on his original claim two years, at 
the end of which time he sold his improvements to David Brown, and 
took a second claim a few miles further south. The second house was a 
decided improvement on the first, being larger and much better con- 
structed. It required all the settlers within a radius of five miles and 
two gallons of whisky two days to raise it. Suite occupied this place 
about four years, when he disposed of the claim to Enos Scott, and 
moved near the central part of the township, where he lived until the 
time of his death, in the year 1866. His son, Riley Suite, came with his 
father to the new country, shared all the hardships and privations of 
pioneer life, and has been prominently identified with the township ever 
since." He is one of the leading farmers of the country, and the oldest 
settler of Prairie living at the present time. 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. I75 

In 1843, SolomoD Bringle came to the township and was joined the 
latter part of the same year by John Brown, Joseph Orr and Isaac Golds- 
berry. Bringle took a claim in the western part, where Henry Garner 
lives. He was a native of North Carolina and a man of industrious 
habits, though possessed of but little of this world's goods He cleared 
a small patch of ground and occupied his claim iibout six years, when he 
sold to a man by name of Bryant and moved to the present township of 
Liberty, near Sharpsville. Brown pre-empted land a short distance west 
of Suite's claims, where he cleared and made a very good farm. He came 
to Indiana from Oliio, and was identified with this part of the country 
five or six years, when he sold his land to John Moulder and emigrated 
to the State of Missom-i. Goldsberry located in the northwest corner of 
the township on land at present owned and occupied by William Evans. 
For several years after coming to the country, he did but little in the way 
of improving his claim, spending the greater part of his time hunting, 
by means of which he obtained his chief support. He entered his land 
in the year 1849, and sold it a few years later and moved near the village 
of Galveston, in Cass County, where he still resides. Orr pre-empted a 
claim in the western part of the township where Jefferson Chasteen lives, 
and became a prominent land-owner in after years. He was a resident 
of the township until the year 1869, at which time his death occurred. 

Another early settler, who came about the same time as the foregoing, 
was Clinton Gray, a son-in-law of Joseph Orr. He made his first inv 
provements on land where J. Orem lives, which he occupied about five 
years, when he sold to Orem, who has resided upon it ever since. John 
Brock came in 1843, also, and took a claim where Kobert Nash lives, 
near the central part of the township. He was a splendid specimen of 
the backwoodsman, whose greatest pleasure was hunting, at which he 
appears to have been a great expert. His family lived in the most prim- 
itive-manner,, in a little pole hut near Mud Creek, and seemed supremely 
contented with a mere animal existence. Brock entered the land on 
which he settled for Mr. Nash, who had previously purchased his right 
and improvements for $150. 

An early pioneer deserving of special mention was Richard Foster, 
who settled near the southern boundary of the township, in the summer 
of 1843. He appears to have been a man of much more than ordinary 
energy, and soon had a good farm cleared on his claim. He entered the 
land early in 1848, and was a prominent and upright citizen of the town- 
ship until the time of his death, a number of years ago. Several of his 
descendants live in the county at the present time. 

^ Additional settlers who came in before the land sale were Jackson 
Watts, William Chapman, Isaac Eads, Thomas Scott, Samuel Carter, 
Vincent Garner, Robert Alexander, Heiuy Garner and Enoch Garner, all 
of whom secured claims in the western part, and Amos and W. D. Pritch- 



176 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

ard, who located in the southern part of the township. When the land 
was put upon the market subject to entry, a number of home seekers came 
to the township, among whom were Isaac Glenn, who entered land in 
the western part, where Joseph Worden lives ; Andrew Sample, a native 
of Switzerland County, who settled near the northwest corner ; Peter 
Keel, who located near the western border ; Jacob Smith, who settled in 
the same locality, where he still lives, and W. R. Irby, who entered land 
in the northwestern part, where he still resides. Other settlers, who came 
in an early day and shared the hardships of frontier life, were Thomas 
Quackenbush, James Carter, Owen Lindley, Maj, Bennett, James Vaw- 
ter, Henry Bowlen, Ambrose Corn, Daniel Umphreys, John Lee, James 
Baldwin, Riley McKay, Joseph Orem, Samuel Carter and James A. 
Franklin, all of whom became permanent residents. 

In addition to the above list, the following persons secured lands in 
the township during the years 1847 and 1848 : Stephen Kenworthy, 
Molten Moody, Hiram Adams, Lewallen Adams, William Hutto, Harvey 
Lake, Daniel Lane, Stephen Lane, Cyrus Ally, E. Grage, John Lucken- 
bauch, Benjamin Fee, Thomas Armstrong, Jacob Smith, Andrew Sample, 
E. Gilbert, F. M. Jones, William Osborne, A. N. D. Thompson, W. 
Chapman, W. B. Hyatt, William Landers, Jesse Coleman, Smith Turner, 
Lorenzo Owen, Harvey Barnes, H. Bowlen, George Tucker, D. F. Ritten- 
house, Jacob Dunham, Nicholas Tomlinson, George Pitzer, John W. 
Pyke, William Morris, John Harrow, Jacob Ackerman, Adam Copp^er, 
Samuel Bader, William Hendixon, Daniel Green, Z. Piper, G. W. Ho- 
gan, Abrara Kilby, Samuel Kilby, John Stevens, Alex S. Jones, Henry 
Cobbins and James Miller, many of whom were not identified with the 
township in the capacity of citizens. 

LIFE IN THE BACKWOODS. 

The pioneers of forty years ago managed to get along with but few 
of the modern conveniences of comfort. They accustomed themselves 
to do without such articles as nails, glass, sawed lumber, or brick, for 
the reason that they could not procure them. Their dwelling houses, if 
pole cabins could be called such, were small, consisting of one story, 
built of rough, unhewed logs, with the ends projecting from six inches to 
two feet at the corners, the crevices between them being daubed with 
mud or clay, and the whole structure covered with clapboards held to 
their places by heavy weight-poles. The same kind of boards, fastened 
to cross-pieces by wooden pins driven into holes made with a gimlet, con- 
stituted the door- shutters, generally constructed to open outward. The 
floor, when they had any, was made of puncheons pinned down or laid 
loose. These, when carefully dressed and closely put together, con- 
stituted a very good floo^^, but some of them conveyed the idea that the 
settlers believed in ventilation, for they left cracks so wide that the ehil- 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 177 

dren in pursuit of their favorite amusements would often slip their little 
feet through the dangerous trap-doors, causing many squalls and bruises. 
A wooden latch, raised by a string, served as a fastening for the door. This 
string had one end tied to the latch and the other passed through a small 
opening above, and when the door was shut, the person wishing to enter 
had only to pull it in order to raise the latch, hence to leave the " latch- 
string hanging out," was considered synonymous with sociability and 
hospitality. The apartment was warmed by a large open-mouthed fire- 
place, where rocks or billets of wood were used for andirons. Though 
very wide and capable of receiving logs of almost any dimensions, these 
tire-places were very convenient, furnishing a receptacle for most, if not 
all, the cooking utensils of the family, and when crowded, the children, 
and in some families the dogs, found accommodations in each side in 
company with the skillets, ovens, frying-pans, etc. Articles of house- 
hold furniture were very few and of the rudest description, with the, ex- 
ception of those brought from the older settlements. Chairs could not 
for several years be procured, their place being supplied with wooden 
stools, which, though answering well their purpose, were easily upset, a 
circumstance often causing much merriment. The tables and bedsteads 
were of the simplest kind, the former being constructed out of the same 
material as the doors. IVlany of the latter were made by boring two 
holes in the wall with a large auger, six or seven feet apart, into which 
pieces of wood were driven, having the opposite end of each inserted 
into an upright post, the whole constituting a kind of frame work, which, 
when covered with clapboards, served as a receptacle for the beds. Sofas, 
rocking chairs, center-tables, bureaus, and all such articles of luxury, 
were not used, except where some old lady, or whimsical old maid, had 
refused to part with these " household gods," and had brought them to 
this wild coimtry from their old homes. On the outside of the house it 
was no uncommon thing to see a goodly number of coon and deer skins 
stretched and hanging up against the wall to dry, and occasionally the 
skin of a wolf, wild cat or bear. The projecting ends of the logs at 
each corner of the cabin served as places to hang the various utensils 
used on the farm, such as hoes, rakes, bridles, harness, etc. The manner 
of living was in keeping with the dwellings and utensils described, and 
for many years the pioneer's lot was by no means an enviable oae. Like 
all new settlers, they labored under the disadvantage of being poor in 
all the comforts of life — the plainest necessities even, as well ag a com- 
plete absence of tools, such as blacksmiths', carpentei's', etc. There was 
little or nothing to be bought, and they had even less to purchase with, 
had it been there. In 1847, there were only four or five farms where 
land enough was tilled to use an old-fashioned breaking-plow, and one 
of the pioneers relates how he footed it from^is farm to the nearest 
blacksmith, several miles distant, carrying his plow to have it sharpened. 



178 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Many started their "deadenings" in the timber and dug holes here and 
there, and planted corn and potatoes, and perhaps a few beans, and thus 
their little truck-patches gave them food, or bread at least. 
Their meat they could procure in great abundance with their rities. 
Deer were plentiful, and furnished the pioneer meat sufficient for his 
own use. while the skins were sold at the different market places for from 
twenty-five to fifty cents apiece. These, with wild honey and ginseng, 
of which large quantities of each were obtained, afforded the principal 
articles of commerce, and were exchanged for groceries, wearing apparel 
and meal. The nearest market place to the northern settlement, was 
the village of Burlington in Carroll County, a distance of twelve miles, 
while those living in the southern part of the township obtained their 
groceries, etc., at Boxleytown, in Hamilton County, and later, at the 
little stores at Tetersbui-g and Noi'manda in ^the adjoining Township of 
Jefferson. An old pioneer, whose boyhood was passed in the northern 
settlement, says that it was his duty to procure meal for the family, and 
regular trips were made on horseback to Burlington for that purpose. 
When no corn was at hand to take to the mill, our pioneer youth carried 
a large jug of honey to exchange for meal, the jug being placed in one 
end of a bag, and a stone of equal weight for a counter-balance in the 
other end, the whole thrown across the back of the horse. This jug 
hold several gallons of the precious sweets, and when filled was equiva- 
lent to a bushel of meal. Upon one occasion, while the boy was unload- 
ing the sack, the rock fell against the jug, breaking it into a hundred 
atoms and wasting the greater part of the honey. 

The first wheat raised in the township was grown by Alexander Suite. 
It was threshed with a flail, cleaned by being thrown up into the air 
from a sheet, and marketed at La Fayette for 60 cents per bushel, a 
large price at that time. The early farmers drove their hogs to the same 
market place, and realized from the sale about $1.50 per hundred, in cash 
and trade. 

The first frame house in Prairie was built by Joseph Orr. about the 
year 1850. It was a small structure of one room, and is still standing 
near the western boundary of the township. William Chapman and 
William Osborne were the next to build frame houses on their farms. 
Robert Nash and Gilbert Van Sickle erected the first brick houses in the 
township. 

BURIALS AND MARRIAGES. 

The first burial place was the Prairieville Graveyard, in the western 
part of the township. There were laid away the children of Jackson 
Watts and Thomas Scott as early as the year 1844. Other early inter- 
ments, at the same place, were a son of Clinton Gray, who was killed by 
a well-pole falling on him, a man by name of Hoffman, and the children 
of Solomon Bringle. The Normanda Grfiveyard was probably the second 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 179 

one, and then the cemetery at Liberty Church, near Groomsville. The 
fact that a cemetery is found near each church, or regular preaching 
place, points with great clearness to the fact that no funeral was thought 
to be properly conducted without a sermon. The coffin was generally 
the handiwork of a home wox'kman, and the body was arrayed in the chill 
simplicity of a shroud. It was an unknown thing for a dead person to 
be buried in the dress worn in life, or in such garments as living persons 
wear. 

The first marriage ceremony in the township was solemnized at the 
residence of Joseph Orr, in the year 1845, the contracting parties being 
Eliza Orr and William Peters. The occasion seems to have been one of 
general merriment, and an eye witness, still living, says that the fluid 
which makes the head light flowed as freely as water. Quite a number 
of festive youths of the neighborhood gathered at the bride's residence, 
a short time before the hour appointed for the ceremony, and proceeded 
in a procession to meet the groom and preacher, who came together. 
The couple were halted by the tipsy revelers who presented them a decor- 
ated decanter well-filled with the "O be joyful." To make the occasion 
pass off pleasantly, the prospective young Benedict cheerfully gulped 
down the " red eye." 

CHURCHES. * 

The cause of religion received the early attention of the pioneers of 
Prairie. It is a fact highly commendable to them that churches were es- 
tablished while yet there was but a handful of residents in the new com- 
munity. People in those days seem to have been more religious and 
more zealousy devoted to their churches than their descendants of the 
present day. Whether this resvilted from their lonely life in the wil- 
derness, beset with toil and danger as it was, or whether they were more 
zealous Christians, we will not attempt to say. Their religion was simple, 
earnest and sincere, and possessed fewer forms and ceremonies than are 
now in vogue. Keligion like everything else has kept pace with the 
marvelous march of civilization, and the ancient doctrine of " Him who 
spake as never man spake" has been wonderfully improved upon to adapt 
it to the lively wants of the nineteenth century. 

The introduction of the Gospel into this township dates back to the set- 
tlers' firnt appearance, although no organizations were effected for several 
years later. As early as 1844, Elder Laomi Ashley, a minister of the 
"Christian Connection," or New-Light Ghm-ch, held public services at 
the residences of Alexander Suite and Vincent Garner, in the north- 
western part of the township. These meetings were kept up at regular 
intervals for one year, at the end of which time an organization under 
the title of Prairieville Church was effected at Garner's residence. Elders 
Ashley and Samuel Poff officiating. Among the early members of this 
society were Alexander Suite, Peggy Garner, Thomas Scott, Silas Scott, 



180 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Rachel Garner, EHsha Comer and wife, and Nancy Orr. Elder Ashley 
was the first pastor, in which capacity he served acceptably for several 
years, and labored diligently for the success of the little society. The 
second pastor was Lemuel Shoemaker, after whom came Samuel Poflf, 
Abraham Cole, Almon Cook, Adam Kelliaon, John Poff and Henry Puck- 
ett, all of whom were men eminent in piety and good works. Later, 
came Elders George Hubbard, Thomas Hubbard, George Boswell, Isaac 
Goldsberry, Mr. Vanness, Johnson Dipvoy, John Puckett, John R. Kob, 
James Comer, James Winegardner, and B. F. Jayne, the present incum- 
bent. The society met at the residences of the different members for 
abovit two years, at the end of which time a log meetiag house, 24x24 feet, 
was erected on land bought of Isaac Eads and William Chapman. This 
house was a tolerably fair structure, and served its purpose until the year 
1853, when a frame building was erected near the same place. The lat- 
ter house was erected at a cash outlay of $250, the majority of the mem- 
bers contributing work and material to the amount of about $400, making 
the aggregate value of the edifice $650. The congregation used the 
frame house until 1877, at which time steps were taken to erect a struct- 
ru'e more in harmony with the growing prosperity of the society. A 
building committee, composed of Robert Orr, Gilbert Van Sickle, R. 
McReynolds, John Carter and Riley Suite, was appointed to draw up 
plans and specifications for the new building, and to solicit subscriptions 
for its erection. It was decided to build a brick house, and work was 
commenced in the year 1877, but, owing to a lack of funds, it was not 
completed until 1879. It is a large, commodious edifice, two stories 
high, 37x50 feet in size, and represents a value of $3,500. The upper 
story is used for lodge purposes. The present membership of the church 
is eighty. Robert Orr and Raven McReynolds are the present Elders. 
R. McReynolds, Josiah Orem and Gilbert Van Sickle, compose the Board 
of Trustees. The large, floiu-ishing Sunday school is under the efficient 
management of Riley Suite. 

Liberty Baptist Church dates its history from the year 1853. It was 
organized at the residence of Peter Duncan, about one and a half miles 
north of the village of Groomsville. The organization was brought about 
by the labors of Rev. Henry Cobb, and numbered ten original members, 
whose names were as follows: Roley Smith, Elizabeth Smith, John 
Smith, Eliza Smith, Edward Coombs, Frances Coombs, Elijah Heniy 
and Judy Henry. Duncan's residence served the congregation as a meet- 
ing place about four years, when a log building was erected a short dis- 
tance north of Groomsville, on land belonging to Abraham Kirtley. This 
house was used until it could no longer accommodate the constantly 
increasing congregation, when it was abandoned, and a frame structiure 
erected in its place in the fall of 1882. The latter building is 2Gx30 
feet in size, and was erected at a cost of $900. The first pastor of the 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 181 

church was Elder C(ibb, who preached for a period of four years. He 
was succeeded by Rev. Simeon Mugg, whose pastorate extended over a 
period of one year. After Mugg's time expired, Elder Cobb was again 
called by the church, and remained about two years. Then came Uriah 
Thomas, who preached one year, after which Rev. Denton Simpson 
preached at intervals for two or three years. Rev. John Storm succeeded 
Simpson, and ministered to the society a little over a year, when Madison 
Carver was called to the pastorate. After Carver came Storm again for 
a short time, who was succeeded in the year 1882 by the present pastor, 
J. K. P. Carson. The present officers of the church are: Jonah Hand 
and William Scudder, Deacons; Michael Orr, Charles Evans, Josiah 
Hand and William Hand, Trustees. The society is in a flourishing con- 
dition at the present time, and has about one humdred members. 

Mount Zion Baptist Church was organized by the Rev. Denton Simp- 
son, in the year 1860. The first meeting was held at the Zion School - 
house, in Section 3, and a society formed, consisting of twelve members. 
Public services were held at the schoolhouse until the year 1880. at 
which time the present neat temple of worship was erected. This stands 
in Section 3, on land donated by James Terrell, and is a commodious 
frame structure valued at $1,000. The first regular pastor of the church 
was Rev. Valentine Knight, who ministered to the congregation about 
foar years. After him came Rev. Denton Simpson, who preached ac- 
ceptably for two years, at the end of which time Rev. Joseph Van Brig- 
gle accepted the pastorate and served at intervals for seven years. John 
Storm was the next preacher and remained four years. The pastor in 
charge at the present time is Rev. Madison Carver, who is in his second 
year's work. There are about thirty members at the present time, among 
whom are many of the best citizens <jf the community. James Terrell 
and Thomas Miller are deacons. Wilson McGrraw is Superintendent of 
the Sunday school, which is well attended and ably conducted. 

In the year 1844, the citizens living in the vicinity of Mr. Nash's 
residence, inaugurated measures for the purpose of erecting a house of 
worship to be used for general church purposes, and a building commit- 
tee was appointed to select ground and otherwise further the project. 
This committee was composed of the following gentlemen : Robert Nash, 
Robert Pyke, Joseph Townsend, Thomas Pratt and William Pyke. Mr. 
Nash donated one acre of ground and the building was erected in due 
season. It is a neat frame edifice 32x46 feet in size, and cost the sum of 
$1,600. Immediately after the erection of Nash Chapel, as it is called, 
the few members belonging to the Methodist Church, living in the vicin- 
ity, called a meeting for the purpose of organizing a class Rev. T. J. 
Elkin officiated on the occasion and a society numbering twenty members 
was duly organized and attached to Sharpsville Circuit. Under IMr. 
Elkin's pastorate, which extended over a period of two yeai's, the church 



182 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

grew very rapidly and was soon increased to fifty members. The second 
pastor was Rev. Adam Curry, who preached three years. Then came 
Rev. Mr. Powell, who remained two years, he was followed by Rev. Mr. 
Beall, who ministered to the congregation one year. The next supply, was 
Rev. Asbary Fish, who remained the same length of time. The 
present pastor is Rev. Charles White. The officers of the church 
are Frank McGraw, Class Leader ; Robert Pyke, Steward ; Robert Pyke, 
Maj. Bennett and William Pyke, Trustees. Thomas Hutto, Sunday 
School Superintendent. The present condition of the church is not 
what its friends desire, the membership having decreased very sensibly 
during the last two or three years. At the present time there are only 
about thirty names on the church record. 

Nash's Chapel, Friends' Church, was organized in the year 1876, 
with a membership of twenty -live. The first meeting was conducted by 
Rachel Middleton, who, with the assistance of George Wilsie, effected 
the organization. Meetings have been held at the chapel until within a 
recent period, when, on account of some misunderstanding with the Meth- 
odists, the place of meeting has been changed to private residences. The 
ministers who have preached to the church at different times were Rachel 
Middleton, Lemuel Middleton, S. Tollert, James Newland and Aaron 
Cosand. The society has diminished in numbers somewhat^ there being 
but fifteen members belonging at the present time. 

MASONIC LODGE. 

Praireville Lodge, No. 554, A., F. & A. M., was organized in the year 
1879, with the following charter members : Charles Duncan, Gilbert 
Yan Sickle, Robert Orr, Riley Suite, Abijah Pence, John Carter and R. 
Wilds. The first elective officers were : Charles Duncan, W. M.; R. 
Wilds, S. W., and Gilbert Van Sickle, J. W. The present officers are: 
Charles Duncan, W. M. : Thomas Stratford, S. W.; J. Savage, J. W.; 
Samuel Carter, Treasurer; Abijah Pence, Secretary; Pleasant Cardwell, 
S. D,, and William Stratford, J. D, The hall in which the meetings 
are held belong to the lodge, and is the upper room of the Prairieville 
Church. It is neatly finished and furnished, and is one of the most com- 
modious lodge rooms in the county. 

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION. 

The cause of education received the early attention of the pioneers of 
Prairie, and to-day its fruits may be seen in the intelligence and culture 
of the descendants of the early and honest settlers. Though in the fii*st 
settlement there were a great many influences that worked against the 
development of a general system of education; though neighborhoods 
were thinly settled, money scarce, and the people generally poor; though 
there were no schoolhouses, no public funds, no trained and qualified 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 183 

teachers, no books, yet the pioneers organized schools, and their children 
were taught, and grew to manhood wiser and more learned than their 
parents. The exact date of the first school in the township was not 
learned, though it is supposed to have been as early as the year 1845. It 
was taught by one Oren Williams, in a little cabin which stood in the 
northwest corner of the township, and, like all pioneer schools, was sup- 
ported by subscription, the teacher receiving $1.25 per scholar, for a 
term of three months. The cabin was built by the few neighbors living 
in the vicinity, and was a very rude affair, 16x16 feet, and furnished af- 
ter the pioneer plan, with puncheon benches, a large fire-place, and a 
single insignificant window, through which a few rays of light could en- 
ter to lighten the dark interior. The school was attended by about twelve 
pupils, and, under the circumstances, was considered very good indeed. 
The usefulness of the school stopped with the "rule of three." The 
second school, at the same place, was taught by Henry Williams in the 
year 1846. He wielded the birch the next year also, after which time 
the building was abandoned as a schoolhouse, and used as a shop. The 
second house erected for school purposes stood about two miles west of 
Mount Zion Church. It was a hewed log structure, and served its pur- 
pose for many years. A hewed- log house was also built near the present 
site of Zion Church about the same time as the foregoing, and stood un- 
til a few years ago, when it was torn down, and replaced by a more com- 
modious structure. An early school was taught by Cyrus Maxwell, at 
the residence of Alfred Lee, in the western part of the township, but the 
exact date of the term could not be ascertained. 

When the law providing free schools went into effect, good houses 
weipe erected at proper intervals throughout the township, the majority of 
which have long since outlived their usefulness, and been replaced by 
brick and frame buildings. There are at the present time eleven school 
edifices, all of which are in good condition, and well furnished with all 
the modern appliances of education. The teachers for the school year 
1882-83 were Thomas Miller, A. Pence, John Parker, John W. Covert^ 
Isaac Smith. Benjamin Holmaa, Jesse Mott, Albert Pritchard, James 
Cardwell, James Romack and Viola Evans. 

GROOMSVILLE. 

The village of Groomsville, if a little hamlet of half a dozen houses 
can be dignified by the term village, is situated in Section 16, in the 
southern part of the township, and dates its history from the year 1860. 
At that time Mr. Enoch Smith got up a petition for a post ofiice, which 
was granted soon afterward, and the name Groomsville given to the ofiSce, 
in compliment to Dr. Groom, a resident of Tipton. The office gave the 
place some local prominence, and a store building was erected in the 
course of a few years, and stocked with a general assortment of mer- 



184 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

chandise, by Thomas Lamb, who sold goods until the spring of 1883, at 
which time he disposed of the store to Messrs. McCray & Stoops, the 
present proprietors. A saw mill was in operation here for several years, 
and did a good business, but at the present time no manufacturing estab- 
lishment of any kind is at the village. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. > 

BY. G. N. BERRY. 

To rescue from fast fading traditions the simple annals of the pioneer 
people of our own county is a pleasing but perplexing task, the annoy- 
ances arising chiefly from there being no connected record of the acts of 
these people. To meet and converse with the few now living of these 
early settlers, those who came here as young men and women, and who 
are fast approaching, or have passed the allotted threescore and ten 
years, has been a task attended with many pleasures. To gather up the 
raveled threads of the strange but simple stories of their lives — now mostly 
broken threads — to catch the fleeting traditions and fireside histories and 
hand them down to posterity, has been the peculiar labor of the writer. 
The importance that attaches to the lives, character, and work of these 
hiimble laborers in the cause of humanity and civilization, will some day 
be better understood and appreciated than it is now. They will some time, 
through the pen of the wise historian, take their proper place in the 
lists of those who have helped to make the world wholesome with their 
toil, their sweat and their blood. They laid the foundations on which 
rests the civilization of the Western Hemisphere. If the work was done 
well, then the edifice stands upon an enduring rock; if ill, then upon the 
sands. If great and beneficent results — results that endure and bless 
mankind — are the proper measures of the good, then who is there in the 
world's history that may take his place above the hardy Indiana pioneer 
of fifty years ago ? 

Historically, Jefferson holds a front place among the townships of 
Tipton County. Fifty years have dissolved in the mists of the past, 
since the woodman's ax fii'st rang among the dense forests, as he felled 
the trees for his humble cabin home in the wilderness. The southern 
part of the county was originally inchided in Hamilton County, while 
the northern portion formed part of the Miami Reservation, and was not 
opened for settlement until after the purchase in 1844, although a 
number of families obtained permission of the Indians to locate there 
several years prior to that date. The township was created at the general 
division in 1844, and occupies the southwest corner of the county, with 
the following boundaries, to wit: Prairie Township on the north; Cicero 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 185 

on the east; Hamilton County on the sonth, and Clinton County on the 
west. It embraces an area of thirty-nine square miles, the greater 
portion of which is quite level, except the southei*n part, where the land 
is undulating and somewhat rolling, especially along the water-courses. 
In the central part are considerable tracts of low marshy land, while near 
the western border are several hundred acres of wet prairie, almost en- 
tirely devoid of timber except a dense growth of willows and other small 
shrubs. The soil in the southern part is of a light color, is sand-mixed 
in many places and very fertile, while the level land is a black mucky 
soil, very deep, and noted for its productiveness. 

A number of streams traverse the township, affording ample drain- 
age and abundant stock water. Dixon Creek rises in Section 7 and flows 
in a westerly direction. Jericho Creek, an imporant water-course, flows 
through Sections 21, 22, 23, and unites with Cicero Creek, in Section 24. 
Cicero Creek passes through the southern part of the township and 
affords the principal outlet for all streams in this section of the country. 
The southeast corner of the township is di'ained by Prairie Creek, which 
receives a number of small affluents, none of which is known by any 
particular name. 

Jefferson Township is and probably always will be an agricultural 
region. The black loam is as deep as in any other part of the county, 
and the peculiar formation of the surface soil is such that there will be 
no exhaustion of the stored plant-food here for ages. For grass and ce- 
reals, it may be prepared to equal, if not excel, any similar amount of ter- 
ritory in the county. Already, in corn, it stands first, both in quantity 
to the acre and in quality. Deep plowing is the farmer's key to wealth 
here, and when the deep plowing is followed up with tile drainage, it 
brings wealth and abundance to the husbandman. 

PIONEER SETTLEMENTS. 

The early settlers who first located among the forests and sloughs of 
Jefferson, the men who came here while yet the footprints of the savage 
still pressed the sands, are those around whom lingers the most thrilling 
interests. Some of the first settlers in the county located in this township, 
and here, too, figured some of the most distinguished characters the 
county has known. It is difficult to determine with any degree of accu- 
racy who the first settlers within the present limits of the township were, 
as quite a number of transient hunters squatted along Cicero Creek early in 
1830. They remained but a few. seasons at most, and beyond erecting a 
few temporary habitations, and clearing small patches of ground around 
their cabins, made no fm'ther improvement, spending almost all their 
time hunting the game which at that day was very plentiful. 

Among the very first actual settlers was Barnett Stepp, who moved 
his family to the southern part of the township in the latter part of 1835, 



186 HISTORY OF TIPTOxV COUNTY. 

and took a claim where John Puckett lives, which land he entered one 
year later. Stepp came originally from Kentucky, but had lived a num- 
ber of years in the southern part of this State before immigrating to 
this locality. He was in every respect a pioneer of the original type, 
whose wants were few and very easily satisfied. His ambition rose no 
higher than a mere animal existence, and the improvements he made on 
his land were an index of his thriftless life and want of energy. United 
to a " better half," whose aims were in sympathy with those of her liege 
lord's, he passed a contented life in the wilderness, dividing his time 
aboiit equally between hunting and work. An early settler, who came in 
a few years later, states that he stopped at Stepp's cabin and took dinner 
with the pioneer family, and thus describes their surroundings: "The 
small cabin was about 10x15 feet in size, with no floor, and but an in- 
different stick chimney. There was no window, save an opening in the 
wall, which was covered with oiled paper. The furniture was in keep- 
ing with the mansion, and consisted of a few rude stools and benches, and 
an apology for a bedstead, made by driving a post into the ground floor, 
to which were fitted rough poles reaching to the wall of the cabin. A 
fire-place in one end of the building answered the two-fold purpose of 
heating and cooking." Our sojourner speaks of the dinner as consisting 
of a pot of bear meat, with greens and "hoe-cake," while one dollar 
would have bought double the amount of clothing worn by the entire 
family. As the country settled up and game became scarce, it seems that 
Stepp was obliged to put forth extra exertions in order to gain a liveli- 
hood for his family, so he went to work with a right good- will, and 
cleared out a tolerably fdir farm. He remained in the township until the 
time of his death in 1852. He is remembered by many now living as a 
good-natured, illiterate and_harmless old pioneer, who passed through life 
without an enemy. 

A son-in-law of Stepp, by name of Horton, came to the township in 
the summer of 1836, and located a short distance east of his father-in- 
law's place, where he entered 160 acres of land. He was an old "river 
man," and had followed steamboating on the Ohio and Mississippi for a 
number of years, accumulating thereby quite a handsome competency, 
which enabled him to make good improvements on his land. He was a 
man of industrious habits, but very eccentric. One of his peculiarities 
was making large fences, which he built twenty rails high, and locked 
the corners of each panel so firmlj* that the most severe storm could have 
no possible effect on them. He set out one of the first orchards in the 
township, many trees of which are still standing. The old place is at 
present in possession of his son-in-law, John Samuels. 

In 1837, Hugh Alexander and Archibald Small settled in the southern 
part of the township, near the county line, where the latter entered land 
in Section 35. Alexander purchased forty acres of Small, but remained 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 187 

in the township only a short time, when he disposed of his property and 
left the country, much to the satisfaction of the community, as he proved 
no desirable neighbor. The next year added a few more families to the 
little settlement. Among these were John Deal and his brother-in-law, 
Benjamin Allen, and James W. Bodkin. The first named entered land 
in the western part one year after his arrival, but made no very extensive 
improvements, being what might be termed the drone of the settlement. 
Allen entered land in the same vicinity and resided on his possession 
until 1848, at which time he sold out and left for other parts. Bodkin 
entered land, but did not move upon it for a few years later, though he 
erected a cabin and fitted it up for occupancy. He was a bachelor, and 
for a number of years lived on his place in company with, a brother, 
doing their own cooking, washing, mending, etc. It is said they became 
as great adepts in the art of housekeeping as any woman in the commu- 
nity. 

The following additional settlers arrived prior to 1839 : Jason Over- 
man, John McKinsey, Jonathan Endicott, Sherwood Allen, John M. 
Holmes, Thomas Cooper, Alexander Mills, Eobert Smith, Jacob Johns, 
William Turpin, a man by name of Loke, William Wallace and William 
Black. Overman entered land in 1838, but did not move to the township 
until some time later. He settled in the southern part and was identified 
with the country's development in a marked degree, being a man of good 
abilities and considerable energy. He died about the year 1871. His 
son, Nate Overman, is the present Circuit Judge, and one of the promi- 
nent lawyers of Tipton. McKinsey settled where Enoch Etchinson lives 
in the southern part of the tovpnship, and was joined a few months later 
by his son John, Jr. , who made the first improvements on the farm, at 
present in possession of John Straley. Allen squatted a short distance 
south of Tetersburg, and was the first cobbler in the township, a trade 
at which he worked for a number of years, making and repairing many 
of the brogans worn by the early settlers. Holmes secured land near the 
western border of the county, and figured as an early pedagogue, having 
been identified with the schools of the townships for several years. 
Cooper settled on the sotithern county line where the village of Ekin 
stands, and seems to have been a man of considerable prominence during 
the early history of the county, serving as the first Justice of the Peace 
in Jefferson, before its annexation to Tipton County. He was a good 
farmer and a man of more than ordinary intelligence, but his neighbors 
used to say that his dealings were not always conducted on square prin- 
cipals, but savored very much of crookedness, a fact which made him 
very unpopular in the community. A son came to the county in company 
with his father, and settled in the same locality, where he lived for fif- 
teen or twenty years. Mills settled where Thomas Shannon lives, in the 
southern part of the township, and earned the reputation of a good ciit- 



188 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

zen, being a Quaker of the orthodox wing, and living out the pure doc- 
trines of his faith in hie every-day life. He sold his lands to Oliver 
Perry and moved to Liberty Tovt^nship a number of years ago. Robert 
Smith settled near the village of Goldsmith, on land at present in pos- 
session of Frank Price, while Johns and Turpin located temporarily near 
Tetersburg, where they made small improvements and gained some no- 
toriety as hunters and trappers. Loke located near Tetersburg also, 
where he built the first blacksmith shop in the township, and worked at 
his trade for two years, at the end of which time he sold his claim and 
moved to one of the Western States. 

In the year 1836, John D. Smith, a native of Ohio, came to Indiana 
in company with several land seekers, and passed through the western 
part of Tipton, then Hamilton County, on a tour of observation for the 
purpose of making a settlement. He selected land in Section 24, near 
the southeast corner of the township, and made an entry, after which he 
went back to his native State, where he got married and remained until 
1839, when he again came West for the purpose of improving his real 
estate here. He was the exact opposite of the majority of the settlers 
who had preceded him, being a man of good business qualifications and 
unusual energy. By means of these qualities, he accumulated one of 
the handsomest and most valuable estates in the county, which he still 
lives to enjoy. He took an active part in the county organization, and 
was elected a member of the first Board of Commissioners in 1844, his 
majority being next to the largest on the entire ticket. In all movements 
calculated to benefit the country he has been in hearty sympathy, and 
to his energy and business tact is the township indebted for much of its 
present prosperity. Mr. Smith is the oracle of the township, a regular 
encyclopoedia on legs, and can reel ofl' the history of the county as one 
reads a hymn book. 

The majority of the pioneers who settled in Jefferson prior to 1840 
were men of very moderate means; indeed, were quite poor, and were 
compelled to locate on inferior lands, the more eligible claims having 
been entered by speculators who held them to the detriment of the 
county. This fact served as a check to immigration, and for a number 
of years the development of the country progressed rather slowly, and it 
* was not until about the year 1842 that any real progress was made. 

Among those who entered lands in an early day, but did not improve 
them, were Daniel Howe, Sylvester Heaton, Greenup Holman, Levi Clark, 
William Amber, Richard Spalding, Edison Bennett, Nathan Kirk, Allen 
Bonds, Ross McNeil, Isaac Miller, John McMullen, Jacob Gregg, James 
Bromthall, Perry Alexander, Hiram Price, John B. Callicote, John 
Thompson, Isaac Scott, Thomas W. Carter, R. G. Wood, Fred Scott, 
William McClure, Samuel Walker, William Couts, Stephen Spraker, 
James McMary, Dickson Hunt and Thomas Gilfallin, all of whom ob- 





fewd.-^^ 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 191 

tained their patents prior to the year 1839. Several of these parties 
made entries for the purpose of making a fortune with the advance in 
real estate, an expectation v/hich was never realized, as they were after- 
ward compelled to dispose of their lands at ruinously low figures. A 
number of persons were broken entirely up by the venture. 

Among the arrivals of 1838 and 1839, were Levi Dunn, who settled 
in the southern part of the township, where he lived about four years, 
when he sold and moved to Clinton County; Abram Ploughe, who located 
a short distance south of Tetersburg; John Williams, a Virginian, who 
made his first improvements on land at present owned by John Kagen; 
Charles Winders, who secured a home in the southern part, where he 
afterward became quite wealthy; James and Joseph Goar, prominent 
settlers, who entered land near the southern boundary, where they became 
possessors of a valuable tract of real estate. Joseph Goar was one of 
the first Associate Judges, of Tipton, and afterward represented the 
county in the Legislature. 

About the year 1840, scattering settlements were made north of the 
Indian boundary, in the Miami Reservation, the settlers obtaining per- 
mission of the Indians to make temporary improvements. The first of 
these pioneers was George Teter, who squatted near the present site of 
Tetersburg, where he remained for seven years, waiting for the land to 
come into market. He moved here from Virginia, and brought with him 
the value of his paternal estate in gold, which amounted to just S900. 
This sum he buried near his cabin, where it was allowed to remain until 
the land was subject to entry, when his treasure was unearthed, and in- 
vested in real estate. Teter became a large land-owner, and one of the 
wealthy citizens of the township. Eli and Asa Teter, sons of the pre- 
ceding, came about the same time, and were afterward joined by George 
Phares, whose arrival dates from the latter part of 1840. Phares was a 
Virginian also, and located one mile southwest of Goldsmith, where he 
acquired a handsome competency. Several descendants of these two fam- 
ilies live in the township at the present time, and are among the prom- 
inent and well-to-do citizens of the country. 

In the year 1839, Archibald Montgomery, a Kentuckian, in company 
with a party of hunters, passed through the northern part of the town- 
ship, and camped near the j)resent site of Normanda Village. Being 
well pleased with the appearance of the country, he marked out a claim, 
with the full intention of entering the land as soon as it came into 
market, a resolution he put into effect seven years later. In the mean- 
time, howevei-, he built a cabin on his claim, to which his family were 
moved in the year 1841, meeting with no opposition from the Indians, 
who treated his encroachment with the utmost good will. Montgomery 
became a prominent fai'mer, and was identified with the township until 
1867, at which time he moved to the county seat, where his death oc- 



192 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

curred several years ago. He has one son living in Tipton at the present 
time, Capt. Montgomery, of whom a more extended notice will be found 
in another chapter of this work. 

David Kemp came to the township in the year 1840, and located a 
claim in the western part, near the village of Kempton. where he built a 
cabin and moved his family one year later. He is still living on his 
original farm, to which he has added much of the surrounding land, until, 
at the present time, he is considered one of the largest land-owners in 
the county. 

Prominent in the list of pioneers who settled in the " Reserve " was 
Andrew Evans, a native of Virginia, who made a claim in Section 84. 
where the village of Normanda stands. Evans came to Indiana from 
Kentucky in the spring of 1841, and for twenty-two years was considered 
one of the leading citizens of Jefferson, serving the people several terms 
as Justice of the Peace, and always taking a lively interest in religious 
matters, being a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church. He reared 
a large family, several of whom are still living in the county. Other 
settlers, who located in the northern part of the township, were Edward 
Jackson, who entered land a short distance south of Normanda in 1841; 
Daniel Stephens, who settled about one and a half miles east of the same 
place, on land where the Widow Hall lives; William Richardson, who 
took a claim east of Normanda, on the Thomas Foster land, near the 
place where he still resides; Elijah Stanridge, who made improvements 
east of Normanda one mile; and James Fosel, who settled near Gold- 
smith Village on the Enos Hamill farm. The foregoing comprised the 
principal settlers in Jefferson up to the year 1842. There may have 
been, and probably were, others, whose names could be appropriately 
added to the list enumerated, but they were not learned. 

HOW THE SETTLERS LIVED. 

As already intimated, the majority of the early settlers were men of 
moderate circumstances and came here desirous of secui-ing cheap homes, 
and bettering their fortunes. They came with but a meager outfit of 
this world's goods, but strong in faith and hope expected to increase their 
worldly store and to provide a home where to pass their declining years. 
The immigrant, upon his arrival, at once began preparations for a shelter. 
During this period, the family lived in a wagon, or occupied a temporary 
habitation made of poles covered with brush, imtil a more comfortable 
structure could be erected. The first crops were principally corn and a 
few potatoes. Wheat and other cereals were not raised for a number of 
years after the lirst settlement, on account of the poor condition of the 
soil, which at that time was very wet and marshy. 

The first wheat sowed in the township was by Arch Small, a few years 
after his arrival in the country. It made a moderate yield, and furnished 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 193 

the seed that in after years made much of the wheat bread of the neigh - 
borhood. John D. Smith was the second man in Jefferson who made the 
attempt to raise wheat, and realized from his crop about eight bushels 
per acre. After it was cut and in the shock, Mrs. Smith conceived the 
idea^of having some blackberry pie, and set her wits to work to that end. 
She made known her wish to her husband, who dismissed the matter by 
saying there was no wheat threshed. The good wife would not be put 
off so easily, and made the proposition to shell enough for a grist, pro- 
viding he woitld take it to mill. To this he willingly agreed, not sus- 
pecting that she was in earnest, but what was his surprise upon return- 
ing home at night to find about four pecks of wheat which she had 
rubbed out on the washboard, and cleaned ready for grinding, bypourino- 
it from a vessel and letting the wind blow away the chaff. The little 
grist was taken to the nearest mill, at Boxleytown, fifteen miles distant, 
and in due time the blackberry pies made their appearance. 

One of the first really profitable industries pursued here was the 
gathering of wild honey and manufacturing maple sugar. The honev 
was gathered and the wax strained, and both became money producing 
products of the country. Beeswax, honey, ginseng, venison hams, 
sugar, pelts and furs were the only things possible to send to market to 
exchange for such articles as the people needed. These early comers had 
to have wearing apparel, powder, tobacco, and some of them whisky. 
For everything else they could kill game. The first season they usually 
had to buy corn for bread, but the emergeucies were frequent when this 
could not be had. Then they used lean meat for bread, and the fat part 
for meat. A.11 families, however, did not live in this way. There was 
then, as now, great difference in the forethought and thrift of the peo- 
ple. Manv, even when here before the county organization, lived gener- 
ously upon such as the land then afforded. Meat of a superior quality, 
and in variety that we cannot now obtain, was within the easy reach of 
all. Deer were everywhere abundant, and during the early years of the 
township were killed in large numbei-s, furnishing the chief means of 
subsistence for many families. 

One pioneer states that he killed three of these animals from his own 
door, as they frequently came close to the premises, and during cold win- 
ter weather would feed with the cattle in the stable yards. Another old 
settler relates that, upon one occasion, g, large buck came close to his 
cabin, and browsed very leisurely for some time among the shrubbery. 
Going into the house for his gun, the pioneer found the hammer gone, 
but being bent upon securing his buckship, he loaded the \veapon, took 
deliberate aim, and, at a given signal, his daughter touched off the gun 
with a coal of fire. The deer was feasted upon that evening. Some bears 
were found hero at the time of the first settlement, and were eaoferly 
sought for by the pioneer hunters. Two large ones were killed by Bar- 



/ 

194 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY 

nett Stepp, near his residence, one day, and several others were taken by 
different parties in various parts of the township. The wolves, which 
were nnraerous in this portion of the country at an early day, proved so 
destructive to stock, that systematic hunts were planned and carried out 
in order to exterminate them. 

PIONEER AMUSEMENTS. 

In pioneer days the people had their sports, which were, perhaps, 
HH enjoyable to them as our more refined amusements are to us in this 
fast age. Log-rollings, house-raisings, corn-huskings, usually accompa- 
nied with the old-fashioned quilting bees, were common occurrences. 
These gatherings were heartily enjoyed by all, and seemed to vary the 
monotony of a life in the backwoods. They had weddings in those days, 
and these occur to some extent yet; but those good old- fashions and 
" infairs," where are they? The knot was tied at the bride's residence, 
while the " infair," a kind of wedding No. 2, was held at the house of 
the groom's parents. These happy events were generally followed by 
the dance, a common amusement in our grandmothers' days. Terpsichore! 
What dancing! Not your dreamy waltz of this day and age; not the 
bounding polka, the bewildering schottische, or any of the other fash 
ionable dream walks: but the enthusiastic fiddler, keeping time with his 
cowhide shoe, and jerking out the lively tunes of the " Arkansas Trav- 
eler," "Lightning Jig," "Money Musk," " Possum Up a Gum Stump," 
while the merry frolickers raced over the puncheon floor in that good 
old fashioned " walk-talk ginger-blue-style" of the "hoe down" that filled 
their innocent hearts with joy, and their legs with soreness and pain. 
They had the old-fashioned singing school also, where the singing master, 
a mio-hty man in his day, armed with tuning fork' and Missouri Harmony, 
instructed the rustic swains and backwood belles in the mysteries of the 
gamut. Do fond recollections falter in recalling that weird magician of 
the pen, the writing-master, the knight of the goose quill, the master of 
the ink and pot hooks, the gifted architect of those inspiring flourishes 
and spread eagles? He married the belle of the neighborhood at the 
close of his term; and, " Othello's occupation gone," quit the trade, and 
instead of eagles, has been content to raise barn-yard bipeds, and play 
Jumb) for the grandchildren. Then there was the traveling phrenolog- 
ical lecturer, who felt craniums and located flattering bumps at so much 
ahead; and the geography teflcher, who taught the neighboring youth, 
to sing the States, capitals, lakes, rivers, etc., to music, which still lin- 
o-ers in the ears of many like funeral dirges of days that can return no 
more. 

EARLY MARKET PLACES. 

The pioneers of Jefferson experienced great diflSculty Iq pi*ocuring 
<>Tocei*ies, wearing apparel, and other articles necessary to comfort and 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 195 

convenience, on account of the absence of market facilities. Money was 
almost unknown, the farmers relying upoii what little produce the coun- 
ty afforded, and their small wheat crops, for the few articles their fami- 
lies needed. Twice a year the neighborhood would h? visited by the 
produce collector, who gathered up the ginseng, beeswax., deer skins, 
honey, etc., for which he exchanged calico, groceries and other com- 
modities at ruinously high prices. The nearest market place was the 
little village of Cicero, in Hamilton County, about sixteen miles from 
the southern settlement — no great distance, but, when we consider the 
wet condition of the soil and the absence of roads, a trip that was at- 
tended with difficulties of no small magnitude. Many of the early set- 
tlers came to the country with but few dollars in money, which they in- 
vested in their lands, leaving them without the means of procuring teams, 
wagons or agricultural implements. John D. Smith states that at one 
time there was but one two-horse wagon in the community, which was 
loaned among the neighbors, each one taking his tui'n with the borrowed 
vehicle. 

The first wheat raised in the township was cut with the old-fashioned 
hand sickle, tramped out by horses, and hauled to La Fayette for 37i 
cents per bushel. The second crop found no nearer market, but brought 
a better price, selling at 50 cents per bushel, part of the pay being taken 
in trade. The fii-st barrel of salt was brought to the township by Mr. 
Smith, who obtained it at Cicero, paying for it |12.12^. He dealt out 
the precious article to his neighbors by the pound, but we are safe in 
saying that no great fortune was realized in the operation. He pur- 
chased a grind- stone at the same time, for which he was obliged to pay 
the modest sum of 15 cents per pound. 

EARLY IMPROVEMENTS. 

The first orchard in the township was planted by John Florton on his 
place about the year 1837. He brought the young trees from one oi the 
Southern counties. It is said that as early as the year 1845 this orchard 
boz'e excellent fruit. Until this orchard came on, the people tasted no 
other fruit except that which grew wild iu the woods. These were crab 
apples, plums, grapes, wild cherries, and the varieties of nuts found 
here. The second orchard was set out by John D. Smith the same year 
he located permanently in the township. The first frame house in Jeffer- 
son was built at the village of Normanda, about the year 1818, by M. P. 
Evans. John D. Smith erected the first hewed log dwelling in the town- 
ship, in the year 1838, and twenty years later built the first brick res- 
idence, the third of the kind in the county at that time. Squire Tucker 
and Frank Wheatley were the next parties to impi'ove their respective 
farms by erecting brick houses thereon. 

The early settlers were compelled to go long distances over almost 



19G HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

impassable roads for their breadstuffs, the nearest source of supplies 
being a little horse mill at Boxley Village, which ground so slowly that 
it could not accommodate all who desired to patronize it, hence many 
went to Noblesville, Cicero and some to Indianapolis, for their flour and 
meal. The fii'st mill in Jefferson was built by Elijah Standridge, in the 
year 1845, and stood about one mile east of Normanda. It was a simple 
structure built of unhewn logs, which rested on four large posts, driven 
into the ground. The machinery was of the simplest pattern, consisting 
of two "nigger-head " buhrs and a coarse muslin bolting apparatus, all 
of which was operated by horse-power, each person furnishing the team 
to grind his own grist. It made a coarse article of meal, and was quite 
well patronized by the citizens of this and adjoining townships for a 
period of live or six years, at the end of which time it was allowed to 
fall into disuse. A mill of similar character was erected in the northei'n 
part of the township, some time prior to 1848, by Daniel Stephens, who 
operated it about nine years. It was a very rude affair, operated by horse- 
power, and ground nothing but corn, yet it proved a very valuable ac- 
quisition to the community, saving many trips toother places. Another 
early mill, patronized by the pioneers in the southern part of the town- 
ship, stood a few miles south of the southern boundary in Hamilton 
County. It was constructed by a man by the name of Couts, who pro- 
cured a couple of bowlders, from which he shaped two mill -stones, the 
lower bowlder being fixed in a large gum. These gums were common 
articles of utility in an early day. They were made by sawing off a 
hollow tree any rerpiired length, and when set upright were fair substi 
tutes for barrels. This gum was firmly fixed in the ground, the buhrs 
adjusted and the mill was complete. The motive power to this was sup- 
plied by the brawny arms of two men. It was erected by Couts for family 
purposes only, but at the suggestion of many of his neighbors, it was 
afterward placed at the disposal of any who wished to use it. 

The Normanda Steam Flouring Mill was erected in the year 1854, and 
purchased a short time afterward by Richardson & Vandevender. It was 
a two-story frame building, contained two run of buhrs with saw attached, 
and for a number of years did a flourishing business, both in grinding 
grain and manufacturing lumber, Messrs. Richardson & Vandevender 
operated it about nine years, when it was purchased by a man by the name 
of Norman, who ran it for several years, when it was purchased by other 
parties and moved to the village of Goldsmith. An early saw mill was 
built and operated by Mr. Phares, at the village of Tetersburg, and did 
a very extensive business for a number of years, supplying lumber for 
the majority of the fu*st frame houses in this part of the county. A corn- 
cracker was an important feature of the mill, and was operated certain 
days of each week. A large steam saw mill was built in the southern 
part of the township, near John D Smith's residence, in an early day, 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 197 

the old frame of which is still standing. It was operated until it outlived 
its usefulness, when the machinery was removed and the building allowed 
to fall into ruins. There have been a number of saw mills operated at 
various places in the township at different times; the lumber business in 
an early day having been an important industry. Some of these mills 
were operated very successfully, and vast quantities of poplar and wal- 
nut lumber were manufactured and shipped, but the majority of them 
entailed heavy losses upon the owners. It is said that we have had more 
men " broken up " at the mill business in Jefferson than in any other 
township of the county. 

In the year 1874. F. M. Mozingo purchased a lot in the newly platted 
village of Kempton, and erected thereon a large steam saw mill. Eight- 
een months later, he entered into a partnership with Messrs. Grubb & 
Kemp, and together they erected a good flouring mill, to be run in con- 
nection with their lumber interest. The building is a frame, 36x40 feet 
in size, two stories and a half high, and was erected and furnished with 
the necessary machinery at a cost of $4,000. The mill has three runs of 
buhrs, aod a grinding capacity of about twenty barrels of flour per day. 
The saw was taken out in 1882, and a heading factory substituted, which 
is being operated with good success at the present time. 

The Goldsmith Mill was brought to the village in 1878, from Nor- 
manda, by Ebal Teter, one of the present proprietors. It is a frame 
building, two stories high, and has two runs of stone ; a saw was attached 
in 1880, since which time a great deal of timber has been manufactured 
and shipped. 

An early industr}^ of the township was the Tetersburg Tannery, oper- 
ated by William Burch from the year 1849 to 1856. Burch made a good 
article of leather and realized considerable money from his business as 
long as he followed it, having been well patronized by a large number of 
paying customers. 

CEMETERIES, EARLY MARRIAGES, ETC. 

The first death in Jefferson occurred about the year 1839, at which 
time the wife of Archibald Small departed this life. Her remains were 
interred on her husband's land near the present site of Ekin Village, 
Avhere a cemetery was laid out a couple of years later. The second 
person buried in this graveyard was a Mrs. Higer, who died the latter 
part of 1840. Another early interment was the wife of John D. Smith, 
whose death occurred a few years after the one last mentioned. The 
Tetersbiirg Cemetery was set apart for the burial of the dead about the 
year 1847, and the first interment there, was Selinda, daughter of W. 
and S. Welshous, who died the same year. Other early burials at the 
same place were Mrs. Elizabeth Teter, Sarah Teter, Ellen Tansy, infant 
daughter of W. S. and E. Hamilton, Priscilla Shepherd, Prunelly Teter, 
Mahlon Dunn, Jeremiah Townsend, Mary Phares, Elizabeth Welshhous, 



198 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

Mr. and Mrs. George Teter nnd William S. Teter, all of whom died prior 
to 1854. The northern settlement used the Normanda Cemetery as a 
burying place, which is situated across the line iu the adjoining town- 
ship of Prairie. 

It is difficult at this remote day to trace the first marriage which took 
place in the township, though it is supposed to have occurred about i\ut 
year 1841, the contracting parties being Archibald Small and Mary Ann 
Gouts. Hugh Miley and Rebecca Mills were joined in the holy bonds of 
wedlock in the latter part of the same year. Among the first births was 
Melissa Smith, daughter of J. D. Smith, who is still living. 

VOTING PLACES. 

The first election in Jefferson after the county organization was held 
at the residence of Jerry Dunn, near the southern boundary of the town- 
ship. This was in the latter part of 1844. The second place of hold- 
ing elections was at the house of Stephen Blevins, near the village of 
Jericho, in the southern part of the township. J. D. Smith's dwelliug^ 
was used as a voting place, and also the residence of John Longfellow, 
where elections were held until the suhoolhouse at Tetersburg was finally 
fixed upon. The township was afterward divided into two precincts, 
with voting places at Goldsmith and Kempton, where elections are held 
at the present time. 

The number of voters living in the township in 1846 was seventy- 
four. At the present time, there are 550 residents capable of wielding 
the elective franchise. The first Trustee of the township, after the law 
providing for one Trustee went into effect, was John D. Smith, who 
served several terms. Since his administration, the office has been filled 
by the following gentlemen, to wit: Joseph Goar, Hiram Fulkerson, Webb 
Crane, Isaac Dick, D. M. Foster, James V. King, H. H. Bunch, G. W. 
Epperson, Charles Fostrom, and J. J. Campbell, the present incumbent. 
The election of Joseph Goar was brought about under rather peculiar 
circumstances, and is remembered with much interest. His competitor 
for the office was Sylvanus Boice, a man who could muster as many 
friends as any other person in the township. The race was made upon 
strict party principles, the friends of both men rallying their respective 
forces, and working with might and main for their favorite candi- 
dates. The township was so evenly divided between ihe two aspirants 
that the election resulted in a tie, an ugly dilemma, out of which no one 
saw any friendly means of escape. Ths difficulty was adjusted, however, 
in a very good-natured way by the two competitors, who decided to test 
the matter by a little chance game of "heads and tails," heads to win. 
An old-fashioned copper cent was procured, and the would-be Trustbes 
in the best of spirits proceeded to throw for the place. Goar was declared 
elected, and Democracy retired, with three cheers from the spectators. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 199 

VILLAGE OF JERICHO. 

It is difficult to determine the exact location of this lost city, but 
antiquarians argue that it was in the southern part of the township, in 
Section 23. From the most reliable information, its founders appear to 
have been two men by the names of Jerry Dunn and Caswell Boxley, 
who laid out the town at a point where the old Eagletown State road 
intersected the road surveyed from Anderson to Michigantown. A. plat 
was made, and the lots placed on the market, but no one seems to have 
been allured by the prospective metropolis, and consequently its growth 
was very cruelly " nipped in the bud " through sheer indifference. Jer- 
icho reached the climax of its improvement when Jerry Dunn cut a set 
of logs for a house, which was never erected. The plat was afterward 
abandoned, and the city of great expectations died suddenly on the hands 
of its proprietors. 

TETEESBURG. 

This little hamlet dates its history from about the year 1848, and was 
laid out on the farms of Mahlon and Asa Teter, near the central part of 
the township. No plat of the village was ever placed upon record, it 
being a mere neighboi-hood town, the outgrowth of the country's demand 
for a place of traffic. The first business house was a small log structure 
erected by Messrs. Cumbaugh & Tansy, who sold goods for a period of 
two years, at the end of which time their stock was purchased by William 
Bunch. A man by the name of Crane succeeded Bunch, and later came 
Phares & Vandevender, who brought a large stock of merchandise and 
conducted a very successful business for several years. Phares purchi'sed 
the entire interest some time later, and erected a fine brick store room 
in which he sold goods until the completion of the L. E. & W. Railroad, 
when he changed his place of bvisiness to Goldsmith. The store build- 
ing was purchased by the township, remodeled and fitted up for school 
purposes. In connection with his mercantile business, Phares operated 
a saw mill and heading factory, by means of which the village became 
quite a prominent point. The railroad which passes about one mile 
north of the town, proved its death-blow, and its business interests have 
been absorbed by the growing village of Goldsmith. 

Tetersburg Lodge, No. 324, I. O. O. F.,was organized May 7, 1809, 
with tlie following charter members, to wit : S. M. Patton, Samuel Deal, 
James B. Woods, George W. Lowley and Dr. A. M. Vickrey, The first 
officers were : Samuel Deal, N. G. ; J. V. Hoss, V. G. ; Aaron Ward, 
Sec; James B. Wood, Treasurer, S. M. Patton, Warden and Conductor. 
Meetings were held in a hall over Phares' store until 1879, at which 
time it was mutually agreed to move the organization to Goldsmith, which 
was accordingly done. The present hall belongs to E. W. Phares, and is 
a model of neatness, being well finished and furnished. The officers in 
charge at the present time are : T. C. Welchell, N. G. ; Asa E. Teter, V. 



i200 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

G. ; G. W. Swarms, Permanent Secretary; John P. Frazier, Recording 
Secretary, and Ebal Teter, Treasurer. The present membership is about 
twenty- three. 

NORMANDA. 

This village is situated in the northern part of the township, in part 
of the southeast quarter of Section 34, and on part of the southwest quar- 
ter of Section 35, Town 21 north, Range 2 east ; also on part of the north- 
west quarter of Section 2, and northeast quarter of Section 3, Town 21 
north. Range 3 east. It was surveyed and platted in the year 1849 for 
M. P. Evans, Edward Jackson and Matthew Jones, proprietors of the 
land. All of these at once began putting up improvements. Evans built 
the first frame house in the township on his lot, and J. C. Vandevender 
erected the fii^st store room, which he stocked with a miscellaneous assort- 
ment of merchandise. This building was a hewed log structui-e, erected 
in the year 1850, and stood near the central part of the village. James 
Campbell bought an interest in the store in 1852, but withdrew a short 
time afterward and erected a building of his own in the western part of 
the town, where he has been in business ever since. Vandevender con 
tinued selling goods for about nine years, when he disposed of his stock 
to Messrs. Cooper & Law. McDade & Buchanan erected a business 
house on the lot at present occupied by Dr. Campbell, where they sold 
goods for a short time, when the store was bought by Capt. Mont- 
gomery, who closed one year later. The business interests of the place 
at the present time are represented by two good general stores and a black- 
smith shop. Lik^ the village of Tetersburg, Normanda's death-knell 
was sounded when the raih'oad was completed, and a general decay has 
fastened itself on the once flourishing village. 

KEMPTON. 

Is an outgrowth of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and dates 
its origin from the completion of that enterprise in 1874. It is situated 
in Sections 6 and 7, near the western boundary of the township, on 
land originally belonging to David Kemp, the proprietor, and is one of 
the best business points on the line of the road. Henry Hays built the 
first house in the village, south of the i-ailroad, where Stillwell's store 
stands, and occupied it as dwelling and grocery. He kept a small stock 
of goods during the winter of 1874-75, and disposed of his business to 
E. L. Burkhart in the spring following. Burkhart sold out to Messrs. 
Childers & Demoss, who in turn disposed of the stock to D. J. Booth, 
after continuing the business about six months. Fostrom & Gillenstein 
started the second store in a building which had been erected by George 
Bolden, and continued as partners for one year, at the end of which time 
the latter disposed of his interest to Henry Nelson. The firm of Fostrom 
& Nelson sold goods two years, when the entire business was purchased 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 201 

by Nelson, who afterward traded the stock to D. T. Booth for a farm 
A large store building was erected in the western part of the village by 
Holmes & Son, who conducted a good business for some time, when they 
closed out on account of financial embarrassments. The house is used at 
the present time for school and lodge purposes. Another merchant 
during tbe early days of the village was a man by name of Bishop, who 
built a small store room in the western part of the town. He was in 
business but a short time, however, when he followed in the wake of 
hundreds of others who found merchandising an uncertain road to fort- 
une. Noah Matthews built the first blacksmith shop. At the present 
time, there are two shops, operated by A. O. Canfield and John Kenton. 

A planing mill was built in the eastern part of the village in 1874, 
by James Lane, who operated it two years, when it was purchased by 
Van Briggle & Son. They remodeled the machinery, attached a saw, and 
ran it about two years, at the end of which time it was purchased by 
Jasper Powers, the present proprietor. G. N. Phares engaged m the tile 
business soon after the town was started. The factory he built stands 
near the northeastern limit of the village, and is operated at the present 
time by Samuel Stilwell. Tlie other manufacturing interests of the place 
have been alluded to under the head of mills. A post office was estab- 
lished in the year 1875, and A Holmes appointed Postmaster. The 
office at the present time is kept by Joseph Stephens at his place of 
business. 

The physicians who have made Kempton their headquarters are 
Drs. L. B. Ward, Summers, Green, Williams, Sturdevant and Ballinger. 
The present business of the town is represented by the following firms 
and business houses: D. J. Booth keeps a large dry goods and general 
store, with a stock representing a capital of about |20,000. They have 
one of the finest stores in the county, and are second to none in the 
amount of goods sold annually. Stilwell handles dry goods, drugs and 
gi'oceries; Joseph Stephens and W. A. Green make drugs a specialty; 
C. Fostrom keeps a large hardware store, and handles agricultural im- 
plements; John Adkins has a furniture wareroom; Reese keeps a general 
stock. There are two hotels, a barber shop, meat shop, shoe shop and 
several places where "tangle-leg," "forty-rod," " lay-'em-straight," and 
other similar brands can be obtained in quantity and quality according 
to demand. 

The population of the village at the present time is estimated at 400, 
and its future outlook is as encouraging as its most ardent friends could 
wish. 

Kempton Lodge, No. 482, I. O. O. F., was organized March 31, 1874, 
and worked under dispensation until the 20th of IMay, at which time a 
charter was granted, signed by D. B. Shideler, Grand Master. On the 
charter appear the names of the following members, viz. : William H. 
Goodknight, A. B. Seward, J. J. Campbell, G. W. Bobbins, Jacob Ream, 



202 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

W . R. Watson, David Goodknight and F. M. Mozingo. The fii'st officers 
were William H. Goodknight, N. G. ; Jacob Ream, V. G. ; John Kemp, 
Rec. Sec. ; N. B. Matthews, Perm. Sec. ; and F. M. Mozingo, Treasurer. 
The officers at the present time are: John W. Reese, N. G. ; L. B. "Ward, 
V. G. ; William H. Goodknight, Rec. Sec; D. H. Kemp, Perm. Sec; 
and F. M. Mozingo, Treasurer. The lodge is in good working order, and 
numbers thirty members. The hall was completed in 1875, and repre- 
sents a value of $1,000. 

GOLDSMITH. 

This most beautiful little village in Tipton County is situated about 
five miles east of Kempton, on the L. E. & W. Railroad, of which it is 
an outgrowth, and was surveyed in the year 1876, for the proprietors, 
John Wolford, J. A. Teter, McDonald Teter, and Hiram Fulkerson. 
Solomon Wolford built the first residence in the western part of the vil- 
lage, and J. J. Campbell erected the first business house, just south of 
the railroad, on the west side of the principal street. J. C. Vandevender, 
the veteran merchant of the township, brought the first stock of goods to 
the place, which he sold from Campbell's building. He was in business 
about three years, when he disposed of the stock to J. J. Campbell, the 
present energetic proprietor. Several firms have done business in the 
village at dififerent times, among whom can be named Vandevender & 
Phares, Phares & Shortell, and Shortell & Campbell. 

The large brick storehouse north of the railroad was erected in the 
year 1879, by E. W. Phares, and is one of the handsomest and most con 
veniently arranged buildings in the county. It is occupied at the present 
time by the firm of Shortell & Smith, with a large stock of general mer- 
chandise, valued at $18,000. The first blacksmith who located in the vil- 
lage was William Keen. The only shop at present is owned and oper- 
ated by Augustus Brandt. The following exhibit shows the present status 
of the village from a business point of view : Shortell & Smith, general 
store, including lumber yard and grain buying ; J. J. Campbell, general 
stock of merchandise ; Hinkle & McFarland have one of the neatest drug 
stores in the co^^nty ; J. R. Russell keeps a restaurant ; Joseph Copick. 
harness shop ; J. B. Porter is boot and shoemaker; John Welchel, a bar- 
ber ; G. Beck, a cooper ; A. N. Bull, a carpenter. The millinery estab- 
lishment of the village is kept by Mrs, McFarland, who is also landlady 
of one of the best little hotels in the country. There is one combination 
saw and grist mill in the town, the history of which has already been 
given. The medical profession has been represented in Goldsmith by 
the following disciples of the healing art : M. M. Bunday, Dr. White, J . 
A. Bouse, T. C. Welchel and Dr. Reep. 

EKIN. 

EkJn is a little hamlet of a few dozen houses, situated in the southern 
part of the township near the county line, and serves as a trading point 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 203 

for that region of country. Of the early history of the place and circum 
stances which led to its origin we were not informed. The first store was 
opened by James McKee, who erected for the purpose a substantial frame 
building in which he sold goods for about five years, at the end of which 
time he closed out his sto^k and left the place. At the present time 
there are two good general stores kept respectively by Foster and Kassa- 
boom ; one saw mill, a blacksmith's shop and two millinery stores. 

SCHOOLS. 

Several years had elapsed since the date of the first settlement in the 
southern part of the township before any attempt was made to organize 
schools. This failure to provide educational facilities was owing partly 
to the remote distances pioneers lived from each other, their general pov- 
erty, and the large body of land held by speculators to the detriment of 
the country's development. It is not positively known when and by whom 
the first school in the township was taught, though it is supposed to have 
been by James Fosee, as early as 1 842, Fosee was a man of some intel- 
lectual attainments, had practiced law, was a shrewd trader, but never 
entertained a very profound respect for honesty or veracity. He was 
ariested upon one occasion for theft by the Sheriff of Hamilton County, 
and taken to Noblesville for trial. He and the officer of the law rode the 
same horse, and on their way the prisoner broke the silence by saying, 
" Four years ago, I was a little nabob in Ohio ; I rode in my carriage ; 
I had persons to do my bidding ; I was looked up to and respected by 
the community ; my pockets were lined with geld. Now, here I am, 
James Fosee, a-straddle of a hoi-se, behind the Sheriff, going to jail for 
larceny. How are the mighty fallen. " He taught his first term in a 
little cabin a short distance south of Goldsmith, and is remembered as a 
very good instructor. His son, Peter Fosee, taught in the same locality 
two years later. In 1843, Perry, afterward Dr. Evans, taught a three 
months' term in the building which James Fosee occupied. An early 
schoolhouse was built in the southern part of the township, near Jericho, 
and about the same time a good log building was erected on the Mont- 
gomery land, not far from the present site of Normanda. This latter 
house was first used by Harvey Epperson, who taught about the year 1843. 
The next teacher at the same place was J. H Montgomery, who wielded 
the birch the year following. Other early teachers in the northern part 
of the township were Putnam Evans, Edgar Rumsey, Joseph McKenzie, 
J. S. Abies, J. H. King, Ann Jackson, J. C. Driver, Mr. McCarty, M. Fra- 
zier, Moses Harmon, Samuel Epperson and Mrs. Campbell. A school 
was organized at Tetersburg in an early day, with Jason Ovei-man as 
teacher. 

These early schools wei-e all supported by voluntary subscriptions, and 
it was not until about the year 1854 that the public system of education 



204 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

was adopted. As the settlements increased in population and the town- 
ship in wealth and prosperity, educational facilities expanded to suit the 
wants of the times, until at the present day we find a number of good 
schoolhouses dotting the township at intervals, and of capacity to accom; 
modate the youth of their respective neighborhoods. 

The following list comprises the teachers £or the year 1882-88 : John 
A. Wallace, T. C. Ferguson, G. C. Magnet, J. A. Mitchell, Lucy Gossett, 
Clar Munday, F. B. Crockett, Belle Gossard, W. W. Clark, J. H. Rood, 
AV. W. Mount, Retta Carbaugh, J. Bowlin. D. H. Lutz and A. B. Baugh. 

(•HUBCHES. 

The first religious services in Jefferson were held by traveling preach- 
ers of the MethodisT. and New-Light denominations several years before 
any permanent organization was effected. The citizens of the western 
part of the township met for worship with an old Methodist society in 
Clinton County, while the Presbyterians had an organization many years 
ago a short distance east, in Cicero Township. 

Tetersburg Christian Church is the oldest religious organization in 
the township at the present time, and dates its history back as far as 
1849. It was organized by Elder Lemuel Shoemaker, with an original 
membership of about twenty, among whom were George Teter and wife, 
Asa Teter and wife, Ebal- Teter and wife, Eli Teter and wife, Mahlon 
Tetei', George Phares and wife, William Wimer and wife, Sarah Wol- 
ford, Levi Dunn and wife, and Enos Miles and wife. The organization 
was effected at the village schoolhouse, which was used as a place of 
worship for about twelve years, when the present church edifice was 
erected. This house is a frame building, cost |400 and stands on ground 
donated by Asa Teter. The first pastor was Elder Shoemaker, who 
preached very acceptably for two years. After Shoemaker came the fol- 
lowing pastors, to wit: Abraham Cole, Samtiel Poff, John Poff, George 
Boswell, Henry Puckett, James Humphrey, William Dunfee, Mr. Peck, 
John Puckett, John R. Kob, Mr. Williams, John Layman, D. W. 
Fowler, and B. F. Jaynes, the present pastor. There are forty 
members belonging to the church at the present time. A good Sunday 
school is supported under the superintendency of Salathial Rains. 

Normanda Presbyterian Chui'ch was organized in the year 1852, by 
Rev. John Dale. The first meeting was held at the residence of Andrew 
Evans, a short distance north of Normanda, and the following names re- 
corded as members, viz., Andrew Evans and wife, J. H. Montgomery and 
wife, Charles Rumsey and wife, and John McCorkill and wife. The or- 
ganization was maintained at Evans' residence for some time, and after- 
ward at the village schoolhouse, where it was kept up until the year 1864, 
when it was changed to Tipton. Rev. John Dale was the stated supply 
about six years. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Whalen, who min- 



1 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 

istered to the congregation four years. Aside from these two. the church 
had no other pastor while the society remained at Normanda. 

In the year 1863, Rev. Huntsinger, of the Protestant Methodist 

Church, held a meeting at the Goodknight Schoolhouse, and organized a 
society composed as follows: Archibald Dick and wife. Owen Reese and 
wife, Jane Stroup, Howard Moon and wife, George Moon and wife, 

Garrett White and wife, Samuel Dunham and wife, William , 

Jane Draper, Ann M. Reese and Ellen Dunham. Rev. Douglas was the 
first pastor and preached two years. After him came Revs. Miller, Swazey, 
Boxwell, Smith, Evans and Heim. The pastor in charge at the present 
time is Rev. Boswell. Their house of worship, a neat frame ed- 
ifice, 34x38 feet in size, was erected in the year 1873. It stands a short 
distance north of Kempton, on land donated by David Goodknight, and 
cost the sum of $1,600. The present membership of the church is about 
fifty. I. N. Goodknight is Superintendent of the Sunday school. 

Goldsmith Methodist Episcopal Church organization was brought 
about principally by the efforts of Dr. J. A. Bouse, who inaugurated a 
movement for the erection of a churcn building at the village in the year 
1881. John Magnet donated ground for the purpose, and work began on 
the edifice at once, which was soon completed, at a cost of $1,000. It is 
a beautiful frame structure, stands north of the village, and does great 
credit to the originators of the movement. A short time after its com- 
pletion, a meeting was called for the pui'pose of organizing a class, which 
was effected through the labors of Rev. M. S. Metts and Miss Kate Lu- 
brick, an evangelist, assisted by Dr. J. A. Bouse. The class was organ- 
ized with but three members, viz., Mr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Bouse and Dr. 
Bouse, but in a short time this number was increased by large additions 
and the society soon acquired a permanent footing. It was attached to 
Shielville Circuit, of the Northern Indiana Conference, and in 1882 be- 
came the principal head of Goldsmith Circuit. The pastors of the church 
have been Rev. E. W. Osborne and F. G. Brown. From a small be- 
ginning, the society has increased in numbers until at the present time 
there are seventy-five good active members enrolled. Sylvanus Bouse, 
J. C. Vandevender, Richard Foster and I. N. Bouse are Trustees. J. 
D. Smith, I. N. Bouse and W. P. Bouse compose the Board of Stewards. 
Robert Dunn is Glass Leader. In 1883, a neat parsonage was purchased 
at a cost of $600. 



206 IIISTOKV OF TIPTON COUNTY. 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 

BY G. X. BERRY. 

At the first session of the Commissioners' Court of Tipton County, 
held in the month of June, 1844, it was ordered that the following 
territory be set apart and known as Madison Township, to wit: " Begin- 
ing at the southeast corner of Section 32, Town 21 north, Range 6 east, 
thence north six miles, thence west six mil^s, thence south six miles, 
thence east to the place of beginning." As originally formed, the town- 
ship comprised thirty-six square miles, but at the September term of 
1846, a strip one half mile wide was taken from the western part and 
added to Cicero Township, and at a subsequent session tlie northern 
boiindary was fixed so as to include eleven sections of the township of 
Wild Cat, making the geographical area at the present time forty- four 
square miles, or 28,160 acres. It occupies the southeast corner of the 
county bordering on Madison County on the east, and Hamilton County 
on the south, while the townships of Cicero and Wild Cat respectively 
form its western and northern boundaries. Duck Creek, the principal 
water- course, flows through the eastern part and receives in its course a 
number of tributaries, chief of which are Polliwog Creek and Prairie Out- 
let. The former enters the main 'stream in Section 7, while the latter 
forms a junction in Section 29 near the eastern border of the township. 
The east prong of Bear Creek flows through the southern part of the 
township and furnishes ample drainage for that portion of the country. 

The surface of the township is almost uniformly flat, with the excep- 
tion of the southeast corner in the vicinity of Duck Creek, where the land 
is of an undulating nature, and in some places considerably broken. 
There are several low tracts in the township which in early days were 
looked upon by the pioneer home-seekers as of little value on account of 
the sloughs and quagmires. These lands were purchased in later years 
and a thorous:h system of drainage instituted, by means of which the 
rich soil has been reclaimed and its productiveness developed. The soil 
of the broken part of the township consists of clays, sand mixed in cer- 
tain localities, and is not so well adapted for farmings purposes as the 
black soil of the flat lands. This black loam which comprises the greater 
part of the township is deep, very fertile and produces abundantly all the 
cereals and fruits indigenous to this climate. It rests upon a substratum 
of clay, is easily drained and gives to this part of the county peculiar ad- 
vantages as an agricultural region. 

The original territory of Madison was a wilderness consisting of 
dense forests, with small, wet prairies at intervals, the whole covered with 







^ y. 




MADISON TOWNSHIP. 209 

an undergrowth of such density as to effectually shield the soil from the 
sun-s rays. The timber comprised the varieties common to this part of 
the State, viz. , walnut, poplar, oak, ash, elm of several kinds, sugar maple, 
soft maple, beech, linn, sycamore, with a smaller growth of buckeye, 
spicebrush and willow. The prairies, which are nothing more than 
large swamps, were named from their peculiar shapes or from the part of the 
township where they are situated, as Round Priarie and West Prairie. 
The first named comprises several hundred acres in the northeast corner 
of the township, with a corresponding number of acres in the township 
adjoining on the north. West Prairie occupies the greater portion of 
Section 15 in the western part of the township. There is a small tract 
of wet land in the southeast part, known as Wesall Prairie. 

SETTLEMENT. 

The pioneers who first sought homes amid the forests and sloughs of 
Madison found fields of labor beset with difiiculties and diseom-age- 
ments. trials and hardships, before which we of the present day would 
shrink appalled. An unbroken wilderness met the anticipations of the 
hardy men and brave-hearted women who left the comforts of civilization 
behind them for the purpose .of securing homes for themselves and her- 
itages for their posterity. Theirs was no easy task, and the years of 
constant struggle and the motives which animated them and nerved 
their arms are no less deserving of praise or honorable mention m the 
pages of history than the patriotism that fires the heart of the hero of 
the gory fray. Their mission was to reclaim a large scope of wild 
country from a wilderness state and transform it into fertile farms and 
happy homes; and nobly did they perform their labors in the face of 
hardships which they were compelled to encounter day by day, never 
giving lodgment to feelings of discouragement or discontent. Their 
whole lives were the grand, simple poems of rugged, toilsome duty well 
and uncomplainingly wrought out, and their examples and achievements 
are among the richest legacies to a grateful posterity. The southern division 
of Madison was opened up for settlement as early as the year 1 830, being 
at that time included in the territory of Hamilton County, while the 
northern sections formed a part of the Indian reserve, and were not put 
on the market for a number of years later; consequently the drst settle- 
ments were made along the southern boundary and as early as 1836 we 
find the following persons living in that part of the township: James 
Shaw. Henry Etchison, Pleasant Ailman and Henry Hobbs. Shaw 
moved here from Rush County and settled about two miles south of New 
Lancaster Village, on a farm where his widow still resides. He was a 
man of some local prominence and took an active part in directino- im- 
migration to this portion of the county. Etchison came to Indiana 



210 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

fi'om North Carolina and pre-empted a claim in Section 17, where be 
made some good improvements. He lived in the township for a period 
of five years, when he sold his possessions to Zadok Darrow and moved 
to Madison County. Allman located in the southeast corner of the town- 
ship, being the first pioneer to settle in that locality. He came here from 
Marion County, and does not appear to have been of any great l:)enefit to 
the community, belonging to that thriftless class which usually precedes 
civilization in a new country. He erected a diminutive cabin on his 
claim, but being unable to enter the land, he sold his improvements one 
year after his arrival to James Merritt and moved to Iowa, where he is 
living at the present time. Hobbs came from Virginia and was a man of 
considerable note in the early days of the township, being prominently 
identified with the country's development and taking an active part in 
politics. He was his party's candidate for the ofiice of Probate Judge 
in an early day, but was defeated by a small majority. The land which 
he entered lies in Section 15, near the southwest corner of the township, 
and is still in possession of the family. A large number of descendants 
reside in the county at the present time. Absalom Hobbs, a brother of the 
preceding, came one year later and entered a tract of land in Section 27, 
where one of his daughters still lives. He was a public -spirited citizen, 
and soon had a good farm cleared and under successful cultivation. Like his 
brother, he took an active part in political affairs, and ran for the office 
of Sheriff in the year 1846, but, belonging to a party hopelessly in the 
minority, he was unsuccessful in the race. He was identified with the 
township until the year 1879, and earned the reputation of being one of 
its leading citizens, acquiring a large amount of real estate, which at 
the present time is in possession of his numerous descendants. 

Early in the year 1837, Joseph Henderson came to the township and 
secured a home in the southeastern part, on land at present owned by 
Mr. Hobbs. Henderson was a native of Ohio, but left his native State 
in an early day and joined his fortunes with the Mormons under the 
leadership of their prophet, Joseph Smith, with whom he seems to have 
been a favorite. He was with the Latter-Day Saints at the time of their 
expulsion from Illinois, and was one of a small settlement in Jackson 
County, Mo., where he lived until his immigration to this State in the" 
vear mentioned. He renounced the Mormon heresy before leaving Mis- 
souri, a step which made him very unpopular among his former religious 
associates, and which caused him to seek a more congenial home away 
froW their influence. He entered land in this township in the year 1838, 
and was a resident until about the year 1875, at which time his death 
occurred. In 1837, Henry Hildebrand, a Virginian, came to the town- 
ship and purchased land in the southern part. He proved a valuable ac- 
cession to the community, being a man of rare mechanical ingenuity, and 
finding plenty of work making chairs, bedsteads and other articles of 



MADISON TOWNS [IIP. 211 

furniture for the early settlers. He afterward added tko medical profes- 
sion to his other accomplishments, and became a noted piactitioner 
among the ague-plagued neighborhoods of Madison and adjoining town- 
ships. 

About the same time, settlements were made by Reuben Farlow near 
the eastern boundary of the township, and William Orr. a nephew, and 
by Absalom and Henry Hobbs in the southwest corner, a short distance 
from the Lilly farm. Philip Letziuger came in IS3S, aud was joined 
the same year by Mitchell and William Goen and Joseph A. Wright. 
The Goens located near the Hamilton County line, where they became 
the possessors of several tracts of real estate. Wright was one of the 
permanent pioneers of this part of the county and worked diligently for 
its prosperity. He came from North Carolina, where he left his family 
wliile he made a tour of obsetvation through the newly organized coun- 
ty of Tipton. He selected a claim on bectiou 22, on which he con- 
structed a small cabin. This being completed, he returned for his fam- 
ily, who were soon settled with as much comfort as the circumstances 
would permit. The struggle with the wilderness was inaugurated by the 
father, who, during the following year, was kept busy felling trees and 
preparing the ground for cultivation. Be soon had a number of acres 
ready for the plow, and was among the tirst settlers in this part of the 
country to make farming self-supporting. He burned the first brick in 
the township and erected the first brick house in the county on his farm 
about the year 1848. This residence is still standing and is occupied at 
the present time by the ^V^idow Horton. Other early settlers, whose dates 
of arrival were not learned, were Henry Hai'bit, a Kentuckian, who located 
a short distance soiith of New Lancaster on land where his son still 
lives, and Reuben Harvey, who entered the land now owned and occupied 
by William Carr in the eastern part of the township. Harvey did but lit- 
tle in the way of improving a farm, not being very favorably disposed 
toward that kind of employment, thinking there were other means of 
gaining a livelihood aside from felling trees, grubbing out roots and 
burning logs. He took up the medical profession and became a physi- 
cian of some repute in later years. In connection with the healing art, 
he carried on the mercantile business at New Lancaster ia au early day, 
being one of the hrst merchants at that place. 

In the year 1838, two brothers, Newton and Carter Jackson, came to 
the township Avith their families and settled near Lancaster Village, the 
former in Section 19 and the latter in Section 20, where both had en- 
tered lands a couple of years previous. They were natives of Kentucky, 
but left that State in an early day and settled m Wayne County hear the 
city of Richmond, where they continued to reside imtil they secured 
lands in Tipton, then Hamiltoa County. At the organization of Tipton 
County in 1844, Newton Jackson took an active part and was elected 



212 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

first Clerk. He moved to the eoiinty seat shortly after his election and 
died there a few years later. Carter Jackson took a lively interest in 
politics during the early days of the county, and was honored by being 
elected its first liepresfutative to the Legislature in the year 1845. He 
has been a prominent citizen of Madison for over forty-five years, and is 
the oldest settler living in the township at the present time. 

Among those who came to the township in an early day and secured 
their lands from the Government by entry were Ansalen Ballard, John 
Bader, John Grooss, Samuel Potoflf, Ebenezer Douglass, Eli Wright, 
Enoch Worman, Sanford Daniel, Alfred Daniel, Silas Mills, Lemuel 
Darrow, Obadiah Kinney, Henry Oldacre, Samuel Heck. Solomon Dill, 
Jarrett Nugen, Martin Rogers, Daniel Miller, William Orr, Jesse Mc- 
Anally, Benjamin Baird and James Beeson, all of whom received their 
patents prior to 1837, though but few of them became residents of the 
township. The following two years" entries were made by William 
Sheets, N. Stanbraugh, James Tate, S. N. John, Joel Stephenson, Fred- 
erick Waltz, Jesse Hankins. James Armstrong, George L. Smith, Robert 
Stuteman. Jacob Smith, John Sharpe, Ransom Mills, H. Mills, William 
Riddler, Jonathan Coffin, John Sleath, Zadok Darrow, John Weylie, 
William Birch, Thomas Cooper, Samuel Neece, Nathan Baird and others. 

Among those who came in 183V) was James Merritt. a native of Ohio, 
who located where Green Lilly lives, in the southern part of the town- 
ship. He bought the place of Pleasant Allman, the original owner, and 
at once began making improvements, among which was the planting of 
an orchard, one of the first in the eastern part of the county. Several of 
the old trees of this orchard still remain and present a venerable appear- 
ance. Merritt was in every sense of the word a pioneer of the true back- 
woods type, being as much at home with his dogs and gun in the fores t 
as with his family around the cabin hearthstone. He was a resident of 
Madison until the time of his wife's death in 1846, when he moved to 
Hamilton County, selling his farm two years later to Green Lilly, the 
present proprietor. 

Edward Sharpe settled in the southwest part of the township in the 
latter part of 1839, and remained there until the year 1844, when, becom- 
ing tired of the sloughs, pollywogs and ague, packed up his few house- 
hold goods, left his cabin and went back to Marion County, his former 
home. He was absent about two years, when he returned to the town- 
ship, cleared a good farm and has been one of the well-to-do citizens 
ever since. The Darrow family, consisting of Lemuel, Zadok, John and 
Simeon, came about the year 1839 and settled on Duck Creek, near the 
eastern boundary of the county. They were natives of Massachusetts 
and men of considerable business tact, being the first stock dealers in the 
township. Lemuel's death, which occurred in 1843, was one of the first 
events of the kind that transpired in Madison. John became involved 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 213 

in some business transaction and left the county rather suddenly to escape 
litigation, while Zadok terminated a miserable existence in the year 1858 
by committing suicide. 

Another early settler worthy of special mention was John B. Cole, a 
native of New Jersey, whose arrival dates from about the year 1840. He 
purchased land in the eastern part of the township, made a good farm 
and became well known throughout the county as a local })olitician. He 
was also a zealous Christian, yet in spite of his Methodist piety, the 
pugilistic qualities of the man would occasionally develop themselves, as 
the following incident will go to show. It appears that a bitter feud had 
existed for a number of years between his and the Hobbs family, result- 
ing in many quarrels, and no occasion to add fuel to the Hames was al- 
lowed to pass by unimproved. Cole met two of tbe Hobbs boys one day 
peddling beef, and as usual an altercation ensued, during the progress 
of which the young men drew their butcher knives and swore they would 
make mince meat of the old gentleman. Now cowardice was an ingre- 
dient unknown in Cole's make-up, and he refused pointedly to be intimi- 
dated by their bloody threat, but on the contrary, with genuine old-fash- 
ioned Methodist grit, he rolled up his sleeves and soon convinced the 
young gentlemen that they were dealing with the wroug Tartar. Feeling 
a little uneasy in the presenee of the old man's hard knuckles, the boys 
thought it wise policy to ground their arms and beat a retreat, which they 
executed in line style. The following day, while Cole aad his daughter 
were on their way to camp -meeting, they met another of the Hobbs boys 
who refused to show the Avhite feather, and a rough and tumble kaock 
down took place. The battle was waged hotly for several minutes with 
doubfful success, but after awhile Cole went down before |the well di- 
rected blows of his enemy, who followed up his supposed advantage with 
great cruelty, kicking and mutilating the head and face of his prostrate 
foe in a horrible manner. The daughter, supposing her father would be 
killed, ''entreated Hobbs to spare his life, which entreaties had the desired 
eflfect and Cole was allowed to rise. But he was not so nearly dead as 
one would suppose, for no sooner had he picked the clods from his eyes 
and taken in the situation than he made a second rush for his enemy, 
who was soon compelled to beg for mercy, which was dealt out to him in 
very spare quantities by the indignant class leader. Hobbs retaliated by 
having Cole arrested and brought to trial at a time when all the lawyers 
of Tipton but one had been feed to leave the town. Not being able to 
procure counsel, Cole was defeated at the trial and lined $40 and costs. 

A list of the pioneers of Madison wonld be incomplete without the 
name of Benjamin Leavell, who came from Wayne County in tlie year 
1841 and piu'(;hased land of Newton Jackson, near the village of Lancas- 
ter. He was a man of more than ordinary energy, a prominent farmer 
and an enterprising citizen. His son is the present efficient Sherift' of 



214 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTi'. 

the county. Green Lilly, while not one of the earliest settlers in 
Madison, can bo named with the pioneers of the county, as he came to 
the county in a very early day, settling first in Cicero Township, where 
he lived until 1849, when he purchased the farm on which he at present 
resides. He has been an active business ir.an, participating in political 
aflaii's to some extent, having served the county as Commissioner two 
terms and the township as Justice of the Peace and Trustee. His place 
is a model of neatness, and is said to be by competent judges the best 
improved farm in Tipton County. 

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS. 

The development of Madison during the early years of its history was 
very slow on account of the absence of facilities for communication, 
mills, market places, etc. The first wheat raised in the township had to 
be hauled to Perkinsville and Strawtown, where but indifferent markets 
were afforded, the farmers realizing but 45 and 50 cents per bushel for 
their grain. Some of the settlers took the first crops to Lawrenceburg in 
the southern part of the State, where better prices could be obtained, 
the grain merchants there paying as high as 62| cents per bushel in trade, 
or 00 cents in cash. The nearest mills where meal could be obtained 
were situated on Cicero Creek in Hamilton County. They were rude 
affairs, being merely corn -crackers, and ground very slow, but appear to 
have been well patronized by the citizens of this and adjoining town- 
ships. An inferior grade of flour could be procured at the Perkinsville 
Mill, which for several years was the only source of supply for that com- 
modity. A fair market for grain and produce was offered by the Wa- 
bash Canal, but the almost impassable condition of the roads leading to it 
prevented many of the farmers patronizing the shippers. The manner 
of living was about the same as in all pioneer communities, while the state 
of society was a great deal better than in many new countries. Indians 
were numerous in the northern part of the township, but gave the settlers 
no trouble further than an occasional fright when they took their gen- 
eral drunks at Strawtown. They traded with the pioneers such articles 
as moccasins, dressed deer skins, venison, bead work, etc., for bacon, 
gun-powder and wearing apparel, oftentimes driving shrewd bargains 
with the air of a modern speculator. It is related of one Indian that he 
went through the early settlements and purchased all the dogs he could 
find, paying for them a good round sum, but always taking care to have the 
owner recommend the good qualities of the canine. He afterward 
came back, accompanied by two or three stalwart bucks, and visited each 
house from which he had obtaimxl a dog, declaring that the brute did 
not come up to tlio recommendation, and demanding a return of his pay. 
He took care, however, to make these calls in the absence of the hus- 
band, and by threats of violence generally succeeded in getting the 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 215 

money back or its equivalent in other articles. What he did with the 
■dogs was not learned. 

The first mill in the township was a saw mill erected some time during 
the year 1848. It was the property of Gilbert Wright, and was located 
on the West Fork of Duck Ci-eek, from which it received its motive 
power. It was operated by a large old-fashioned water-wheel, and fur- 
nished the lumber for many of the first frame houses in this and neigh- 
boring settlements. Wright ran the mill until the time of his death in 
1854, when it passed into other hands, William Stanley being the last 
owner. It was in operation until about fifteen years ago, when the 
building took fire and was completely destroyed. In the year 1858, a 
steam saw mill was erected at the village of New Lancaster by Messrs. 
Pickering & Hess, who operated it very successfully until 1861, at which 
time it was purchased by Riley Swope. The building of frame houses 
about this time created a demand for lumber and the mill was kept run- 
uing alrqost constantly in order to meet the general want. Swope re- 
modeled the mill, erected a good frame building and supplied it with 
machinery for grinding flour and meal. This mill supplied a long- felt 
want in the community, and obviated the necessity of traveling so far to 
Perkinsville Mill, hitherto the nearest one accessible from this settle- 
ment. It is still in operation; the present proprietor is Andrew Jackson. 

B. F. Marshall erected a good steam saw mill in 1868 at the village 
of Curtisville, and did quite an extensive lumber business at that place 
for several years. He subsequently sold it to Goodwin & Colvin, the 
present proprietors, who remodeled the machinery and added a heading 
factory. They employ nine hands and do a good local business, besides 
shipping a number of car loads of lumber and heading every month. 

One of the early industries of the township was the J^ew Lancaster 
Tannery, started in the year 1849 by a man by the name of Hillegas. 
Hiliegas did no work further than inaugurating the enterprise, selling 
out a few months later to Martin Stevens, who conducted a very suc- 
cessful business until the year 1855, at which time he sold it to a man 
by the name of Hubbard. The latter followed the business for five years, 
■when he retired and rentod the yard to W. P. Gates, who operated it 
until 1864, when an interest was purchased by J. W. Leavell. They 
continued together one year, when Hubbard returned from the army and 
formed a copartnership with Leavell, which was maintained until the 
year 1867, at which time the entire interest was purchased by S. N. Dill- 
man. Mr. Dillman operated it until it outlived its usefulness, when it 
was abandoned. 

The first orchard in the township was set out by Carter Jackson on 
bis place a few weeks after his arrival in the new country. He brought 
with him about 300 small trees, which he raised from the seed in Wayne 
■County, and started a small nursery, from which all the early orchards 



216 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

in this and adjoining townships were started. The second orchard -was 
planted by James Merritt, in th« western part of the township in the year 
1840. 

The manufactiire of tiling in Madison is of recent date, the first fac- 
tory having been established about live years ago by George Myerly find 
Frank Haines. It stands about one mile east of New Lancaster, and is 
doing a good business at the present time. Barney Georgner and Michael 
Welsh built the second tile kiln near the western boundary of the town- 
ship in the year 1881. It is operated at the present time by Georgner 
& Hobbs, who have a large and lucrative trade. 

EARLY ELECTIONS. 

The first election within the present bounds of Tipton Countj was 
held in the year 1841, at the residence of Joseph A. Wright in the west- 
ern part of this township. This was while Madison was a part of Ham- 
ilton County, and the election took place for county purjooses only, no 
oflficers being chosen. Carter Jackson was appointed Inspector, and the 
entire number of votes cast was eighteen. The first election after the 
county organization was held at John B. Cole's residence in the year 
1844. Newton Jackson was chosen Justice of the Peace at this election, 
but resigned that position a few months later to take charge of the 
Clerk's office. The first Board of Township Trustees was elected in the 
year 1854 and comprised the following-named gentlemen, to wit: Levi 
Colvin, Gilbert Wright and Green Lilly. James Beeson was chosen 
Treasurer and Thomas S. Starkey Clerk at the same time. Since the 
year 1859, the following persons have served as Trustees of the town- 
ship: Iredell Wright, John Essex, L. Jackson, James Decker and Leau- 
der Goodwin. The present Trustee is James Decker, who has filled 
the office several terms. 

NEW LANCASTER. 

This little hamlet is situated in the southwest part of the township 
and seems to have been the outgrowth of the general demand of that 
locality for a trading point. The original site was owned by Carter 
Jackson, who sold small portions of his farm from time to time to those 
who desired to locate in the village. No Y>\at was ever made, as it was 
not the intention of Mr. Jackson to found a town. The first residence 
in the village was erected by Abraham Ressler, about the year 1845, 
and soon afterward two more dwellings were built by Granville Newly 
and R. R. Douglass. Charles Thurman brought the first stock of goods 
to the place, which he kept in a little hewed-log house, which is still 
standing. He did a good business for four years, with a general stock 
of merchandise representing a capital of about !$1,0()0. In 1849. he 
effected a copartnership with Asa Dollahide, and together they ran the 
business until 1851, at which time the stock was purchased by James 






^Utn^Ay^ Z/. 




^<:;r^^^xJz^^ ^^^:^tn^-i^i^^^^ 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 219 

Beeson, who sold goods until the time of his death in 186], when the 
stock was closed out. In the year 1850, Isaac Harbit and Frank Balser 
erected a hewed-log store building, in which they sold goods as partners 
until 1854, when they sold out to Reuben Harvey. Harvey closed out 
four years later in order to give all his time to the medical profession. 
Among the different merchants of the place were F. M. Harbit, James 
Con-ell, John Darrow, S. H. Dillman, Hefflin & Ballinger, George L. 
Shaw and several others. There are two stores at the present time, kept 
by James W. Harbit and James Wilson. The first blacksmith was 
Abraham Ressler, who opened a t^hop as early as 1845. The present 
blacksmiths are Wesley Coates and George Streunell. The following 
medical gentlemen have practiced their profession at the village at dif- 
ferent times, viz., R. R. Douglass, Grandville Newly, Reuben Harvey. 
W. M. Sharpe, I. D. Armtield, T. O. Armtield, William Judd, Davis and 
T. F. Cook. The present physician is Dr. N W. Doane. 

CURTISVILLE. 

The town of Curtisville was founded about the year 1859, by L. B. 
Colvin, who built a saw mill on the railroad in Section 31, and sold lots 
for the purpose of securing a switch and station. Among the tii'st to 
purcliase lots were R. T. Moon, John Balser, O. D. Colvin and A. B. 
Newman. The first stock of goods was opened for sale by Newman, Avho 
erected a building for the purpose in the eastern part of the village. 
About four years later, he disposed of his goods to Bratton & Co. , who 
continued business in the same building for several years, when they 
sold to Jacob Stamm. Stamm occupied the room a little more than one 
year, at the end of which time he was succeeded by John Tuttle, who 
afterward sold out to John Starkey. R. T. Moon erected a business house 
north of the railroad in the year 1862, which he occupied with a good 
stock of general merchandise until 1875. Leander Goodwin built a store- 
house near the railroad in the year 1875. and was in the dry goods 
business until the fall of 1882, when he sold out to Charles Hall, who 
runs the store at the present time. W. W. Boyden engaged in merchan- 
dising in 1875 and has been in the village ever since. The early black- 
smiths of the place were William Little, Joseph Leach and James Ham- 
ilton. The present blacksmith is William Dix. The manufacturing in- 
terests of the place have been represented by several steam saw mills, all 
of which were operated rather extensively, and at one time the village 
became quite a shipping point for lumber. Colvin's mill was burned 
in 1862, and one year later a second saw mill was brought to the town 
by Samuel Bracken, who ran it a .short time, afterward selling our to 
Ogle & Otoole. It afterward passed into the hands of Joel Redabaugh. 
who moved it from the place in the year 1866. In the meantime. David 
Baumgardner brought a mill to the village and operated it with good 
success for about foui* years, when it was also removed. 



220 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

A post office was established at the village in 1859, andJJacob Oldacre 
appointed Postmaster. The office is kept at the present time by Leander 
Ooodwin at the store of Charles Hall. J. W. Manden and S, M. Con- 
ner Avere the earliest medical men of the village; at the present time the 
healing art is represented by Drs. S. S. Hazzai'd and J. T. Jessup. The 
village was surveyed and regularly platted in the year 1873 for the fol- 
lowing long list of proprietors: R. T. Moon, Philip Staum, Boswell 
Colviu, William Spray, John Fcuch, Samuel Harbit, W. W. Colviu 
^nd J. W. Murden. 

VILLAGE OF HOBBS. 

This is a small station on the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, with a 
population of about fifteen or twenty families. It was located by Hen- 
derson Hobba, after whom it was named, on his farm in Section 10 about 
five years ago. M. M. Hobbs keeps a good general store and is doing a 
thriving business. There is one large grain house operated by Jerry 
Ressler, a steam saw mill by Neidhamer & Correll and one blacksmith 
shop carried on by James Comer; M. M. Hobbs keeps the post office 
and Dr. T. O. Armfield looks after the physical ailments of the village 
and surrounding community. 

CEMETERIES. 

The first ground consecrated to- the burial of the dead is the old 
Pleasant Hill Graveyard in the southeast corner of the township. It was 
laid out about 1838, and for many years served as a place of interment for 
the earl} settlements of Tipton and Hamilton Counties. Among the first 
laid to rest in this place was Lemuel Darrow, whose death has been alluded 
to in a previous page. The New Lancaster Graveyard was laid out in 
the year 1845 by Samuel Townsend and Michael Mitchell. The first 
interment was a son of Michael Mitchell, whose death occurred some 
time during the year mentioned. The Hobbs Graveyard was laid out in 
the southern part of the township at an early day, and the first inter- 
ment therein was the wife of Henry Hobbs. The second person buried 
in this cemetei'y was a young man by name of Preston Edwards. There 
are two other graveyards in the township in addition to those enumer- 
ated, one at the village of Curtisville and one a short distance east of that 
place. 

RELIGIOUS HISTORY. 

The first religious services in Madison were conducted under the au- 
spices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, about the year 1839, at what 
was known as the Centre Schoolhouse. The first preacher was Rev. 
Sanford AVilliams, iinder whose labors an organization was effected at 
the same place a few months later, consisting of the following members, 
to wit: Joseph A. Wright and wife, John B. Cole and wife. Miss Re- 
becca Cole, Sarah E. Wright (nee Lilly), Miss Mary Oit, Absalom 
Hobbs and wife, Martha Goen, Malinda Goen, Allen Goen. Within a 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 221 

year, although without a regular pastor, and having preaching only oc-. 
casionally, the number of members increased very rapidly and the class 
became a flourishing organization. It continued with varied success 
until about the year 1880. when the numerical strength had so decreased 
that it was thought expedient to dissolve the church relationship, which 
was done accordingly. The first regular supply was Rev. John Kelly, 
who preached at the residence of Joseph A. Wright for one year. He was 
followed by Bev. Huffaker, under whose ministrations the meeting place 
was changed to the Antioch Schoolhouse, which served as a place of 
worship as long as the organization was maintained. The next in regu- 
lar order was Rev. Tansy, who was succeeded ;by Revs. Pentsen, New- 
ton, Hollingsworth, Cothron and others, the last pastor being the Rev. 
T. J. Elkin. 

The Regular Baptists organized a small society at the New Lancas- 
ter Schoolhouse in an early day, and sustained it for a number of years, 
having preaching only at rare intervals. Their membership was few in 
numbers, and no steps were ever taken to erect a house of worship, the 
schoolhouse and private residences being used for meeting purposes. 
The minister under whose exertions the society was organized was Elder 
James Ralston, a man well known among the pioneer churches of Tipton 
County. The organization was abandoned many years ago, and no relig- 
ious society has been in existence at the village since. 

In the year 1854, a Union Church building was erected in the south- 
east corner of the township, and named Pleasant Hill, after the old cem- 
etery in the same locality. It was built by members of different relig- 
ious societies and the citizens of the community for general church and 
Sunday school purposes, being thrown open to all denominations alike. 
The house is frame, and was built at an outlay of about $600, although 
its real cash value would represent more than that amount, as much of 
the material and considerable labor was donated by friends of the enter- 
prise. It has been used principally by the Methodists and New Lights, 
both of which denominations have sustained organizations here at differ- 
ent times. 

An organization known as the New School or Anti-Methodists sprang 
into existence under the preaching of a certain James De Hority about 
the year 1855. For some time the new departure was favorably looked 
upon, and the zealous preaching of De Hority attracted many hearers, a 
number of whom united themselves into a society at the residence of Philip 
Litzinger. This organization was kept up about foui' years, and was 
ministered to at intervals by Revs. Ransom Smith, Jonathan Carey, 
Golf, and the founder, De Hority. Many of the members, including the 
projector, afterward went back to the Methodist Episcopal Chui'ch, and 
the remnant making no effort to maintain the society, it was dually aban- 
doned. 



222 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

The Missionary Baptist Church of Curtisville was organized by Rev. 
Henry Cobb at his residence some time prior to 1860, the exact date not 
being learned. A house of worship was erected in the village in 1861, 
and afterward moved to Cobb's farm, where it is still standing. This 
building is a hewed-log structm'e in very poor condition and poorly 
meets the wants of a congregation of worshipers. Rev. Cobb, the 
founder of the society, preached for the church during the greater part 
of twelve years. Other pastors were William Hughes, Denton Simpsou, 
J. A. Havens and Mr. Ellison. The society at the present time numbers but 
few members and is in rather a dormant state. 

The United Brethren organized a society at the Oakland Schoolhouse 
about the year 1873, and sustained it with a fair membership nearly 
four years. The preachers during that period were Revs. Evans, McNew, 
John McNew and William Bia.s. The organization was abandoned iu 
the year 1877. In the year 1873, the Christian or New Lights organ- 
ized a church at the Oakland Schoolhouse under the labors of Elder Van- 
uess, who succeeded in securing a very fair membership. Public services 
were held at the schoolhouse until the year 1875, at which time the 
place of meeting was changed to the new Union Chapel Church biiildirig 
near the southwest corner of the township, where the organization is still 
maintained. The different pastors of this society were Elders William 
Hefflin, George Boswell. De Bois and John Layman, the last named being 
preacher in charge at the present time. The Union Chapel was erected 
in the year 1875 by the general public for the exclusive use of no par- 
ticular denomination, all sects having the same liberty to use it for 
church purposes. It stands on ground donated by Joseph Henderson. 
Is a substantia] frame edifice and cost the sum of |500. 

SCHOOLS. 

The first school in Madison, so far as can be learned, was taught 
about the year 1840 in a little cabin which stood in Section 32, near the 
southeast corner of the township. This house was built by the neigh- 
bors for school purposes on ground donated by James Beeson. Among 
the early teachers is remembered one Frank Shortridge, who taught the 
winter of 1840-41. The building was a model of simplicity, being about 
16x16 feet in size, seated with rude puncheon benches and lighted by a 
single window made by removing a log from the wall and inserting into 
the aperture greased paper instead of glass. It was in use but a short 
time, being soon replaced bv a moi-e commodious log structure, known as 
the Darrow Schoolhouse, built in the same section on land belonging to 
Mr. Darrow. This latter house was a decided improvement on the little 
cabin described, being lighted with glass windows and supplied with various 
other conveniences, among which was a large heating stove, added in 
after years. The first pedagogue who wielded the scepter of authority 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 223 

in this primitive backswoods college was a Mr. Cole Birch, an eccentric 
character well known by many of the old residents of the township now 
liviLg. Birch appearH to have been a man of more than ordinary intellectual 
attainments, and is remembered as a very successful instructor, having been 
prominently connected with the early schools of this and adjoining town- 
ships for many years. He was the handy man of the neighborhood, and 
no log-rolling, corn-husking, house-raising or gathering of any kind was 
complete without his presence. A universal favorite, his company was 
always in demand and his many abilities could be usefully employed in 
every direction. Were any of the settlers sick, he was the first to visit 
them in their affliction, and would administer to their wants with his 
last penny if necessity required it. If a musician was demanded for a 
backwoods "hoe-down," Birch was invariably the one sought, and all 
the festive youth for miles around learned to trip the light fantastic toe 
to the lively strains of his violin. A.t the shooting matches his rifle gen- 
erally won the prize, and in all athletic sports he ackowledged no su- 
perior. It was his boast that he could kill more deer, market more coon- 
skins, tell more yarns, sing louder at a camp meeting and stand up 
under more vile whisky than any other man in the entire country. In 
all the above accomplishments, to which may be added his skill as a 
scientific shuffler of the eucher deck, or an engineer of a prayer meeting, he 
was the rare and only original Cole Birch. The Darrow Schoolhouse was 
in use several years, at the end of which time it disappeared and was 
replaced by another log building in the Shaw neighborhood. 

The first building at New Lancaster stood a short distance north of 
the village in the corner of Section 19, and like all the houses described 
was constructed of logs on the pioneer plan then in vogue. The early 
teachers at this place were Mr. Birch, Philip Ballard, Beuben Haney, 
Samuel Payne, Samuel Harbit, Martha Starkey, David Tranberger and 
others. The little cabin stood for a number of years, but was finally 
abandoned and a frame building erected in the village. This was the 
first frame schoolhouse in the township, and is still standing, though 
not in use for school purposes. Another early building stood in Section 
23, a short distance west of Lancaster Village. It stood on the farm of 
Asbalom Hobbs, and was first used in the year 1844 by Levi T. Hobbs. 
Other early teachers at the same place were Philip Ballard, Cole Bii'ch, 
Samuel Payne. Samuel Hobbs, Charles Miller, Dr. Clark, John Barnelt, 
David Lilly and R. W. Wright. The building burned some time prior to 
1860, and was replaced by what was known as the Oakland Schoolhouse, 
which stood near the spot occnipied by the present brick structure. 

A log schoolhouse was built on t'le land of Edward Sharpe in an 
early day and was first used by Washington Newlin. Moses Smock and 
Stephen Brownson taught at the same place a few years later. The Rhodes 
Schoolhouse was erected in the northern part of the townshiji in the year 



224 HISTORY OF TIPTON COUNTY. 

1854. on the farm of George Rhodes. It was a good building, con- 
structed of hewed logs, and served its purpose well for a number of years. 
Mr. Rice, Peter Lock and John Van Buskirk w'ere among the first peda- 
gogues in that part of the country. Anoiher house was bailt the same 
year near the northern boundary of the township, on land belong- 
ing to James Ressler. The early schools were all supported by sub- 
scription, and generally lasted about three months in the year. In 
the year 1854, the question of taxing the citizens of the township 
for school purposes was submitted and defeated by a small major- 
ity. Public schools were supplied that year, howevei*, and the long-felt 
prejudice against them was gradually overcome by the success of the 
venture. There are at the present time thirteen school districts in the 
township, and as many good buildings in which schools, ranging from 
four to six months, are taught every year. The teachers for the school 
year of 1882-83 were W. R. Hazzard, L. A. Hanshew, D. C. Hobbs, W. 
A. Lowder. E. E. Larimore, J. W. Hobbs, C. C. Decker, J. J. Zion, R. 
H. Cottingham, Amos White, Mary Gates, W. A. Strong and S S. Haz- 
zard. 

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 

The progress of Madison Township from its first settlement to the 
present time has been all that its friends coiild ask or desire. From a 
wilderness of deep forests, marshy quagmires and malaria-breeding 
sloughs, among which the brave })ioneer carved his rude home, has been 
developed a country exhaustless in its resources and rich in all the ele- 
ments of a high civilization. Her farms will compare favorably with 
the best cultivated portions of this and adjoining counties, and when 
the waste lands have been reclaimed by the thorough system of drainage 
now in progress, this division of Tipton will present an agricultural re- 
gion unsurpassed in point of fertility and productiveness. Among the 
best cultivated farms of the township at the present time are those be- 
longing to Green B. Lilly, James H. Decker, John M. Hobbs, Jacob 
Yarling, Joseph Moore, W. C. Hobbs, Lemuel Darrow, Edward DaiTow, 
Jackson Hobbs, Elias Henderson. Caij'ter Jackson, D. C. Hobbs, W. P. 
Harmon, W. P. Gates and John S. Leavell. 

The tax duplicate of the year 1846, the earliest one accessible, shows 
the total value of taxable property in the township at that time to have 
been $67,624, and the amount of tax paid, $703.51. The number of polls 
returned by the Assessor was seventy-one. In the year 1882, the citizens 
of Madison paid taxes to the amount of $11,339.48, while the total value 
of taxable property was represented by the sum of $508,815. There 
were 330 polls in 1882, and the last census gives the township a popu- 
lation of 1,736 souls. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 

JESSE ALEXANDER, ex-County Treasurer, was born in Butler 
County, Ohio, May 24, 1827. His parents, Robert and Lucy (Wilson) 
Alexander, in 1831 removed to Tippecanoe County, Ind. Here they 
resided until 1842, when they located in Tipton County, Ind,, where 
Jesse has ever since resided. After the last mentioned date, his father 
removed to Illinois, in Adams County, in which State he still resides at 
the advanced age of seventy-eight. Our subject attended the common 
schools. He engaged in farming, in which occupation he had been 
brought up, in Prairie Township of Tipton County. He commenced 
with a farm of eighty acres, half prairie and half timber. He is now^ 
the possessor of 240 acres of land, 200 acres of which are under cultiva- 
tion, the balance consisting of timber, and all of it well drained by tile 
and open ditches, and well set in blue grass. During eleven years, in 
connection with his other business, he ran a threshing machine during 
the summer and fall seasons, having purchased the first thresher that 
was brought to the west part of the county. Politically, he is a Dem- 
ocrat. During a period of twenty years, ten terms, he acted in the 
capacity of Assessor of Prairie Township. He has been many times a* 
delegate to the Democratic County Conventions, and twice a delegate to 
the State Convention. In 1879, Mr. Alexander was elected to the office 
of County Treasurer, and discharged the duties of that position for one 
term of two years. One other public service of our subject that deserves 
special mention, is the laying-out of Fair View Cemetery, which was 
performed by him and Mr. Fred Wilcox. It is well arranged and beauti- 
fully situated. Mr. Alexander was married September 27, 1849, in 
Tipton County, to Miss Maria Kemp. The issue of their marriage con- 
sists of eight children, viz. : Clara, Mary J., Margaret, David H. and 
George F. ; also three deceased, viz. : Abraham D., Florence H. and 
Lucy. He resides on North Main street, in Tipton, in a nice residence, 
of which he is the owner. Mr. Alexander is practically an abstainer 
from intoxicants, although he has never signed the pledge. 

DAVID H. ALEXANDER was born in the western part of Tipton 
County on September 30, ISG^, His father, Jesse Alexander, located 



226 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

in the county at an early day, and has been County Treasurer. His 
mother is a sister of David Kemp, one of the wealthiest and most promi- 
nent farmers in the county. David received an excellent common school 
education, and afterward took a thorough commercial course at the Bryant 
k Stratton Business College, Indianapolis. In the spring of 1881, he 
began the study of law at Tipton, in the office of Judge John Green and 
James N. Waugh. composing the firm of Green & Waugh. At the 
September term of the same year, he was admitted to the bar. He had 
closely pursued his legal studies, and shown abilities which would doubt- 
less have given him a high rank in this learned profession had he not 
chosen to enter the field of journalism. In February, 1882, he pur- 
chased from Mr. S. R. Williams, the then proprietor, a half-interest in 
the Tipton Times, a Democratic weekly, published at the county seat, 
which had a State reputation for the ability displayed in its management. 
Mr. Alexander afterward became, and is now, the sole owner of this 
newspaper. Although young in years, he has been a careful observer, 
and this, added to natural tact, an active brain and an energetic disposi- 
tion, has enabled him to achieve success beyond his years. In politics, 
he is, of course, a thorough Democrat, and earnestly believes that the 
principles of that party should prevail in the conduct of the Government. 
His life gives bright promise of a career of great usefulness, and if his 
future shall be judged from his past, it can safely be predicted that he 
will surmount every obstacle which may arise, and, as the years come 
and go, rise step by step into broader fields and higher duties. 

N. H. ALLEN was born at Dover, Wayne Co., Ind., July 21. 1838. 
While he was yet a small boy, his father removed to Rush County. 
•Here he grew up, enjoying such opportunities for education as the country 
at that time afforded. After having acquired a fiiir education, he com- 
menced the study of dental surgery at New Castle, Henry Co., Ind., under 
a gentleman by the name of Hamilton, and his brother. After having 
mastered his profession, he located in Anderson, Ind., and opened a dental 
office in 1862. After residing in Anderson for five years, he, in 1867, re- 
moved to Tipton, Ind.. where he has continued in the practice of his pro- 
fession ever since, with the exception of six years spent at Crawfordsville, 
Ind. Dr. Allen was married at Tipton, February 19, 1869, to Miss Me- 
linda Lyons, whose death occurred during his residence at Crawfordsville. 
His family consists of two children, Willie E. and Grace May. The 
Doctor has an elegant office in the Overman Block, and is the possessor 
of a large and lucrative practice. His professional reputation is not con- 
fined to Tipton County, as he is regarded as one of the best dentists in 
the State. 

DR. A. J. BARKER (deceased), one of the leading physicians, 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 227 

not only of Tipton County, but of this part of the State, was born in 
Baxter County, W. Va., March the 1st, 1840. At an early age, he 
removed to Washington Court House, Ohio, and thence to Tipton, in 
1860, where he resided until his death. His education was such as the 
meager coui'se of study presented by the frontier school afforded. In his 
youth, he learned the trade of a harness-maker, and pursued that calling 
until after he had attained to manhood. While working at this trade, 
during intervals of leisure, he applied himself to the study of medicine. 
In the winter of 1866-67, he attended a course of lectures at the Cin- 
cinnati Medical Colle2;e, ami, returning to Tipton, entered at once upon 
the practice of his profession. He was very successful, and in the winter 
of 1875-76, after several years' practice, he completed his professional 
education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Indianapolis. 
At the time of his death, he was the possessor of a large and lucrative 
practice and a handsome property, principally in real estate. The library 
left at his death is regarded by his brother physicians as one of the finest 
collections of medical and scientific works in the county. In the spring 
of 1863, he was married to Josephine Parker, eldest daughter of Dr. 
Isaac Parker, and by whom he was the father of five children, viz. : 
Nellie, Nettie and Blanche, who are living, and Lorena, who died in 
infancy, and an infant son, who died at birch. In the winter of 1881- 
82, he was seized with an attack of typhoid fever ; from this he 
partially recovered, only to be seized by that dread *enemy of his family, 
consumption. Under this he rapidly failed, and with a mind clear to the 
last, and a courage that defied the destroyer, he sank peacefully to rest 
February 4, 1883, at the age of forty-three His remains were interred 
with Masonic honors, of which fraternity he was a prominent member, in 
Fairview Cemetery. His life was an exemplification of what may be 
accomplished by self-denial, industry and a determined will. 

RANSON P. BARR, a farmer of Tipton County, was born in Jen- 
nings County, Ind., May 16, 1820, and is the son of Henry Barr. His 
father was born February 18, 1792, in Tennessee, and was married De- 
cember 27, 1814, to Martha Lemaster, in Henry County, Ky. He set- 
tled in Jennings County, Ind., and afterward in Decatur County, where 
he died April 6, 1876. He was a successful farmer, and at his death 
was worth ^15,000. His wife, Mrs. Martha Barr, died February 6. 
1877, at the age of eighty-two. The subject of this sketch was reared in 
Decatur County, Ind., where he engaged in farming until 1858. He 
then removed to Tipton County, and located in Prairie Township, where 
he cleared out a farm on land he had entered in 1849 ; here he remained 
until January, 1882, when he removed to Tipton County, where he has 
since resided. He owns a farm of 240 acres, on which his sons reside, 



228 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

and also a residence in Tipton. Mr. Barr was married, November 30, 1843, 
in Decatur County, to Miss Mary C. Mcllvain, who died November 10, 
1873. They had nine chihlren— Martha E., Sarah E., John S., Mary 
F., Henry N., Lucy A., Ranson B., William A. and Elmer E. He was 
next married, February 18, 1875, in Miami County, Ind., to Augusta 
Williams. Mr. Barr is an excellent citizen, and he and wife are identi- 
fied with the M. E. Church. 

HON. R. B. BEAUCHAMP, one of the leading lawyers of the Tip- 
ton bar, is a native of Grant County, Ind., where he was born October 
3, 1845. His father, Curtis Beauchamp, was born in Wayne County, 
Ind., July 20, 1818, and remained in his native county until his twenty- 
first year, when he removed with his parents to Grant County, Ind. 
There, on the 7th of January, 1842, he was united in marriage to Miss 
Rachel Schooley, who was also a native of Wayne County, having been 
born there October 14, 1824, but removed with her parents, when she 
was quite young, to Henry County, Ind., whence, after a short residence, 
she again removed with them to Grant County. In 1844, Isaac Beau- 
champ, then the only child of Curtis Beauchamp and wife, died, being at 
the time only a few weeks old. This infant and our subject were the 
only issue of Curtis and Rachel Beauchamp. When the subject of this 
sketch was about one year old, his father removed with him to Miami 
County, Ind., where he had entered 160 acres of land from the Govern- 
ment, on the present site of Amboy. That section of countrj'- was then 
an almost uninhabited wilderness, but he soon had a large portion of his 
wild tract of land converted into a productive farm. His death occurred 
in Grant County, Ind., on July 2, 1866. He was an earnest believer in 
the Christian religion. He lived a strictly honest and honorable life. 
The mother of our subject resides in Tipton, on the same lot that con- 
tains the residence of her son. R. B. Beauchamp received his education 
from the common schools of the State and the high school of Marion, the 
county seat of Grant County. Several years were spent in teaching, when, 
in 1869, he took up the study of the law at Marion, Ind. After two 
years' study, he removed to Tipton, and entered upon the practice of his 
profession. In 1872, after a residence of one year, he was elected Dis- 
trict Attorney of the district, including the counties of Tipton, Hamilton, 
Howard, Clinton and Grant. But the General Assembly of 1872-73 
abolished Common Pleas Courts and the ofiice of District Attorney, so 
that Mr. Beauchamp only discharged the duties of that office about three 
months. In 1874, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Thirty- 
sixth Judicial District, composed of the counties of Howard and Tipton, 
and filled that office for one term of two years. Up to the year 1878, 
Mr. Beauchamp had always been an energetic Republican, but becoming 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 229 

dissatisfied with the position taken by that party on some of tlie leading 
questions of the day, he transferred his allegiance to the Democratic 
party. As an indication of the feeling existing between him and his 
new political associates, it is only necessary to say that at a mass con- 
vention of the Democracy of Tipton County, held in the Opera House, 
in the spring of 1882, he was unanimously chosen as the candidate of 
that county for Congress. He was married in Lawrence County, 111., 
October 25, 1871, to Miss Carrie Frazer. They have a family of two 
children, consisting of Carrie E. (known as Bonnie), and Ora E. Beau- 
champ. Mr. Beauchamp was at one time the partner of Judge N. II. 
Overman, and, on the election of that gentleman to the bench, succeeded 
to his extensive and lucrative practice. 

JOHN 0. BEHYMER was born in Rush County, Ind., April 9, 
1855, and in 1861 removed with his parents to Grant County, where he 
resided until 1874. During the first few years of his life, he did not have 
the advantage of schooling, and at the age often summers could not read. 
He entered the public schools at the age of eleven, and before he was of 
age had a good common school education. He passed his first exam- 
ination in 1875, and obtained a first-class license as a teacher in the 
common schools. He came to Tipton County in the fall of 1876, and 
secured the school at the Burket Schoolhouse in Madison Township, 
which he taught with much success. He purchased an interest in the 
News office at Windfall in 1877, and while he was one of the pro- 
prietors he continued teaching until February, 1880. He was mar- 
ried to Anna E. O'Banion, of Tipton, March 11, 1880, and purchased 
one-half interest in the Tipton Weekly Times during the same month. 
He remained one of the proprietors of the Times until February, 1881, 
when he disposed of his interest. He established the Tipton Saturday 
Express March 19, 1881, which paper he conducted successfully until 
he sold it March 24, 1883. During his career as editor of the Express^ 
he spoke his sentiments fearlessly on any and all subjects, advocating 
that which, he thought was right, and denouncing that which he believed 
to be wrong. During the political contest of 1882. the Express, under 
Mr. Behymer's management, was renowned for its true Democracy, and 
was ever found battling for the success of the Democratic ticket. The 
Express had a large circulation in the county, and was doing its share of 
the legal printing when it was sold. It is needless to say that Mr. 
Behymer was an uncompromising Democrat. He has recently purchased 
the Winamac Democrat, the party organ of Pulaski County, and will 
shortly remove thither. 

W. L. BERRY MAN, proprietor of the saw and tiling mill, also 
dealer in hard and soft lumber, is a native of Marion County, Ind., where 



230 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

was born March 28, 1840. His father, Sampson Berryman, was born 
in Fauquier County, Va., March 22, 1812, while his father, James Ber- 
ryman, subject's grandfather, was fighting the battles of his country in the 
war of 1812. Sampson Berryman's parents moved to Fayette County, 
Ky., where he grew to manhood. Afterward he removed to Marion 
County, Ind., and was there married in 1887 to Miss Virginia Royster. 
He, in 1844, removed to Cass County, where he followed farming 
until his death February 3, 1870, leaving a wife and nine chil- 
dren living. His widow, born in 1817, is still living, and makes her 
home with her son, and is a consistent member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Mr. Berryman, the subject of this sketch, was reared 
on his father's farm in Cass County. On attaining his majority, he 
began life as a chopper of cord wood and making ties, which he fol- 
lowed for four years. In 1865, he was employed as sawyer in a mill 
at $3 a day. He spent eighteen months at this, when he bought the 
mill and has continued in that business with satisftictory success for 
seventeen years, excepting the years 1873 and 1874. The first of 
these years he had a contract to grade twenty-three miles of road-bed 
for the St. Louis & Toledo Railroad; he graded about seven miles of 
said bed, when the company broke up, and left Mr. Berryman the loser 
of about $5,000. The second of the above-mentioned years he engaged 
in grading and graveling Jefferson street, in the town of Tipton, and in 
that venture he lost $2,000. He then resumed the saw mill, and in 1875 
located a mill at Tipton, and has been doing a good business ever since. 
He is one of the managers of the Kleyla Theater, having it leased with 
another party for one year. The Tipton Fire Company, recently organ- 
ized, chose him as their Captain. He is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., 
in which order he has filled all the ofiices, both in the subordinate lodge 
and in the encampment. He is also a member of the Red Men. He is 
a Democrat, and has filled the offices of Town Trustee and Town Marshal. 
He was married in Cass County, November 21, 1867, to Miss Catherine 
Diller, who departed this life August 23, 1882. They had two 
children, viz.: Winnie M. and Sampson, deceased. 

LUTHER T. BUNCH, Clerk of Tipton County, is a native of 
Wayne County, Ind., where he was born November 16, 1840. When 
he was eleven years of age, his father removed to Tipton County, and 
settled in Jeff"erson Township. Here Mr. Bunch grew to manhood on 
his father's farm, enjoying the limited advantages aff"orded by the public 
schools of that day. He engaged in farming for awhile, and also followed 
carpentering. In 1871, he removed to Tipton, and accepted the position 
of Deputy Clerk, which he held for over seven years. In 1878, he en- 
tored the Auditor's office as Deputy, and discharged the duties of that 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 231 

position for four years, at the end of which time he was elected by the 
Democracy of the county to the office of Circuit Clerk, which position 
he now holds. Mr. Bunch was married in Tipton County, February 3, 
1859, to Miss Margaret A. Overman. They have a family of seven chil- 
dren — Olive B., wife of J. M. Fippen ; Jerry 0.; Saretta J., wife of J. 
W. Metlin ; Silvester L., Mollie, Nathan and Hubert. Mr- Bunch is a 
Democrat; also a member of the I. 0. 0. F., and himself and wife be- 
long to the Christian Church. 

DR. W. H. CASTER, a retired physician of Tipton, Ind., was born 
in Clermont County, Ohio, September 15, 1811. While the Doctor was 
yet young, his father, in 1819, removed to Wayne County, Ind., where 
he purchased a farm ; here our subject was reared, gleaning from the 
common schools all the instruction that could be extracted therefrom. In 
1833, he began the study of medicine in New Castle, Henry Co., Ind.; 
he attended lectures and graduated at the Ohio Medical College at Cin- 
cinnati in 1851, having previous to that event, however, practiced his 
profession for several years. After his graduation, he resumed practice 
at New Lisbon, Henry Co., Ind., where he afterward formed a part- 
nership with Dr. W, Van Nuys. In 1861, he removed to Lewisville, of 
the county last named, where he engaged in the drug business for ten 
years, and then retired from active business life. In February, 1883, he 
removed to Tipton, where he now makes his home. He is the owner of 
a handsome residence property on North Independence street, and is also 
the possessor of several residences and business rooms in Lewisville. Dr. 
Caster was married in Wayne County, Ind., October 8, 1840, to Miss 
Agnes Heaston. There is no issue of their marriage living. Politically, 
he is a Democrat, and also a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

RAPHAEL CHARLES, blacksmith, and manufacturer of wagons, 
carriages and buggies, is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, where he 
remained until his seventeenth year, when he emigrated to America, 
landing in New York City in May, 1854. He at once came West, and 
located at Clarksburg, Decatur Co., Ind., where he began learning his 
trade; he remained in that place until 1870, when he came to Tipton. 
After his arrival here, he engaged for one year in farming, at the end of 
which time he purchased a blacksmith and carriage shop and residence, and 
again pursued his trade, which he has continued to follow ever since with 
success. Besides the property above mentioned, he is the owner of a 
farm of eighty acres, situated four miles west of Tipton, in a good state 
of cultivation ; he is an industrious, energetic citizen, and holds in high 
esteem the Masonic fraternity, of which he is an honored member. His 
shops are situated on the corner of East and Jefferson streets, near the 
Wabash Railroad, and are always well stocked with specimens of his 



232 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

hiindiwork, in the shape of wagons and buggies, which customers can 
purchase at a bargain. Mr. Cliarles was married in Decatur County, 
Ind., February 11, 1861, to Miss Sarah Werner. They have a family 
of three children, viz.: Antony, Sue Ellen and William. 

JABEZ T. COX, attorney, was born in Clinton County, Ohio, on 
the 27th day of January, 1845 ; he is a son of Aaron and Mary A. Cox ; 
his parents moved to Hamilton County, Ind., in 1850, and took up 
their residence on a iiirm between Noblesville and Westfield. Jabez went 
first to the country schools, but finished his education at the Westfield 
Academy, where, in that day, a very thorough course was taught. He 
began teaching when only sixteen years of age, having when that old ob- 
tained a two years' license to teach. In 1863, he began the study of law 
in the office of Judge James O'Brien, of Noblesville, but shortly after 
entered the array as a volunteer. At the close of the war, he renewed 
his legal studies in the office of Judge N. R. Overman, at Tipton, and 
was soon admitted to the bar. In 1867, he was married to Miss Jane 
Price. He practiced his profession in Tipton until 1869, in which year 
he purchased the Frankfort, Ind., Crescent., newspaper, which he edited 
until the spring of 1872, when he returned to Tipton, and formed a p:»rt- 
nershipin the practice of law with Judge Overman and Noah W. Parker. 
Upon the withdrawal of Mr. Parker, the firm became Overman & Cox, 
and so continued until 1875, when, his wife's health failing, Mr. Cox re- 
moved to Hutchinson, Kan. In 1878, he was nominated by the Demo- 
crats for Attorney General of that State, and, although he ran 28,000 
votes ahead of his ticket, he was defeated by a small majority. In search 
of health for his invalid wife, he became a resident of Carton City, Colo., 
in 1879, and in 1882 was the candidate of his party for District Judge, 
the district being composed of six counties, and notwithstanding the dis- 
trict was largely Republican, he was defeated by a little more than one 
hundred votes. His wife dying in October, 1882, Mr. Cox returned to 
Indiana, and is now in the successful practice of his profession at Peru ; 
he is a thorough lawyer, and one of the most successful advocates in the 
State. 

MILLARD F, COX, attorney, is a son of Aaron and Mary A, Cox, 
who came to Indiana from Ohio in 1850, and located in Hamilton County 
on a farm between Noblesville and Westfield. His father was born in 
Clinton County, Ohio, on the 25th day of September, 1820, and his 
mother was born in Greenup County, Ky., on the 1st day of Oc- 
tober, 1827, her maiden name being Skaggs. Greenup County was 
named in honor of her ancestor. Gov. Greenup. Her father dying when 
she was nine years old, her mother removed to Ohio, where Mary was 
married to Aaron Cox on the 29th day of October, 1843. Millard was 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 233 

the fifth child born to them, and this event occurred on the farm in 
Hamilton County on the 25th day of February, 1856 ; he began going 
to the country schools when five years old. Subsequently, upon the re- 
moval of his parents to Noblesville in 1866, of which town his father was 
appointed Postmaster by President Johnson, he attended the town schools 
there until 1871, at which time he went to Frankfort, and entered the 
Crescent newspaper office, then owned by his brother, Jabez T. Cox ; he 
worked in that offict^ until the following spring, when, his parents having 
become residents of Tipton, he went to that town, where he attended school 
in the winters of 1872-73 and 1873-74. During the summer of these 
years, he worked in the Times printing office, and a part of the time in 
a brick yard, and on a farm. In the winter of 1874-75, he taught school 
until February, and from that time until the following July worked at 
the printing trade. In August, 1875, he went to Indianapolis and im- 
mediately began the study of law in December ; in March, 1877, he was 
admitted to the Superior Court bar, and he successfully passed the ex- 
amination required for admission to the bar of the United States District 
and Circuit Courts. Some time in February, 1878, he was admitted to 
the bar of the Supreme Court ; he became Assistant Reporter of the Su- 
preme Court in November of that year, and from that time until the 
fall of 1880 he wrote hundreds of syllabi which appear in the published 
reports covering that period. In December, 1880, he returned to Tipton 
and began the practice of law ; he is a Democrat in politics, and in 1882 
was the candidate of his party for Prosecuting Attorney for the counties 
of Tipton and Howard ; he was appointed Master Commissioner of the 
Circuit Court in September, 18 SI, but resigned the office in February, 
1883 ; he is now practicing law in Tipton. 

JAMES EGLER, deceased, was a native of Maryland, born February 
9, 1803, and when young moved to Kentucky with parents, remaining 
there until he attained his majority. His parents dying, he was reared by 
an uncle, and subsequently learned the fancy chair-maker trade. About 
1831, he migrated to Centerville, Wayne Co., Ind., and located, working 
at' his trade; here he remained until 1837. In 1836, he was married to 
Miss Catherine Deal, a native of Ohio, born August 8, 1817, daughter of 
John Deal and Mary M. Lantz Deal, natives of Pennsylvania and Germany 
respectively. They became settlers of Indiana in 1830, and in 1838 or 
1839 came to Tipton County, locating in Jefferson Township; here they 
remained until their deaths. The mother died in 1850, and the father in 
1^^75. In 1837, James Egler and wife removed to Hamilton, now Tipton 
County, locating in Cicero Township upon 160 acres of land ; subsequent- 
ly added forty acres. This they cleared up and improved, remaining upon 
this land until 1864, when they sold and purchased another piece of 187 



234 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

acres. Upon this land they remained until they came to Tipton in 1875, 
retiring from active labors. Mr. Egler died July 1, 1882 ; he was a mem- 
ber of the Christian Church, as is also his wife. They were subject to all 
the privations of pioneer life. Mr. Egler is one of the oldest settlers now 
living in Cicero Township. There were no roads at that period, and it 
was five miles to nearest neighbor. Tipton at this time was not occupied 
by a white person. Wild game were in abundance, and Indians plentiful, 
during the fall and winter, upon hunting expeditions. Mr. Egler has twa 
children living — Mary E. Manlove and Emily Burkhart ; three de- 
ceased. 

J. C. F. EVANS, known to every one as " Mont," is a native of Tip- 
ton County ; he is the son of M. P. Evans, as excellent a citizen as Tip- 
ton ever had, who rendered up his life in the service of his country dur- 
ing the late rebellion. Mont was born on the 25th of September, 1854: ; 
he was raised in Tipton, and educated in her common schools, and after- 
ward at Wabash College, Crawfordsville. At the age of thirteen years, 
he commenced clerking, and continued in that business for seven years, 
when, on account of failing health, he took up the vocation of a farmer and 
pursued it until January, 1888, when he purchased the drug store of A. 
F. Moore & Co., one door east of the post office. He is doing a fine bus- 
iness, and carries a stock of $4,000, consisting of drugs, books, stationery, 
paints, oils, carpets and wall-paper. The up-stairs of his place of busi- 
ness is beautifully and conveniently arranged for displaying carpets and 
wall paper. He was married at Tipton, November 5, 1874, to Miss Eva 
Shank, and has a family of three children, namely, Caleb, Jessie and 
Mary. Politically, Mr. Evans is a Republican, and is also a member of 
the Odd Fellows. 

JAMES M. FIPPEN is a native of Hamilton County, Ind., where 
he was born on the 19th of March, 1852 ; he grew to manhood in his 
native county, and acquired such an education as the common schools af- 
forded. In the month of March, 1878, he commenced the study of 
law in the office of the Hon. Dan Waugh ; he was admitted 
to practice his profession at the bar of the Tipton Circuit Court 
in May, 1879 ; he at once opened a law office in the Overman 
Block, where he is still to be found. Since his admission to the 
bar, he was for a short time in partnership with Mr. John P. 
Kemp, but the partnership was dissolved in about one year. Mr. 
Fippen was married, April 11, 1882, to Miss Olive E. Bunch, eldest 
daughter of Hon. L. T. Bunch, Clerk of the Tipton Circuit Court ; he is 
a young man of fine social qualities and popular proclivities ; he is polit- 
ically a Democrat, and has been once elected City Clerk of Tipton ; he 
has recently completed an abstract of the titles of all the lands in Tipton 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 235 

County, and intends to unite the abstract business with his legal prac- 
tice. 

JOHN FORRER, a miller, was born in Lancaster County, Penn., 
March 17, 1826 ; he was reared near Dayton, Ohio. On the breaking-out 
of the Mexican war, being then twenty years of age,.he was commissioned in 
the United States Array as First Lieutenant, and was with Gen. Scott in 
his campaign to the City of Mexico. He was married, April 1, 1850, to 
Miss Mary Cooper, daughter of James Cooper ; he entered into the mill- 
ing business, which he continued to follow until his death. After pursu- 
ing his business in the town of Brookville and Connorsville, he, in 1875, 
came to Tipton, where he remained until his decease, August 30, 1879. 
Politically, he was a Republican, and was a member of the Presbyterian 
Church; he was temperate in all respects; he left a widow, Mrs. Mary 
Forrer, born in 1825, and two children, one son and one daughter, viz., 
De Orville and Louisa. 

ORVILLE FORRER, druggist, is a native of Indiana, and w;is 
born in Franklin County July 8, 1855 ; he grew to manhood in 
his native county, enjoying good opportunities for obtaining an educa- 
tion. At the age of nineteen, he went to the oil regions of Pennsyl- 
vania, and located at Parker's City as telegraph operator. In 1878, he 
came to Tipton and engaged in the drug business, and continued therein 
for two years, at the end of which he disposed of his business and made 
a trip for his health through New York and Canada, when he returned to 
Tipton and resumed his former occupation. He was married at Clean, 
N. Y., January 9, 1881, to Miss Genevieve Porter ; they have one child, a 
daughter, named Blanchard. Mr. Forrer is an energetic young business 
man, with a 'host of friends and a bright future before him. Politically, 
he is a Republican, and has recently become a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, which he holds in great esteem. 

JUDGE JOHN GREEN, one of the pioneers of Tipton County, is 
a native of North Carolina, having been born in Yancey County of that 
State, May 20, 1807. Three years after his birth his parents removed 
to Jefferson County, Ind., from whence, after a residence of nine years, 
they removed to Jennings County, where the Judge grew to man- 
hood. In 1828, he entered Hanover College, and remained in that insti- 
tution until 1833. He then entered upon the career of a farmer, which 
vocation he followed for five years. In 1838, he began the study of the 
law, under Wilberforce Lyle, of Madison, Ind. In 1842, after four 
years' preparation, he was admitted to the practice of his profession, and 
soon after to the Supreme and United States Courts. In 1848, actuated 
by a desire to provide a patrimony for his children, the Judge removed to 
the then new county of Tipton ; he purchased eighty acres of land, also 



236 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

two lots in the town of Tipton, for $600. The winter succeeding, he en- 
tered eighty acres and bought forty acres for $200, which he saved as his 
home farm, and on which he has since lived. Since coming to Tipton 
County he has given each of his children a farm of eighty acres. The 
Judge has always taken an active part in politics and has had his share 
of political honors. He was raised a Whig, and advocated the principles 
of that party until its dissolution, when he joined the ranks of the Repub- 
lican party, and has ever since been a prominent and consistent member 
thereof. During his earlier days, he was almost continuously in the vari- 
ous offices of the township and county, such as Justice of the Peace, 
Trustee, etc. ; he has filled two terms as State Senator, being first elected 
In 1856, and again in 1868. During his second term as Senator, occurred 
the exciting contest for the United States Senate, in which D. D. Pratt 
was sprung upon the Assembly as a " dark horse," and secured the nomi- 
nation. Judge Green was a prominent factor in securing that result, 
having labored zealously on tiiat occasion. In 1860, he was elected Com- 
mon Pleas Judge for the counties of Hamilton, Tipton, Howard, Grant 
and Clinton, which office he held for four years. Since his last Senato- 
rial term expired, he has devoted himself entirely to the practice of the 
law, with eminent success. The Judge has been three times married ; first, 
to Miss Mary Marshall, of Jefferson County, Ind., on April 14, 1829. 
With her he lived until her death, at Tipton, October 7, 1865 ; on Oc- 
tober 29, 1866, he married Catherine A. Humerickhouse, who died Oc- 
tober 28, 1875 ; his third marriage occurred September 7, 1876, to Car- 
oline Passwater, his present wife; by his first wife he had five children, 
of whom three are living — Milton F., Alice B. Brandt and Mrs. Cathe- 
rine G. Trout. The Judge is still engaged in the practice of his pi'ofes- 
sion in Tipton, and is the most venerable attorney at the bar ; he pos- 
sesses the confidence and esteem of the entire community, which he bids 
fair to enjoy for many years to come ; he owns one of the finest resi- 
dences in the county, situated at the western extremity of Tipton, and i8 
enjoying the evening of his well-spent life in the midst of prosperity, 
surrounded by all that adorns and embellishes civilized life. John Q. 
Green, the youngest son of Judge Green, was -a volunteer during the 
war of the rebellion, serving three months, volunteering twice after, 
but was rejected ; he was then Deputy U. S. Marshal, until the close of 
the war. He then entered the law office of his father ; was admitted to the 
bar, and practiced until his death ; he also served as Deputy Internal 
Revenue Collector about three years ; his death occurred, in 1866. 

WILLIAM M. GRISHAW, a member of the firm of Haynes, Grishaw 
& Shook, dealers in general merchandise, was born in Ripley County, 
Ind., June 22, 1839. When he was twelve years of age-, his parents re- 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 237 

moved to Tipton County. Here he grew to manhood, having had such 
advantages for gaining an education as the primitive log cabin school- 
house, with greased paper for windows, afforded. In 1861, he engaged 
in clerking ; soon afterward, however, he embarked individually in mer- 
chandising. In 1867, he entered into partnership with Mr. Haynes at 
Sharpsville, and in 1870 they took in the third member of the present 
firm, Mr. Shook. In 1872, he was elected by his party to the office of 
County Treasurer, and in 1873 removed to Tipton and entered upon the 
discharge of the duties of his office, which he filled for one term of two 
years. In 1879, the firm of which he is a member established a branch 
store at Tipton, in No. 2, Opera Building, north side public square, where 
thev are doing a fine business. Mr. Grishaw is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, and is politically a Republican. Besides his interest in the 
firm above mentioned, he is the owner of 300 acres of fine land, within 
one mile of Tipton, and a good residence in the town. He was married 
in Ripley County. Ind.. in 1864, to Miss America Shook, by whom he is 
the father of five children, viz.: Ora B., Ira G., James B., Charlie R. and 
Harry E. 

MOSES HAAS, dealer in hats, caps, boots and shoes, was born in 
the Rhine Province of Germany, March 18, 1838. He remained in his 
native country until 1860, when he emigrated to America, and the next 
year enlisted in the United States Army, Company B, Sixty-third Ohio 
Volunteers, and was assigned to the Seventeenth Army Corps, First Di- 
vision. He was with Sherman on his "march to the sea," and partici- 
pated in the battle of Corinth,'and all the other engagements of that memor- 
able campaign. He served until the close of the war, and was discharged 
at Camp Denison, July 17, 1865. After leaving the army, he went to 
Illinois and engaged in driving a peddling wagon, which, proving unre- 
numerative, he then went to Greene County, Ind., and clerked in a store. 
In 1871, he located in Tipton and embarked in the clothing business, his 
present vocation. Since coming to Tipton his business has so increased 
that he now occupies one of the most commodious business rooms in the 
town (Kemp Block), carries a stock of from |12,000to $15,000, and does 
a business annually that approximates $25,000. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and the Democratic party, and is the owner of a hand- 
some residence, corner of Jefferson and West streets, which he makes his 
home. Mr. Haas was married in Marion County, Ind., April 11, 1869, 
to Miss Caroline Rosenthal. They have an interesting family of six chil- 
dren, viz., Dina, Frankie, Morris, Louis, Hattie and Albert. 

THOMAS J. HANCOCK, real estate and railroad agent, was born 
in Clark County, Ind., July 28, 1843. His parents were James T. and 
Catherine (Jackson) Hancock, both natives of Kentucky. They emi- 



238 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

grated to Indiana about 1831, and were married in Washington County, 
Ind., in 1836. His fiither, a farmer, came to Tipton County in 1860, 
and died here in 1879, his wife following him one year later ; they were 
highly esteemed citizens, and spent their declining years in easy circum- 
stances. Thomas is the fifth of a family of eight children, seven of 
whom are living — tliree in Tipton County, Ind., and the remainder in 
Missouri and Kansas. He never had school privileges, but his applica- 
tion and experience have given him good business education. He was 
reared on a farm, and in 1861 enlisted in Company F, Eleventh 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served until November, 1862. 
During that time, he participated in the sieges of Forts Henry, 
Hyndman and Donelson, the battle of Pittsburg Landing and the 
siege of Corinth ; thence he went to Memphis, Tenn., and from there to 
Clarington, Ark. At Helena, Ark., he was taken sick and sent to the 
hospital, where he remained for two months ; he was then transferred to 
Keokuk, Iowa, where he remained under the care of Sisters of Mercy 
until November, 1862, when he was discharged on account of general 
disability. The disease acquired during his service rendered him an in- 
valid for two years after his return home. When sufficiently recovered, 
he engaged in farming and general trading, but his health would not ad- 
mit of the labor of farming. He, in 1879, removed to Tipton, where he 
embarked in the real estate and railroad ticket business, which he has 
since continued with success. During his career as a real estate agent, 
he has handled more real estate than any man in the county in the same 
length of time, and has worked up the excursion ticket business to a de- 
gree of success never known before in the history of the county. Com- 
mencing life in limited circumstances, he has, by his energy and business 
ability, won for himself a handsome competence. No man has done more 
to advertise the advantages of the county and invite the investment of 
capital. October 8, 1863, he was married to Miss Mary A. Law, born 
in Tipton County, June 13, 1846, and daughter of William Law, one of 
the pioneers of the county. This union has brought him eight children, 
all of whom are living — Francis M., Zachariah T., Thomas F., Cora M., 
Captoley, William H., Mary C. and Charles Roscoe. Mr. Hancock is 
liberal to all deserving enterprises, having at one time donated ground 
worth $800 on which to erect a church, and he is in every sense a worthy 
citizen. 

HENRY H. HARVEY, of the firm of Wilson & Harvey, grocers, in 
Tipton, was born February 25, 1843, in Hamilton County, Ind. His 
father, Thomas Harvey, was born August 19, 1810, in Wayne County, 
Ind., and was married in September 1835, to Miss Anna Hoover, a na- 
tive of Wayne County. He then removed to Hamilton County, Ind., 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 239 

located in the woods, and cleared out a good farm. He was a successful 
farmer, and accumulated a good share of property. He took an active 
interest in politics and filled the office of County Commissioner two terms. 
He was Justice of the Peace many terras, and in 1848 was elected by the 
Democratic party as Representative of Hamilton County to the State 
Legislature. In 1867, he removed to Wayne County, Ind., where he 
died July 17, 1879, leaving a family of nine children. Henry H. Harvey 
was reared in his native county, and August 8, 1862, enlisted in Com- 
pany A, Fifth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. He was on Sher- 
man's march to the sea, as far as Atlanta, where he was made prisoner 
"July 31, 1864, and was confined seven months in the Andersonville 
Prison on half rations. He was discharged from service June 16, 1865, 
when he returned to Hamilton County. He attended school one year, 
and then engaged in teaching in Hamilton County ; he worked in a 
printing office about two years, and learned the printer's trade. He 
then engaged in farming in Wayne County until 1879, and upon the 
death of his father he embarked in the grocery business at Richmond, 
Ind. Here he continued in business until the fall of 1882, when he re- 
moved to Tipton, Ind., where he has since carried on the grocery busi- 
ness. Mr. Harvey was married, November 12, 1868, to Miss Annie Long. 
They have three children — Lulu, Clinton and Frank. He is a member 
of the I. 0. 0. F. and of the Greenback party. 

ADISON HASKETT, of the firm of Tyner, Haskett & Wallace, 
manufacturers of hubs and heading, is the son of Elisha Haskett, and was 
born in North Carolina, and came with his parents to Indiana while quite 
young. On his father's farm he grew to manhood, after which he con- 
tinued the vocation of a farmer, until the spring of 1882, with success. He 
then sold his farm and entered upon the business above alluded to. Mr. 
Haskett is a member of the Democratic party and the organization of Odd 
Fellows, and with his wife belongs to the Christian Church. He was mar- 
ried, in this county, October 26, 1869, to Miss Melinda A. McLucas, and 
has had one son — Frank Otis Haskett. 

GEORGE F. ISGRIG, attorney, was born in Crawford County, 
Mo., on the 26th day of November, 1859. There, upon the banks of the 
Cotowa, young Isgrig was reared on a farm, plowing corn in summer, 
fishing and hunting through the long autumn, and attending school at the 
primitive log schoolhouse during the short, rigorous Missouri winter. He 
was a studious reader of the St. Louis Crlobe, the only Republican news- 
paper taken in the neighborhood. In 1877, he came to Tipton and attend- 
ed the high school, and by close application to his studies completed the 
full four years' course of that institution in eight or ten months, and grad- 
uated in June, 1879. In the same month, he removed to Kokomo, and 



240 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

entered upon the study of the law, pursuing his studies for three years, 
under the excellent tutelage of J. Fred Vaile. While in Kokomo, dur- 
ing the campaign of 1880, he organized and became the President of the 
First Voters' Republican Club, containing 184 members, and during this 
campaign made his maiden efforts from the stump. In the spring of 
1882, he came back to Tipton and was an aggressive candidate for Prose- 
cuting Attorney of the Thirty-sixth Judicial District until the Central 
Committees declared that Howard County, not Tipton, was entitled to the 
candidate. Then he withdrew from the race, and gave his support to 
the successful candidacy of Cassius C. Shirley. In February, 1882, he 
was married to Miss Ella Small. Mr, Isgrig is at present practicing his 
profession in Tipton, and is Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Tipton 
County. 

ADAM JACKSON is a member of the firm of A. Jackson & Co., 
dealers in dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, carrying a stock of $8,000, 
and doing a business of $12,000 annually. He was born in Wayne 
County, Ind., February 21, 1824. His father, Thomas B. Jackson, came 
to Tipton County in 1841, and located on 320 acres of timber land, where 
he cleared out a good farm. Adam Jackson engaged in farming until 
February, 1862, when he enlisted in Company K, Forty-second Regiment 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was in battle at Port Gibson, Miss., 
and Champion Hills, Miss. He was wounded and sent to the United 
States hospital at St. Louis ; subsequently was transferred to the Invalid 
Corps, and sent to Indianapolis, and Camp Burnside, where he remained 
until his term of three years expired. He then returned to Tipton County 
and worked on a farm most of the time till 1870. He then engaged in 
mercantile pursuits in Tipton, where he has met with good success. Mr. 
Jackson was married, November 26, 1870, to Miss Mary S. George, of 
this county. They have had four children — Ida Belle, Tessie, Arthur 
and Minnie May (deceased). 

JOHN P. KEMP, of the firm of Waugh & Kemp, attorneys, is a 
native of Tipton County, where he was born December 17, 1854 ; he is 
the son of David Kemp, and was raised in the western part of the county, 
on what is known as the Indian Prairie; his education was obtained in 
the common schools of the county, and afterward at Asbury University, 
Greencastle, and the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso, 
Ind., at which last-named school he was graduated in the scientific 
course in 1878. Prior to his graduation, Mr. Kemp taught several 
terms in the common schools of the county ; after it, however, he located 
in Tipton ;ind commenced his legal studies in the office of Hon. Dan 
Waugh. After his admission to the bar, he practiced his profession for 
awhile in partnership with J. M. Fippen. This partnership was dissolved 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 241 

in November, 1882, and Mr. Kemp then formed a partnership with his 
preceptor, Mr. Waugh ; he was married, on the llth of April. 1882, to 
Miss Bell Cox, at Tipton, and resides in a very desirable property on 
North Main street. Politically, Mr. Kemp is a Democrat, and a member 
of the Odd Fellow and Masonic fraternities. The firm of which he is 
a member stands in the front ranks of the Tipton bar, and does a 
thriving business. 

MARTIN KLEYLA, proprietor of Kleyla"s Theater, and one of 
our oldest citizens, was born in Germany September 17, 1814, at Wal- 
leitime City ; he grew to manhood in his native country, enjoying those 
splendid opportunities for education which the admirable system of 
public schools in Germany aiFord ; he was married in the Fatherland 
on the 22d of March, 1837, to Miss Barbara Dexheimer. In 1840, he 
emigrated to America and located in Franklin County, Ind., and bought 
a farm of twenty-one acres. In 1842, he sold his farm and removed to 
Union County and once more began the tilling of the soil, at which he 
continued until 1848, when he once more resumed his travels, and this 
time located in Cicero Township, Tipton County, where he purchased 
120 acres of land and again devoted himself to husbandry ; he afterward 
purchased forty-five acres south of his first investment, all of which he 
still owns. In 1879, he removed to Tipton and engaged in the restaurant 
and bakery business, in a two-story frame building which stood on the 
south side of JeiFerson, and on the corner of it and Independence street. 
He had not occupied it long, however, before it was entirely consumed 
by fire, with no insurance, a loss to Mr. Kleyla of some $4,000 ; he 
immediately resumed his business in a little frame building which he 
erected on the south side of his lot for that purpose, where he met with 
success. In June, of 1882, he began the erection of the large and 
elegant theater that adorns the site of his frame building which was 
destroyed by fire. It has two large store rooms below, 22x100 feet, 
and a large apartment above, theatrically arranged, with a raised audi- 
torium, folding chairs, a large and i-ooray stage and splendid scenery 
adapted to the presentation of any drama that can be put on the boards. 
It is 44x100 feet, with a gallery that will hold 200 persons; its seating 
capacity, above and below, approximates 1,000 ; it is the neatest, most 
convenient and most artistic in all its appointments of any opera house in 
the State, outside of the capital. The cost of its construction was 
$11,000, and it is an ornament of which every citizen is justly proud. 
Mr. Kleyla has a family of four children, two boys and two girls, namely, 
Peter Martin, Henry, Mrs. Mary Tichenor, Mrs. Amelia Achenbach. 
His farm is also well provided with all modern conveniences. There is a 
fine brick residence standing on it, built in 1859 at a cost of $3,000, 



242 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

good outbuildings and all necessary machinery of improved pattern. Po- 
litically, he is a Democrat, also a member of the order of Odd Fellows, 
and himself and wife are members of the Christian Church. 

JOHN W. LEAVELL, Sheriff of Tipton County, was born Feb- 
ruary 11, 1812, in this county. He was reared on a farm. His facili- 
ties for obtaining an education were limited. He attended the log school- 
house of primitive days. He learned, and for nine years followed, the 
trade of a tanner. He then returned to agricultural pursuits, in which 
he was engaged until his election to the office of Sheriff, in November, 
1882. He is the owner of a fine farm of 140 acres in Madison Township, 
which he made his home for many years prior to his recent removal to 
Tipton to take charge of the duties of his office. Mr. Leavell is a Re- 
publican, and notwithstanding the fact that Tipton County is essentially 
Democratic, he was elected by a majority of about one hundred votes. 
He is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity. March 23, 1862, 
he was married to Molcy Beeson. They have had four children — Madora 
B., William T., Benjamin F. and Leonidas. 

FRANK J. LEBO, merchant tailor, doing a good business, is the 
son of William Lebo, and was born in Berks County, Penn., September 
16, 1859. His father removed to Hamilton County, Ind., in 1869, and 
located at Noblesville, where he enfii;ao;ed in the merchant tailor business. 
There our subject spent his youth, attended the high school of Noblesville, 
and gained a fair education. He at the age of twelve began to learn his 
trade under his father's instructions. He worked with his father until 
August, 1878, when he went to Arcadia, Hamilton County, and opened 
a shop for himself. He remained there until 1880, when he went to 
Alexandria, where he remained one year. He located in Tipton, Feb- 
ruary 20, 1882, and engaged in his present business. Mr. Lebo is a 
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; he belongs to the 
choir and also plays the bass-violin in the string band. He is at present 
Secretary of the Fourteenth Sunday School District, composed of Hamil- 
ton, Howard, Madison and Tipton Counties. 

GEORGE M. LEBO, artist, who is always to be found in his attrac- 
tive gallery over Vickrey's Bank, is a native of Berks County, Penn., 
■where he was born November 25, 1861. His father, William Lebo, re- 
moved from Pennsylvania to Noblesville in Hamilton County, April 1. 
1869. After a residence often years, he left Noblesville and removed to 
Alexandria, in Madison County. George was reared in the two counties, 
enjoying very good facilities for acquiring an education, attending for 
some time the high school at Noblesville. In 1876, he began studying 
his profession at Noblesville, where he remained for two years, and then 
gpent one year as a student at the Indianapolis Art School. In 1879, 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 243 

he located at Alexandria and opened a gallery. He remained there, 
meeting with fair success, for three years, when, in 1882, he removed to 
Tipton and opened his present gallery. Mr. Lebo is a genial gentleman, 
and is rapidly winning his way to the good graces and generous patron- 
age of the denizens of Tipton and vicinity. As an artist, he cannot be 
surpassed, and any one desiring work in his line cannot do better in the 
State than at his gallery. 

JOHN LONG, Recorder of Tipton County, is a native of Clermont 
County, Ohio, where he was born December 20, 1811. He was raised 
]n his native county, enjoying the limited advantages for an education 
afforded by the cummon schools, at that time, of the Buckeye State. In 
1837, he removed to Rush County, Ind., where he remained for twenty 
years, working for the greater part of the time at the wagon-maker trade 
in Milroy ; the rest of the time he served as Justice of the Peace and Post- 
master in the same place. In 1857, he removed to Greensburg, where he 
remained until 1865, when he removed to Tipton and engaged in the 
hotel business. In 1878, he was elected by the Democratic party to the 
office of County Recorder, which position he now occupies. Mr. Long 
was married in Clermont, Ohio, November 19, 1834, to Miss Nancy 
Williams. The issue of their marriage consists of eleven children liv- 
ing — Mrs. Mary McShane ; Mrs. Barbara Wilson ; Mrs. Elizabeth Steph- 
ens, a resident of Greensburg ; James K. P. ; Mrs. Margaret Lowley ; 
Mrs. Melvina Robinson, a resident of Arizona Ty. ; Samuel W., of Lin- 
coln, Neb. ; Mrs. Patience Harvey ; Mrs. Orpha W. Wilson ; Mrs. 
Luella B. Gerhold ; John W. Long and Sarah H. (deceased). Politically, 
Mr. Long is a Democrat, and both he and his wife are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, 

J. W. LONG, real estate, loan and insurance agent, member of the 
firm of Wright & Long, is a native of Decatur County, Ind., where he 
was born September 30, 1858. He came to Tipton County with his 
parents when he was in his eighth year, and has resided here ever since. 
His education was acquired from the graded schools of the town of Tipton, 
and consequently is such as to render him fit for any of the business rela- 
tions of life. He served as Deputy Recorder of the county for four years, 
at the end of which time, November, 1882, he entered upon his present 
occupation with his partner. They are doing a fine business, and are 
Always to be found in the office in the Opera Building, northwest corner of 
the public square. 

STEPHEN LOWLEY, Postmaster of Tipton, was born in England, 
January 18, 1819. He grew to manhood in his native country, learning, in 
the meantime, the tailor's trade. He emigrated to America in 1845, and 
worked at his trade in Boston, Hartford, Concord, New York, Philadel- 



244 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

phia, Nashville and Memphis, Tenn. In 1853, he located at Indianapo- 
lis, and in 1856 came to Tipton, where he has since resided. He is a 
Republican, and has always been prominent in the politics of his party. 
He was appointed Postmaster toward the close of Lincoln's first adminis- 
tration, and has held that position continuously ever since, and in connec- 
tion therewith he has carried on the tailor's trade. He has been twice 
married, first in England, in 1840, to Miss Martha Jackson, who died in 
Pittsburgh while he was there working at his trade ; the second mar- 
riage occurred in Indianapolis, in 1854, to Miss Sarah C. Haugh. By 
his first wife, he has one child — George W. ; by his second, one child — 
Ardella. Mr. Lowley, although in his sixty-fifth year, is still to be found 
at his post. He is a genial, sociable old gentleman, and is so closely 
identified with the best part of Tipton's career, that any history of the 
county, with his biography omitted, would be incomplete. He owns a 
very nice residence in Tipton, opposite the Presbyterian Church. 

PATRICK J. McCUE was born in Donegal County, Ireland, in 
1854, and is the son of Thomas and Margaret (Dorian) McCue. Patrick 
J. was reared on a farm. He came to America in 1868, and secured a 
position as traveling salesman. He started in life with no money, but 
with plenty of nerve and energy. He traveled until 1875, when he came 
to Tipton County, and went into business for himself. In 1881, he 
started business in Zanesville, Ohio, with $1,500 stock. His brother is 
now managing the business at Zanesville for Mr. McCue, who is doing a 
first-class business at Tipton. He was married, October 14, 1882, to 
Miss Sarah Welsh, of Tipton County, and of Irish descent. Mr. McCue 
is a stanch Democrat, and he and wife are members of the Catholic 
Church. 

SAMUEL P. MARTINDALE, a free-thinker in religion and 
politics, was born in Wayne County, Ind., May 6, 1820. His father, 
Elder Elijah Martindale, was born in South Carolina in 1798, and died 
at New Castle, Ind., July 21, 1875 ; he was the son of John Martindale, 
who married Eliza Burns, a close relation of the "Scottish Bard," Robert 
Burns. John was the son of William Martindale, born in Philadelphia, 
and died in Miami County, Ind., in 1851, when over one hundred years 
old. William's father was born in England, and was one of the three 
brothers who, coming to New York, separated, and never saw each other 
afterward. Elder Elijah, the father of our subject, was a preacher of the 
Gospel. He had no superior as an exhorter, and he built up and preached 
for many religious societies in Eastern Indiana ; he kept up family wor- 
ship to the day of his death. The mother of our subject was Elizabeth 
Boyd, daughter of Samuel Boyd, a Revolutionary soldier. She was born 
November 25, 1792, and is still living at New Castle, Ind., at the ad- 



TOWN OF TIPTON. ' 245 

vanced age of ninety-one ; she enjoys all the faculties of mind, but is 
impeded in her locomotion by rheumatism and the stiffness of her arms 
and one of her losver limbs, caused by having them broken. She is tiie 
mother of fifteen children, nine sons and six daughters, fourteen of whom 
are heads of families. Our subject was educated by going to subscrip- 
tion schools three months in winter until he was about nineteen years 
old ; he then commenced teaching in the winter and going to school in 
the summer. At the age of twenty-three, he was married to Miss Ar- 
milda Oldaker, of Wayne County, Ind. They have four children, viz.: 
Josephine L., wife of Rev. J. B. Blount, of Rush County; James M.; 
Elijah B. and Samuel P., Jr. In 1844, our subject settled on 160 acres 
of land in Blue River Township, Henry Co., Ind., for which he pai d 
^500, by teaching school at $15 per month. He lived on it for fifteen 
years, cleared seventy-five acres, built a frame house and sold the entirety 
for ^4,000. He then moved to Delaware County and bought 240 acres 
of land for $5,500. In 1860, he sold out for $6,000, and moved to In- 
dianapolis to educate his children at the then N. W. C. University. In 
1865, he removed to Cloverdale Township, Putnam Co., Ind., where he 
bought 550 acres of land, and engaged in the sheep business, which, how- 
ever, was not very successful, and in 1870 he disposed of his land and re- 
moved to Tipton and engaged in the mercantile business with his two 
sons, under the firm name of Martindale & Sons. The business proved 
successful for three years, when his sons took a contract to put out all the 
ties necessary for the construction of the L. M. &B. R. R., through Tip- 
ton County, amounting in all to $17,000. They put out the ties, but the 
railroad, after taking up and paying for $10,000 worth, became insolvent, 
which produced a financial crisis in the affairs of our subject, for the first 
time in a business career of one-third of a century. This cloud hung 
over his financial horizon for eight or ten years ; but finally it was dis- 
pelled, Mr. Martindale is now engaged in the marble business. He is 
a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 

E. B. MARTINDALE, abstractor, insurance and loan agent, was 
born in Henry County, Ind., October 27, L850 ; when he was quite 
young his parents left his native county, and after a residence in Dela- 
ware and Marion Counties, finally settled in Tipton, where our subject 
came in 1870. After his arrival in Tipton, he engaged in the mercantile 
business with his father and elder brother, under the firm name and style 
of Martindale & Sons; he continued at merchandising until 1875, when 
he began teaching, and taught in the public schools of the county for 
several years, engaging at intervals in the insurance business. In 1876, 
he opened up an insurance office and has succeeded in baiMiii;^ up a re- 
munerative business; he represents the ^Etua, Hartford, Continental, the 



246 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Franklin of Indianapolis, and several other leading companies. Polit- 
ically, he is Republican ; he is a member of the Christian Church ; he is 
the owner of a neat little property (cottage style) on North West street, 
where he resides. Mr. Martindale was married at Tipton, Ind., October 
4, 1871, to Miss Jennie Parker. They have one child living — Effie E., 
and Oscar, deceased. 

SLEASMAN MEEKER, landlord of the City Hotel, is a native of 
Warren County, Ohio; he was born June 7, 1833, and is the son of 
Obadiah Meeker; he was reared in Henry County, Ind., and at the age 
of fourteen learned the harness-maker's trade, in which he continued 
about fifteen years. July 5, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, Nineteenth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served one year. He 
was in battle at Lewinsville, Va., and later was discharged on account 
of physical disability. When he returned from the war, he engaged 
in carriage trimming in Cadiz, Henry Co., Ind., where he remained 
until 1875. He then moved to Middletown, Henry County, and 
in 1882 came to Tipton County and continued working at his trade. 
In the spring of 1883, he took possession of the City Hotel, where 
he is doing a good business; he was married September 19, 1863, in 
Henry County, Ind., to Miss Nancy E. Huston. This union has been 
crowned with five children — Hattie, Willie E., Russel S., Zelma, and Ar- 
thur W., deceased. Mr. Meeker is a member of the Republican party, 
and he and wife are identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

HENRY MEHLIG, druggist, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., May 
14, 1847. When he was only six years of age, his parents removed 
to Johnson County, Ind.; he attended the high schools of Edinburg 
and Franklin, and in 1862 engaged in railroading ; he was brakeman on 
a passenger train two years, and in 1864 came to Tipton County ; he 
clerked in a drug store until November, 1868, when he engaged in the 
drug business for himself; he carries a stock of $2,500, and does a busi- 
ness of |4,000 annually; he is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., and 
has filled all the offices in both branches of the order. Mr. Mehlig 
was married, June 13, 1870, in Tipton, to Miss Mary C. Morgan. They 
have had three children — Jessie E., Henry M., and Paul A., deceased. 

CAPT. ISAAC H. MONTGOMERY was born in Crawfordsville. 
Montgomery Co., Ind., on the 5th of February, 1828 ; his parents, 
Archibald and Cynthia Montgomery, formerly lived in Jefferson and 
Scott Counties, Ind., but at an early day moved to Montgomery County. 
After living in Crawfordsville and vicinity several years, they moved into 
Clinton County, where they lived on a farm a few miles south of Frank- 
fort until the year 1841, when they again removed to what was then 
known as the Indian Reserve, settling near the present site of the village 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 247 

of Normanda, in this (Tipton) county. At this time, the Captain was 
only thirteen years of age, subject to all the hardships incident to a front- 
ier life. Being compelled to labor incessantly, and being deprived of all 
the advantages of our present splendid system of schools, it might be 
presumed that his early education was neglected, but not so ; he made 
good use of every opportunity to enrich his mind and store up valuable 
information, until he acquired a good education ; for a number of years 
he taught school, and was considered one of the best teachers in the 
county. In July, 1862, he recruited a company for the Seventy-fifth 
Regiment, was elected Captain, and went into the field with the regiment ; 
he continued in command of the company, at his post on all occasions, on 
every march, in every battle or skirmish in which the regiment was en- 
gaged until after the battle of Missionary Ridge, on the 25th day of 
November, 1863, in which engagement he was injured in the spine by a 
fall, received while climbing said ridge during the engagement. This 
injury was of such a nature that he was totally unfitted for marching or 
fatigue duty, but he continued with his company until May, 1864, when 
he was discharged for disability. He then returned home, and in the 
following September he was appointed Deputy Provost Marshal for Tip- 
ton County, which position he filled until the close of the war, discharging 
the onerous duties of that office with much credit to himself It is a 
fact worthy of remark, that, while he was an active and efficient officer, 
living up closely to the code, he was highly honored, respected and es- 
teemed by his subordinates, not one of them having an occasion to cherish 
any ill-feeling toward him. At the close of the rebellion, 1865, he went 
into the mercantile business in Tipton, and here, as on the farm and field 
of battle, he was successful. The Captain has been twice married, his 
first marriage occurring in 1848, to Miss Elizabeth J. Evans, a native of 
Owen County, Ind., and who died in 1866, leaving to his care a family 
of five children, viz.: W. B. (now in Kansas), Dora, Belle, Andrew D. 
(also in Kansas), and Lizzie ; his second marriage occurred in 1866, to 
Mrs. Sarah J. Evans, widow of M. P. Evans. By this marriage they 
have one son, Isaac Marion, living, and one daughter deceased, Dell B., 
who died May 8, 1883. Besides the distinguished part played by him 
in the late war, the Captain has filled various civil offices, namely : Trus- 
tee of Jefferson Township ten terms ; also the office of Justice of the 
Peace, which he resigned to enter the war. Both he and his wife are 
members of the Presbyterian Church. 

JOSEPH A. MOORE, one of Tipton's enterprising men, was born 
in Wayne County, Ind. His father, Thomas Moore, removed his family, 
while Joseph was quite young, to Madison County, and settled near the 
Tipton County line. Here Mr. Moore grew to manhood. On attaining 



248 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his majority he commenced the avocation of a farmer, which he followed 
until 1874. At first he purchased eighty acres of land, which he has so 
increased by judicious purchases from time to time, that he now owns 
380 acres in Tipton and Madison Counties. In 1874, Mr. Moore was 
elected Clerk of the Tipton Circuit Court, which office he held for one 
terra of four years. After his election, he removed to Tipton and has 
resided there ever since. After his term of office expired, he occupied his 
time by looking after his farm, and in partnership with Dr. Newcomer 
built the Opera House. After the completion of the Opera House (1879), 
he engaged in the drug business, on the south side of Jefferson street, 
near the post office, and continued in that business until February, 1883, 
when he sold out to J. C. F. Evans. Mr. Moore was married on the 
26th of March, 1857, in Madison County, Ind., to Miss Angeline Arm- 
field. The fruits of that marriage were two sons — Azroe F. and As- 
bury M. Moore. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is polit- 
ically a Democrat, by which party he has been honored with the high- 
est office in the county. At present he is not engaged in any business 
except a general superintendence of his property. 

THEODORE M. NANCE, furniture dealer, of the firm of Young & 
Nance, was born in Franklin, Johnson Co., Ind. His father, James 
H. Nance, now a resident of Indianapolis, was born in South Carolina 
January 23, 1819. When James was sixteen years of age, his father 
removed to Johnson County, Ind.; there, in 1843, he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth Lay, of that place, the mother of our subject. The issue of 
their marriage consists of three children, namely : Theodore M., Mrs. 
Jennie Young, and Mrs. Katie Bowlin, all residents of Tipton. Theodore M. 
was reared in Johnson County. In 1860, he was sent to school 
at Greencastle, Ind. In 1861, he enlisted in Company I, 
Twenty-seventh Indiana Volunteers. His company was organized 
under Banks, First Division, First Brigade, Twelfth Army Corps, and was 
afterward under Slocum. He participated in the following battles: 
Ball's Bluff, Winchester," Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Chancellorsville, 
Fredricksburg, second battle of Bull Run, Lookout Mountain, Mission 
Ridge, Goldsboro, Peach Tree Creek, and all the battles fought during 
Sherman's campaign to the sea. He acted as scout from Atlanta through 
to Savannah, and went to attend the grand review of all the troops at 
Washington, and was mustered out of service July 5, 1865. He was 
also in the battle of Gettysburg, where he was wounded in the throat, 
which has ever since obstructed his speech. After his discharge, he re- 
turned to Edinburg, whence, after remaining a few days, he came to Tip- 
ton. In September of 1865, he engaged in the saloon business, and has 
continued it ever since, with the exception of one or two years. In July 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 249 

of 1882, he connected himself with Mr. S. G. Young in the furniture 
and undertaking business. They carry a stock of ^4,500, and are doing 
a good business. Mr. Nance was married at Tipton, January 1, 1868, 
to Miss Lavica E. Parker, daughter of Dr. Isaac Parker (deceased). 
They have two daughters, namely, Capitola and Maud. Politically, he 
is a Democrat, and is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., both of the subordi- 
nate lodge and the Grand Lodge at Indianapolis. He is the owner of a 
brick business building, two fine dwellings, and two good farms, approxi- 
mating $12,000 in value. He is also a member of Knights of Honor. 

DR. M. V. B. NEWCOMER was born in Wayne County, Ind., 
October 30, 1836. When he was quite young, his parents re- 
moved to Hamilton County, where he attended the common schools, 
and grew to manhood. He taught in the public schools of Ham- 
ilton and Tipton Counties for eight years. In 1857, he came to Tipton, 
and while teaching in the schools he began the study of medicine under 
Dr. A. M. Vickrey. He graduated at the Ohio Medical College at Cin- 
cinnati in 1867, having practiced for two years previously. Dr. New- 
comer has confined himself strictly to legitimate practice, and has gained 
an enviable reputation in his profession ; he is half-owner of the opera 
building on the northwest corner of the public square, and has a fine resi- 
dence and office. He was married at Tipton the 14th of December, 1865, 
to Miss I. J. Wilson. They have had three children — Ora B. and Clelia 
C, now living, and Ethel May, deceased. 

JUDGE NATHAN R. OVERMAN, one of Indiana's most distin- 
guished jurists, was born April 11, 1827, in Randolph County, Ind.; he 
was the second son of a family of eight children. Living on the frontier, 
there were but few opportunities for education within his reach — only an 
occasional school term of two or three months during the winter seasons. 
The advantages of an education were, however, early impressed upon his 
mind by home influence. On winter evenings, the pole cabin was provid- 
ed with a huge fire of logs and hickory bark, around which parents and 
children would gather, studying and reading. The mother, who was an 
orphan from infancy, had not learned the alphabet at the time of her mar- 
riage, but afterward became a good writer, and was a diligent and careful 
reader during the remainder of her life. The father, who at that time 
could only read and write, soon became proficient in the primary branches, 
and afterward taught school in the neighborhood. Well does the Judge 
remember when he and his father having reached the rule of three, the 
latter doubted their ability to proceed. The effort was made, however, 
the son being the first to solve the difficulty. Six of the eight children 
became teachers in the schools of Randolph and Tipton Counties. Judge 
Overman is enthusiastically fond of the natural sciences, and for the last 



250 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

few years has devoted much of his leisure to geology and kindred pursuits ; 
his excellent collection of fossils and objects of antiquity, including some 
of the finest specimens yet found, is equal, perhaps, to any private collec- 
tion in the State. The services rendered by him to the State Geologist 
are honorably acknowledged by Prof E. T. Cox in his reports. At the 
age of eighteen, he commenced teaching in the winter schools, working 
the remainder of the year with his parents. At that time, the stick and 
clay fire-places were being replaced by more commodious brick chimneys, 
and brick-making became a branch of industry. The father and son each 
year after harvesting the crops manufactured a small quantity for the 
market, the latter becoming an efficient molder and burner of bricks. While 
thus engaged, he commenced the study of law in the summer of 1849 with 
Gen. Brown, who was at that time studying with Judge Peelle, of Winches- 
ter. Texts from Blackstone were copied on bits of paper tacked to the brick 
gum and committed to memory by him while at work. Late in the fall of 
the same year, Judge Overman removed with his father's family to Tipton 
County. In the spring of 1850, he received $5 as the proceeds of thir- 
teen days' labor, and of it expended ^4.50 in the purchase of Black- 
stone's Commentaries, which now occupies a prominent position in his 
well-filled library. For eleven years, he continued alternately teaching, 
farming and brick-making. In June, 1861, he commenced the profession 
of law in Tipton, and in 1863 was admitted to practice in the Supreme 
Court, and in the federal courts a few years later. As a speaker, Judge 
Overman is earnest, logical and convincing. As a practitioner, he is un- 
tiring, faithful and formidable. In the fall of 1878, he was elected Judge 
of the Thirty-sixth Judicial Circuit, carrying by a majority of 1,232 his 
own county, which has generally given less than 400 majority for his par- 
ty. Judge Overman was married. May 27, 1854, to Miss Mary J. Cox, 
of Clinton County, Ohio, by whom he has five children — Alice, the eldest, 
married to John P. Hutchings, of Tipton ; Eva, married to James N. 
Waugh, attorney, of Tipton; Charles, Lizzie and Fred, together with the 
parents, constitute the present household. 

DR. ISAAC PARKER (deceased), one of Tipton County's repre- 
sentative men, and one who was for many years closely identified with 
her interests, was born in Highland County, Ohio, December 4, 1822 ; 
his parents being poor, his education was limited ; but this defect in his 
early training was so far removed by his energy and application in after 
years that he came to be regarded by all his neighbors and fellow-citizens 
as a man thoroughly posted in all those matters pertaining to the business 
affairs of life. During his thirteenth year, he was mail carrier between 
Hillsboro and Columbus, Ohio. After this he was, of his own choice, 
apprenticed to the tailor's trade. On the board he not only became a 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 251 

skillful workman, but readily picked up various kinds of useful 
knowledge. Before he attained his majority, he was married to 
Miss Jane Rittenhouse, who urged him to study the profession of 
medicine, and by whom he was the father of eight children — D. H. Par- 
ker, of Indianapolis ; N. W. Parker, of Lynchburg, Ohio ; Mrs. Dr. 
Barker, Mrs. Thadeus Nance, Mrs. E. B. Martindale and James I. Parker, 
of Tipton ; two are dead, dying in infancy ; he emigrated to Tipton in 
the fall of 1847, and entered into the practice of medicine, having had 
some years' experience in that profession in Ohio. By the year 1852, he 
had accumulated considerable property, and being a fluent speaker, he 
was chosen by the Democratic party to contest with Judge Green for 
the Legislature, from the district composed of the counties of Tipton 
and Howard. The Doctor was elected by something over one hundred 
majority, it being, if our memory serves us right, the only time Judge 
Green was ever beaten before the people. After this he continued the 
practice of his profession, but traded considerably in real estate, after en- 
gaging in the dry goods business. Some twenty-five years ago, he moved 
to and resided in Noblesville some six or eight months. Returning he 
brought on a stock of goods ; he was in partnership with the Hon. N. J. 
Jackson at the time of that gentleman's death, in the fall of 1863. In 
1865, he owned a dry goods establishment, a warehouse, the Tipton Flour- 
ing Mills, and paid taxes on $20,000 in real estate. In the year 1867, his 
wife died. This was followed by an illness that continued some three 
months, during which he was the greater part of the time delirious. 
While prostrated under this attack, important notes maturing, he awoke 
to find himself a bankrupt. From these losses — domestic, financial and 
physical — he never entirely recovered. Often has he remarked to the 
writer, "I am liable to drop ofi" at any moment." In 1868, he was mar- 
ried to a Mrs. Taylor, a German lady, by whom he has one son, Victor. 
In February of 1874, while transacting business in his office, he was 
stricken with apoplexy. He never recovered consciousness, and expired 
peacefully. Dr. I. Parker was a devoted friend, husband and father. 
He had his faults as have all men, but so kind-hearted and benevolent 
was he, that a forgiving public gladly covers them with the mantle of 
charity. He was widely known, both as a physician and merchant, and 
some years ago was a politician. 

JAMES I. PARKER, attorney at law, Tipton, is the youngest son 
of Dr. Isaac and Jane (Rittenhouse) Parker, and was born in Tipton, 
Ind., April 22, 1857 ; his education was obtained in the public schools of 
his native county, and at the Northwestern Christian University of In- 
dianapolis. In his seventeenth year, he entered upon the career of a peda- 
gogue, and engaged in teaching in Tipton and other counties of the 



252 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

State, for a period of ten years, with the exception of one year ; four 
years of that time were spent in the district schools of his native county, 
three years in the public schools of Tipton, and two years as Superintend- 
ent of the Public Schools of Lewisville, Henry Co., Ind. Having al- 
ways cherished a desire to enter the legal profession, he in 1874 took up 
■the study of law, in the office of his brother, N. W. Parker ; in Septem- 
ber of 1875, he was admitted to the bar, and at the same time entered in- 
to a partnership with his brother ; in December of the same year, he dis- 
solved that partnership, and went to Lincoln, 111., where he spent seven 
months in the office of Messrs. Hoblit & Foley, two of the ablest attor- 
neys in Central Illinois ; returning to Tipton in July of 1876, he was 
nominated by his party, the Democratic, for the office of Prosecutor of 
of the Thirty-sixth Judicial Circuit, being but nineteen years of age, and 
therefore ineligible ; he nevertheless carried his own county by a majority 
of 417 votes, but was defeated in the district by 359 votes. In the fall 
of 1876, his brother, N. W., removed to Indianapolis, and being left 
without the use of a library, and no means to purchase one, he returned 
to teaching ; in 1878, he accepted a position offered him in the public 
schools of Tipton ; he remained in those schools three years, and in 1881 
removed to Lewisville, Ind., and took charge of the public schools at that 
place, and conducted them with flattering success for two years. In April 
of 1883, he returned to his native place and entered into the practice of 
law, in partnership with John A. Swoveland. On the 28th day of Octo- 
ber, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Frances U. Guffin, of Tipton. 
They have one son, namely, Herbert C. Mr. Parker is now attending 
strictly to the practice of his profession, and the business of the firm to 
which he belongs is rapidly increasing. Politically, he is an uncompro- 
mising Democrat, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity, which order 
he holds in high esteem. 

C. F. PATTERSON, a teacher by profession, is a native of Tipton 
County, Ind., where he was born June 6, 1862. He is the son of Ben- 
jamin F. and Lydia (Plummer) Patterson. His father, one of the promi- 
nent men of Tipton County, was born in Fayette County, Ind. , Septem- 
ber 6, 1838, and grew to manhood in Fayette and Shelby Counties. He 
removed to Tipton County and engaged in farming and dealing in 
stock in Wild Cat Township. Here he was married, September 5, 1861, 
to Miss Lydia Plummer, of which marriage our subject was the only issue. 
In 1861, he removed to Carthage, Mo., where he purchased a farm and 
remained for two years, at the end of which he returned to his former 
farm in Tipton County and remained there until his death, which occurred 
October 23, 1880. Politically, he was an active member of the Demo- 
cratic party, and also a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 253 

The youth of our subject, Charles F., has been chiefly passed in his native 
county, on his father's farm, and various schools of the county, in which 
he has labored as an instructor of the young. At the age of twelve, he 
entered Spiceland Academy, in Henry County, Ind., at which institution 
he completed the academic course of study. He afterward entered the 
Central Normal College, at Ladoga, Ind., where he remained for three 
years, completing the teachers' and the scientific course. After receiving 
his diploma at Ladoga, he returned to Tipton, where he entered upon the 
profession of teaching, in which he has been very successful. Among the 
schools in which he has taught are the district schools of Wild Cat Town- 
ship, the Sharpsville Graded Schools, of which he was Principal, and the 
Grammar Department of the Tipton Public Schools. He resides on North 
West street, Tipton, with his mother, in a very nice residence, of which he 
is the owner. 

M. W. PERSHING, editor and proprietor of the Tipton Advocate, 
was born January 15, 1849, in Warsaw, Kosciusko Co., Ind. He is the 
eldest of five children, all now living, born to David R. and Sarah M. 
(Sellers) Pershing, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio respectively. They 
were married in Wabash County, Ind., in 1848, and are of German de- 
scent. Mr. David R., during the greater part of his life, has been a 
journalist. He conducted papers at Warsaw and Rochester. He was editor 
of the Fort Wayne Daily Gazette, also of the Muncie Times, besides be- 
ing connected with other papei^s throughout the State. He and his wife 
are now living at Muncie, Ind. He is now in the mercantile business. 
Prior to the war, he was a Democrat, but is now a Republican. He 
has been prominent in public life, both as a journalist and as a public 
oflicer ; he is a member of I. 0. 0. F. M. W. Pershing received a good 
education, and at nineteen years of age became a school teacher in his 
native county. A year after, in association with S. T. Montgomery, he 
established the Kokomo Journal, a Republican paper. Twelve months 
afterward, it was sold to the Kokomo Dispatch. In 1876, for a period of 
three months, he edited the Tipton Republican. In September, 1878, he 
established the Tipton Advocate, which has achieved eminent success. 
This paper has a sound financial basis, the subscription list is large, and 
in addition there is a good job-work trade. Soon after starting this pa- 
per, he received the nickname of " Marvelous Persimmons," which has 
since become his well-known title. Mr. Pershing is a zealous Republican, 
and a most valuable and efiicient worker for his party in Tipton County. 
He is an able and forcible writer, and, through his editorials in the col- 
umns of the Advocate, has done much to reduce the heavy Democratic 
majority in the county ; he is always to the front in all measures of 
public improvement, and is well posted on the questions and issues of the 



254 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

day ; he is a member of I. 0. 0. F. December 5, 1872, he was mar- 
ried to Mrs. Melissa A. Cox, of Tipton, a native of Union County. They 
have one child, Cora E. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pershing are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

A. B. PITZER, physician and surgeon, is a native of Ohio, having 
been born in that State October 13, 1845. He is the son of Davidson 
Pitzer, who was born in the State of Virginia in 1800, and raised 
in the neighborhood of Richmond in the same State. The Doctor's 
father served as SheriiF one term in his native county, but afterward 
moved to Botetourt County, Va., and again to Fayette County, Ohio. 
He made his last remove to Marion County, Ind., in 1849, where he 
resided until the time of his death, which occurred in 1851. The family 
then removed to Howard County, where the Doctor grew to manhood ; 
he served in the United States Army during the late rebellion. Afterward 
he studied medicine with Dr. Kern at Kokomo. During his studies, he 
taught in the public schools of Howard County ; he graduated at Ann 
Arbor, Mich., in 1868, also at the Indiana Medical College at Indianapo- 
lis ; he practiced his profession in Sharpsville, Tipton County, until 1878, 
when, after one of the hottest campaigns on record, he was elected Clerk 
of the Tipton Circuit Court; he removed to Tipton to assume the duties 
of his office, which he discharged for one term of four years. During 
that time, he established a book and general stationery store, which bus- 
iness he disposed of at the expiration of his term of office in order to enter 
into the practice of his profession. In the campaign of 1882, Dr. Pitzer 
barely lost the nomination as Democratic candidate for the office of State 
Auditor. The Doctor was married at Sharpsville, Ind., May 24, 1870, 
to Miss Bell Sharpe. They have a family of three children — Wat- 
son B., Mabel and Lewis. Politically, he is a Democrat, and is also an 
Odd Fellow. At present he is preparing to resume the practice of med- 
icine, and will soon be found in his office in the new Gleason Block, now 
in process of erection. 

ROBERT L. PORTER, Auditor of Tipton County, was born in 
Hamilton County, Ohio, July 18, 1848. While he was yet young, his 
parents removed to Darke County, Ohio, where he was reared. During 
his youth, he learned the silversmith trade, and has followed that occupa- 
tion with but a few intermissions ever since. On the breakincr-out of the 
late rebellion, he enlisted in Company E, Fifth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. 
In 1867, Mr. Porter located in Tipton in the silversmith and jeweler's 
business, in which he engaged until his election as County Auditor in 
November, 1882. He has been four times elected Clerk of the Town of 
Tipton, which office he held for a period of four years ; he was married 
in Howard County, June 8, 1872, to Miss Ella Raines. The issue of 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 255 

their marriage consists of one son, Clyde. Mr. Porter is a Democrat, 
and both an Odd Fellow and a Mason. 

ROBERT M. ROBERSON was born in Butler County, Ohio, Sep- 
tember 25, 1838 ; he grew to manhood in the Buckeye State, and on the 
breaking-out of the late rebellion enlisted in the United States service 
in September, 1861, in Company B, Sixty-ninth Ohio Volunteers, and 
was assigned to the Fourteenth Army Corps, Second Division. He par- 
ticipated in the battles of Stone River, Chattanooga, Chickamauga and 
Missionary Ridge, and was with Sherman on his famous march to the sea, 
going through to Bentonville, N. C. He was mustered out in August, 
1865. In 1866, he came to Tipton County and located at Windfall, 
where he commenced to work at carpentering, and continued until 1874, 
when he entered into the dry goods and grocery business, in which he 
continued for two years. In 1876, he was elected Sheriff by the Democ- 
racy of the county, and immediately removed to Tipton. He was re- 
elected in 1878, serving altogether two terms, or four years. After his 
term of office expired, he engaged in the furniture business until the fall 
of 1882, when he sold out and resumed his trade of carpentering. He is 
at present engaged in the erection of a fine brick residence on North In- 
dependence street, at a cost of $2,000. Mr. Roberson was married in 
January, 1871, in Tipton County, to Miss Mary J. Nay. They have 
two children, namely, George and Olive. His father, Daniel S. Rober- 
son, came to Tipton in his old age, and remained here until his death, 
which occurred in March, 1877, aged seventy-three years. Mr, Rober- 
son is a Democrat, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

MOSES ROSENTHAL was born in Kokomo, Howard Co., Ind., 
November 20, 1850; he is the son of Henry and Esther Rosenthal, and 
the eldest of a family of six children. When quite young, he removed 
from Kokomo to Indianapolis, whence, after a brief, residence, he went to 
Louisville, Ky., and thence, at about the age of fifteen, to Peru, Ind., 
where, for several years, he worked in the woolen manufactory of Sterne 
& Co. During his boyhood, his opportunities for acquiring an education 
were very limited, but he manifested his disposition to take care of him- 
self by selling papers on the streets of the diflferent cities in which he 
lived, and in the performance of various odd jobs by which he could turn 
an honest penny. He, in 1873, located at Tipton, and engaged in the 
dry goods business in partnership with E. Rothschild. In 1878, he pur- 
chased his partner's interest, and has since conducted the business alone. 
He carries a stock of goods of general merchandise valued at from $12.- 
000 to $15,000, and does an annual business of from $30,000 to $35,000. 
His business room, known as the Indiana Store, is one of the most con- 
venient and commodious in the town of Tipton. A few years ago, he 



256 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

purchased and has ever since conducted the stave factory situated along 
the south side of the tracks of the L., E. & W. R. R., near the northern 
limits of Tipton ; here he employs twenty-three hands at a weekly ex- 
pense of $150, and does a business of $40,000 annually. Mr. Rosen- 
thal has been twice elected to the office of Treasurer of the town of Tip- 
ton. Politically, he is a Democrat, and is one of the best workers in his 
party ; he is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has occupied 
prominent positions in that order. He is one of the most prominent and 
energetic business men in the county. 

JOHN E. RUMSEY, dealer in musical instruments and sewing ma- 
chines, representing the Estey and Cymbella organs and the Singer sew- 
ing machine, was born in Mason County, Ky., April 2, 1820. His father, 
Charles Rumsey, removed to Rush County, Ind,, in 1833, and came to 
Tipton County in 1849. He was a carpenter by trade, but after he came 
to this county, engaged in farming. He purchased a large tract of land, 
and resided on that until his death in July, 1872. John E. Rumsey had 
very limited opportunities to receive an education, but after he was grown 
up he attended the academy at Waveland three years. In 1852, he 
came to Tipton County and located on a farm during one year. He en- 
gaged in teaching" and taught his first term in the Tipton High School. 
He followed teaching fifteen years, after which he engaged in mercan- 
tile pursuits a short time. He then followed the life insurance business 
until 1872, when he was elected by the Republican party as a Represent- 
ative of Hamilton and Tipton Counties. He served in the General As- 
sembly in the special session of 1872, and the regular session of 1873, 
and soon after engaged in his present occupation, where he is doing a good 
business. He owns a good residence in Tipton. Mr. Rumsey was mar- 
ried, October 5, 1843, in Putman County, Ind., to Miss Zerelda Osborn. 

JOHN Q. SERIGHT, Deputy Sheriff of Tipton County, was born 
in Decatur County, Ind., October 19, 1851, where he remained until his 
fourteenth year. His father, John Seright, was born in 1828; was mar- 
ried in 1848, in Decatur County, to Miss Charlotte Stirgus, and in 1864 
removed to Tipton County, locating at Windfall, where for several years 
he engaged in the mercantile business, which he finally sold out and in- 
vested his means in a farm, on which he resided until his death, which oc- 
curred in 1873, April 13. He left behind him a family of two sons, 
namely, our subject, and Lewis G., a resident of Windfall. The mother 
of our subject died September 23, 1860. She was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. John Q. Seright grew to manhood in 
Windfall, acc^uiring a good business education from the graded school of 
the town. His first business experience was as a clerk, after which he 
learned telegraphy, and after following that for some four years, he re- 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 257 

turned to his first calling, which he pursued until 1876, when he en- 
gaged in merchandising for three years, after which he again clerked 
until 1880, when he received the appointment of Deputy Sheriff of the 
county and removed to Tipton. He was again appointed Deputy by 
Sheriff Leavell in 1882, and is now discharging the duties of that posi- 
tion. He was married in Tipton County, December 12, 1875, to Miss 
Julia R. Wright. They have two sons and two daughters, namely, Lot- 
tie, Andrew D., Creola, Gamalia Earl. Mr. Seright is politically a 
Republican. He is also a member of the order of Odd Fellows. He ex- 
pects when his term as Deputy expires to retire to his farm of eighty 
acres, lying three miles east of Windfall. 

CALEB B. SHANK was born in Wayne County, Ind., December 
13, 1831, and passed his youth in the counties of Wayne and Tipton. 
His parents, Joseph and Marinda Shank, came to Tipton County in 
1842, and entered 720 acres of land, in Sections 28 and 29, Cicero 
Township, in which last-named section they resided ; on this land his 
father remained until 1859, clearing out about 200 acres, erecting a good 
residence, substantial barn and outbuildings, and setting out an orchard. 
At the time last mentioned, he removed to the town of Tipton, where he 
continued to reside until his death, which occurred October 17, 1864. 
Joseph Shank was one of the pioneers of this county, being born in 
Pennsylvania December 17, 1802. He was united in marriage in 
Wayne County, Ind., January 9, 1831, to Miss Marinda Jackson, who 
was born June 19, 1812, in Virginia. His widow still survives him, 
and had left at her husband's death a family of three children, only one 
of whom is now living, viz., Caleb B. The names of those deceased are 
Nancy E, and John A. Caleb B. acquired a fair education from the 
common schools of the counties of Wayne and Tipton. He engaged in 
farming on the home farm until 1861, when he removed to Tipton and 
embarked in the mercantile business ; after pursuing this about two years, 
he disposed of it and began manufacturing brick for building pur- 
poses; this business he carries on in connection with farming, and it has 
thus far proved very remunerative, as he has been able to manufacture 
and dispose of about 700,000 brick annually. He owns a farm of 150 
acres, and his mother owns the same amount, in all 300 acres, in Section 
12, Cicero Township, which joins the corporation limits. He also owns a 
residence and seven lots in the town of Tipton. The fertility of the soil 
of his farm is unsurpassed by any other in the county. It averages an 
annual production of sixty bushels of corn and twenty bushels of wheat 
to the acre. His corn ho uses principally as feed for his stock, of which 
he raises a fair amount. He is a zealous Republican, and takes a great 
interest in political affairs. In 1880, he was appointed to take the cen- 



258 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

sus of Tipton County. He was married in Tipton County, October 2, 
1851, to Misa Mary W, Askren. They have had three children, viz.: 
Marinda J., Arleva A. and John W., deceased. Mr. Shank is one of 
Tipton's most enterprising men, and to him she owes much of her pros- 
perity. 

JOHN A. SWOVELAND, attorney at law, is a native of Ohio, and 
was born at Mansfield, Richland County, July 22, 1813. When he 
was quite young, his father removed to Van Wert County, Northwestern 
Ohio, on what was known as the Indian Reserve. There John A. remained 
until 1861, acquiring such an education as the common schools 
aiforded. September 14, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, Fourth 
Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. His command was assigned to the Army 
of the Cumberland, and with it he participated in the battles of 
Chattanooga, Nashville, and the siege of Atlanta. He was with Sherman 
on his famous march to the sea until his arrival at Atlanta. He returned 
from that city with Thomas to Nashville. On the 28th October, 1862, 
he was taken prisoner by the enemy at Lexington, Ky. He was paroled 
the same day, and sent to Columbus, Ohio, where he remained until 
January, 1863, when he was exchanged, and sent back to his company. 
In the same year he was made Corporal and served in that capacity until 
he was discharged in 1864. He re-enlisted, and continued in the serv- 
ice until the close of the war. During his second term of service, he 
took part in the engagements at Tullahoma, Franklin, Tenn., and Selma, 
Ala. During the battle of Tullahoma, he received a painful wound in the 
right foot, which has slightly crippled him for life. His brigade capt- 
ured Jefferson Davis, and Mr. Swoveland had command of the guard 
that held him in custody at the Lanier House, Macon, Ga. After the 
war, he returned to his home in Ohio, and attended school for one year. 
In 1867, he removed to Tipton County, and engaged in business. He 
traded largely in railroad ties and cord wood. Unfortunately in 1871 hie 
entire stock was destroyed by fire, which financially stranded Mr. 
Swoveland. In 1872, he engaged in the practice of the law, at Windfall. 
In 1878, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Thirty-sixth Ju- 
dicial District of Indiana. After his election, he removed to Tipton, 
where he has since continued to practice his profession ; his office is in the 
Picken Block, Room 1. Mr. Swoveland was married in Tipton County, 
December 26, 1867, to Miss Isabella Van Winkle. They have three 
children — Jessie A., Gracie M. and Sarah G. Politically, he is a Re- 
publican, and a member of the order of Odd Fellows. 

SAMUEL M. TAYLOR, proprietor of the Tipton Mills, and for a 
long time identified with the business interests of Tipton, was born in 
Wayne County, Ind., April 19, 1831. His father, Samuel Taylor, Sr., 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 259 

a resident of Wayne County, a very successful farmer and a prominent 
minister of the Baptist Church, died August 3, 1833, in his fifty-third 
year. Our subject was reared in Wayne and Henry Counties, obtaining 
his education from the common schools and County Seminary. At the 
age of sixteen years, he entered upon the profession of teaching, and 
followed it for several years, teaching in the counties of Delaware, Parke, 
Kosciusko and Randolph, in this State, and for a time in the State of 
Michigan. In 1852. he entered upon the duties of Deputy Clerk of 
Henry County, and while in that position he took up the study of the 
law ; was finally admitted to the bar, but never engaged in actual practice. 
He afterward clerked for a time at Economy. In 1856, he removed to 
Kokomo, and discharged the duties of Deputy Clerk of Howard County. 
After one year, he came to Tipton, and was installed as Deputy Clerk of 
Tipton County. In 1857, he removed to Windfall and engaged in the 
merchandise business until 1864. In 1863, he enlisted in Company C, 
One Hundred and First Regiment Indiana Volunteers, and was assigned 
to the Fourteenth Army Corps, under Thomas ; he was in all the battles 
fought on Sherman's march to the sea, and through to Raleigh, N. C. 
He was discharged from the service in August, 1865, and returned home. 
In 1866, he removed to Tipton and engaged in the grocery business until 
1870, when he purchased the Tipton Mills, and has ever since been in 
the milling business, at which he has been very successful ; he also buys 
grain, and is engaged in shipping it to the various grain markets of the 
country. In 1874, he was elected by the Republicans of Hamilton and 
Tipton Counties as their Representative to the General Assembly of the 
State, and served one term of two years. He was again, in 1876, elected, 
by the same party of the same counties, as Senator to the General 
Assembly for one term of four years. He was married in Tipton, in 
1866, to Miss Rebecca Wiggins, who departed this life June 6, 1882. By 
her he has a family of four children, namely, Florence M., Lora, Hat- 
tie and Augusta. Politically, Mr. Taylor is a Republican, and is also a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

JAMES P. THOMAS, Justice of the Peace, is a native of Wayne 
County, Ind., and is the son of Jesse and Nancy Thomas. When James 
P. was ten years of age, his father died, and he lived on a farm with his 
uncle. In 1850, he came with his mother to Tipton County, and the 
following year taught one term of school in this county. He then re- 
turned to Wayne County, and worked on a farm until August, 1855, when 
he returned to Tipton County and engaged in teaching and farming 
twelve successive years. He purchased forty acres of land, and met with 
good success in collecting property. Mr. Thomas enlisted February 28, 
1862, in Company K, Forty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infan- 



260 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

try, and participated in the battle at Riddle's Point and the siege of Fort 
Thompson. He served about nine months, when he was discharged and 
returned home. He then engaged in agricultural pursuits two years, 
when he sold his farm, came to Tipton County, and embarked in the gro- 
cery business, where he remained fifteen years, when he sold out. He is 
in comfortable circumstances, and owns a good residence in town. Mr. 
Thomas was married, August 15, 1855, in Wayne County, Ind., to Miss 
Elizabeth J. Lewis. They have a family of five children — Martha A., 
Lewis J., Sheridan, Mary and David V. Mr. Thomas was elected Jus- 
tice of the Peace in November, 1878, and was re-elected in 1882. He i& 
identified with the Masonic fraternity, and is one of its most active work- 
ers. 

J. A. TICHENOR was born in Tipton County, Ind., March 20, 
1840. He is a son of James Tichenor, and passed his earlier years on 
his father's farm, with very poor opportunities for acquiring an education. 
On attaining his twenty-third year, he engaged in farming for himself, 
which he followed until 1876, when he removed to Tipton and engaged 
in the hotel and livery business. Not being satisfied with it, he soon 
abandoned the hotel, but still continues the livery business. In conjunc- 
tion with it, he also sells buggies, representing the firms of Sechler & Co., 
and D. W. Miller & Co., both of Cincinnati. Besides the business last 
named, he also farms and carries on a flourishing harness trade, in which 
he carries a $2,000 stock of goods. He was married in Delaware County, 
Ind., September 29, 1862, to Miss Mary Dale. The fruits of their mar- 
riage consist of six children, three boys and three girls, namely: Marion, 
Symetha J., Leroy, Luella Bell, Cora and Arvy Orial. Mr. Tichenor is 
politically a Democrat, and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, and of the Patrons of Husbandry. 

JOHN H. TYNER, proprietor of saw and planing mills, contractor 
and builder, and general lumber dealer, and who does a business of $50,000 
annually, was born in Fayette County, Ind., May 27, 1841. His father, 
Stephen Tyner, removed to Marion, Ind., when John was about five 
years old, and remained there until 1873. Our subject engaged in 
farming for about three years. He then bought a steam saw-mill, and 
embarked in that business in Marion. Shortly after this venture, he lost 
his entire mill property by fire. Nevertheless, he, in two years, rebuilt 
the mill on the same spot, and resumed the business. In 1873, he dis- 
posed of his mill property, and removed to Tipton, where he entered into 
the planing-mill business. Shortly afterward, he added a saw-mill, and 
now runs the two together on one site. He was married, May 20, 1863, 
to Miss Louisa J. Perry. By that marriage he has three children, viz., 
Mary J., Martha E. and Georgia G. Tyner. Mr. Tyner is at present 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 261 

engaged in the erection of a number of fine buildings in Tipton. He is, 
politically, a Democrat, and is at this time a member of the Board of 
School Trustees. 

WILLIAM VAN NUYS, physician and surgeon, and proprietor of 
the Central Drug Store, is a native Hoosier, and was born in Switzerland 
County, Ind., February 19, 1832. His education was the best that 
could be obtained at that time, being started in the commoa schools 
of the State, and finished at Hanover College, near Madison, 
Ind. In 1850, he took up the study of medicine in Pleasant, Ind. He 
attended lectures at the University of Michigan, and graduated at the 
Rush Medical College, Chicago, February 21, 1855. He engaged in the 
practice of his profession at Allensville, in Switzerland County, in 1853, 
prior to his graduation. After his graduation, he removed to New Lis- 
bon, Henry Co., Ind., and remained there, with the exception of one 
year spent at Seymour, Ind., until 1861. In that year, he removed to 
Lewisville, Henry County, and continued in practice until February, 
1883, the last five yetxrs of which time he conducted a drug store in con- 
nection with his profession. At the time last mentioned, he removed to 
Tipton. The Central Drug Store, of which the Doctor is proprietor, car- 
ries a large stock and does a good business. The Doctor was married in 
Henry County, Ind., November 23, 1859, to Miss Agnes S. Heaston. 
They have a family of four daughters, viz.: Minnie A., Jennie B., Katie 
and Ophelia G. Politically, the Doctor is a Democrat; he is also a promi- 
nent member of the Masonic fraternity. 

E. C. WAITS, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, Tipton, is a na- 
tive of Brown County, Ohio, where he was born Febi'uary 22, 1838; his 
father, William Waits, resided in Brown County until his death, which 
occurred January 9, 1877. His mother, born March 20, 1808, died 
when our subject was about nine years of age, after which he started out 
to do work for himself. For two years he did work on a farm, then went 
to Buford, Highland Co.. Ohio, to reside with a physician, until he at- 
tained his majority ; but shortly after he went there, the physician died, 
and our subject was again without a home. After- this, he went to Green - 
bush. Brown Co., Ohio, and for about one year worked in a hotel for 
a monthly stipend. At the age of fifteen, he apprenticed himself to the 
chair-making trade, and after serving his apprenticeship, he. in 1853, re- 
moved to Madison County, Ind., where he followed farming for one sum- 
mer, after which he went into the saw mill business and followed that for 
about one year. In 1858, he again engaged in farming, which he fol- 
lowed for about five years, at the end of which time he began teaming, 
which he followed for three years. About this time he connected him- 
self with Stowe's variety show, as proprietor of a candy stand, in which 



262 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

business he was very successful ; he afterward ran a huckster wagon for 
one summer, when he removed to Independence and went into the grocery 
business; he soon sold out, however, and, removing to Windfall, again 
engaged in the grocery business, but owing to the insolvency of his part- 
ner, Mr. Waits catne out about $1,300 short in one year. After this 
he dealt in staves, and in 1868 went to Logansport, and for two years 
followed railroadincy. In 1870, he went into the hotel business at Jones- 
boro, whence, after a residence of three years, he removed to Dunkirk, 
Jay Co., Ind., and again acted in the capacity of a landlord; his last 
move was to Tipton in 1875, where he has ever since remained, continuing 
in the hotel business; he is now the genial landlord of the Commercial 
Hotel, and is doing a flourishing business. Mr. Waits has been twice 
married; the first time to Miss Martha J. Fluner, in Grant County, Ind., 
March 22, 1857. By her he has three children — William F., Sarah A. 
and Daniel R. His first wife died March 28, 1868. His second mar- 
riage occurred March 28, 1869, to Miss Frances E. Smith, his present 

wife. 

HON. DAN WAUGH was born in Wells County, Ind., on the 7th 
dav of March, 1842. While a boy, he attended the crude country schools 
of that period, and succeeded in acquiring a good common school educa- 
tion. When quite a young man, he taught several schools, as so many 
men have done who have subsequently risen to distinction. On the 9th 
dav of September, ISdI, the war of the rebellion becoming colossal in 
proportions, he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-fourth Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, which was immediately sent to the front and assigned to the 
Thirteenth Corps. He took part in the closely contested battles in which 
that corps was engaged. He was in the trenches before Vicksburg ; he 
endured the trials and hardships of the Red River campaign ; he was in 
the battles at Jackson, Miss., and at Island No. 10, and in that 
fierce and bitter struggle at Champion Hills he received a severe bayonet 
wound in the thigh. Upon being mustered out of the army, Mr. Waugh 
returned to Wells County, and shortly afterward entered upon the study 
of law at Bluffton, having determined to enter that profession. In 1866, 
he was admitted to the bar of Wells County, but in the following year, 
conceiving Tipton to be a better field for a young lawyer, he located in 
that town. Soon afterward, he entered into a partnership with Judge 
John Green, the oldest and one of the ablest practitioners at the Tipton 
bar. This partnership continued for several years, and so closely did Mr. 
Waugh apply himself, and such aptitude did he display for forensic en- 
counters, that he early took a front rank in his profession. After the 
dissolution of this firm, he continued the practice alone, his success in- 
cieasing with each year, and his business growing to large proportions. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 263 

In November, 1882, he formed a partnership with John P. Kemp, an 
able and rising young lawyer, and the firm of Waugh & Kemp is one of 
the strongest in this part of the State. Mr. Waugh Avas married in 1870 
to Miss Alice Grove, a daughter of Dr. J. M. Grove, of Tipton, and they 
have three children, named Pearl, Bell and Nina. A lawyer in large and 
active practice is very much before the people, who readily place an esti- 
mate upon his attainments and abilities. Thus it has been with Dan 
Waugh, and the opinion so formed of him by the public has been highly 
complimentary, but free from exaggeration. He is an excellent lawyer, in 
the strict sense of that term, and as an advocate he is earnest, eloquent 
and impressive. Few men in Northern Indiana can make a stronger or 
more feeling appeal to a jury, and few have done so more successfully, 
judging by the verdicts secured. In addition to this, few have gained and 
kept a larger practice and given better satisfaction to clients. His suc- 
cess at the bar is but the deserved reward of an undeviating attention to 
duty and of fidelity to every engagement and undertaking. When his 
services have been secured, he regards no work in the interest of his client 
as too severe, and when the case is a difiicult one, his toil is frequently 
extreme. In politics, Mr. Waugh is a Republican, and by his discussions 
of public questions upon the stump, he has achieved distinction in his 
party, and in his own county particularly he is looked up to by his friends 
as a leader of party opinion. He is also a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. Financially, he is in very comfortable circumstances, being the 
owner of valuable town and farm property and a fine law library. He is 
yet a young man, very popular with the people, and his prospects for the 
future are continually brightening. 

W. W. WILSON, dealer in groceries at the Banta corner, member of 
the firm of Wilson & Harvey, is a native of Montgomery County, where he 
was born September 16, 1845. His father, John W. Wilson, removed to 
Tipton County in 1859, and located at Normanda, where he resided until 
1868, and engaged in wagon-making. At the end of that time, he removed 
to Tipton, where he lived until 1877, when he again removed to Clinton 
County, where he died April 7 of that year, leaving a widow and nine 
children, namely, Mrs. Lydia A. Evans, Woodroe W., C. M., Milton 
W., John P., Mrs. Martha E Ward, James M., Mrs. Philena Lamb, 
Joseph S.. all of whom reside in Kansas, except our subject and Mrs. 
Martha E. Ward. His mother, Mrs. Margaret Wilson, died in La- 
bette County, Kan., September 13, 1881. In January, 1864, Woodroe 
W. enlisted in the United States Army, in Company B, Seventy-fifth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to the Second 
Brigade, Third Division and Fourteenth Army Corps. He was with 
Sherman during the whole of his memorable campaign to the sea, and 



264 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

was in all the principal battles of tliat time. He was discharged in July, 
1865. After his discharge, he returned home, and in 1S67 engaged in 
the saw mill and lumber business until 1872, in Tipton. He then dis- 
posed of his interest in that business and engaged in wagon-making, 
a trade that he had learned under his father. This he continued until 
September, 1882, when he again sold out and commenced his present 
vocation. The firm of which he is a member carry about $2,000 stock, 
and are doing a good business. Mr, Wilson was married. May 20, 1872, 
to Miss Orpha Long,^of Tipton, daughter of John Long, County Record- 
er. They have four children — John M., Luella, Woodroe and Nancy 
M. Mr. Wilson is the owner of a very nice residence in Tipton, and is 
politically a Republican. 

H. A. WOODRUFF, proprietor of the Farmers' Hotel of Tipton, 
was born in Brown County November 20, 1819 ; his father, Joab Wood- 
ruff, removed to Johnson County in 1821, and located on a farm near 
Williamsburg, where he remained until his death, June 14, 1850. The 
subject of this sketch'engaged in farming in Johnson County, and in 1845 
located in Tipton County, where he took a claim of 160 acres in Prairie 
Township. In 1850, he removed to Tipton and purchased 162 acres of 
wild land near the town ; he went to w'ork to clear his farm ; he still owns 
this tract, and has enlarged it to 380 acres. He also owns eighty acr(3S 
about two miles from town, and has given each of his children an eighty- 
acre farm. In connection with farming, he in 1878 engaged in the hotel 
business, and has owned the. hotel for some time; he was married in John- 
son County, Ind., in December, 1840, to Miss Mary S. Hutto, who died 
March 11, 1855, in Tipton County, leaving a family of eight children — 
James M., John R., Mrs. Sophia Paul, Amelia M., Absalom and Joab, 
living ; also Elizabeth, Absalom and Rebecca A., all deceased. Mr. 
Woodruff was next married in August, 1856, in Rush County, Ind., to 
Miss Eliza J. Morgan. 

R. W. WRIGHT is a native of Fayette County, Ind., where he was 
born March 13, 1829; his father, a native of North Carolina, removed, 
in 1837, to Avhat is now Madison Township, Tipton County, but then a 
part of the county of Hamilton, and settled on a tract of land in the tim- 
ber, consisting of a half-section, which he entered of Congress. Here the 
subject of this sketch assisted his father in clearing up a farm. Over a hun- 
dred acres were prepared and put in a high state of cultivation ; then a sub- 
stantial brick residence was erected on the cleared tract, where the father 
resided until the time of his death, which occurred in September, 1859, aft- 
er having reared a family of seven children, four sons and three daughters, 
namely : Robert W.; John W., a resident of Iowa ; Asberry P., a resident 
of Marion County, Ind., and James T. (deceased) ; also, Mrs. Mary J. 



TOWN OF TIPTON. 265 

Orr, of Arcadia, Hamilton Co., Ind.; Mrs. Sarah E. Lily, of Tipton County, 
and Mrs. Elizabeth J. Meritt. Mr. Wright, in 1849, learned the car- 
penter's trade, which he followed for three years, at the expiration of 
which time he engaged in farming in Cicero Township, Tipton County, 
continuing in that business until the year 1856, when he sold his farm 
and removed to Appanoose County, Iowa, where he purchased land and 
made a farm. In 1860, he sold his Iowa land and returned to Tipton 
County, where he again followed farming until the year 1866, when he re- 
moved to Tipton, and engaged in the livery business. At the time of his re- 
moval to Tipton, he was elected to the oflBce of Justice of the Peace, and about 
one year after he sold out his livery business and turned his attention to the 
boot and shoe trade, which he continued until 1869, when he sold out and 
entered the office of the County Auditor, as Deputy, where he remained 
in that capacity for a little over four years. In 1874, he was elected by 
the Democratic party to the office of Auditor, and served one term of four 
years. At the expiration of his term of office, he resumed farming for 
two years ; he then, in 1880, entered the real estate, loan and insurance 
business, and has continued it ever since. The style of the firm is Wright 
& Long, and they are doing a good business. Mr. Wright owns a good 
residence on North Main street, in Tipton, as well as several vacant town 
lots; he was married in Tipton County, December 15, 1850, to Miss 
Eliza J. Blount. The issue of that marriage consists of seven children, 
five of whom are living. Their names are as follows : Mrs. Frances P. 
Winfield, Mrs. Alice B. Martz, Sarah L., Mary B. and Silas Blount; 
also, Jasper M. and Newton N., deceased. 

WILLIAM B. YOUNG, proprietor of the Champion Planing Mill, 
and one of the early settlers of Tipton County, was born in Brown County, 
Ohio, June 4, 1829. When Mr. Young was two years old, his father 
died. He continued, to reside in Brown County until his seventeenth 
year, when the family, consisting of his mother, his sister and himself, 
removed to Jennings County, Ind. There, he followed farming for two 
years, and at the end of that time he went to Kent, Jefferson Co., Ind., 
and commenced to learn the cabinet trade, during which time, 1849, his 
mother died. After he had mastered his trade, about 1850 he removed 
to Tipton County, and started in the cabinet business for himself, and in 
connection therewith conducted a furniture store. In 1874, he erected 
the Champion Planing Mill, which he managed in connection with his 
other business until 1881, when he sold out his cabinet and furniture 
business. Since that time, he has devoted himself entirely to the man- 
agement of the planing mill. Since its erection in 1874, the mill was 
once entirely destroyed by fire. But, notwithstanding the crushing loss 
he sustained, Mr. Young at once rebuilt it, on an improved plan, with 



266 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

improved machinery, and the business of the mill has so increased that 
the annual amount of lumber turned out approximates 125,000 feet. Mr. 
Young has been twice married, first, on the 8th of June, 1848, to Miss 
Catharine Green, who died January, 1853 ; secondly, on the 4th of 
August, 1853. in Jennings County, Ind., to. Miss Mary A. Green. By 
his first wife, he has two children — Seneca G. Young and Mrs. Mary I. 
Long. By his second wife, he has three children, viz., Ella, Lulu A. 
and Anna E. He has a nice brick residence on West Jefferson street. 
Politically, he is a Republican, is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
and also of the Christian Church. 

LEVI YOUNG, dealer in poultry, hides, furs, iron, etc., also en- 
gaged in the sale of buggies, in partnership with D. C. Jones, does 
a business of $15,000 annually. He was born on the 19th day of Janu- 
ary, 1849, in Howard County, Ind., where he grew to manhood. He 
was educated in the common school, and taught one term of a district 
school. He afterward dealt in stock a short time, followed clerking about 
five years, and spent two years in the grain trade. In 1878, he entered 
upon his present calling, and in 1881 located in Tipton. He was mar- 
ried, in Montgomery County, September 24, 1874, to Miss Fannie 
Wheeler, the issue of which marriage consists of three children, of whom 
two are living — Jessie and Fred — and one is dead — Mabel. His 
mother is still living at the old home in Howard County ; his father. 
Eleven T. Young, died February 5, 1854. His remains were interred in 
the cemetery at Alto, in Howard County. Mr. Young is a member of 
Fritz's Cornet Band, in which he plays the first alto horn. He is also a 
member of the I. 0. 0. F. 

JOHN H. ZEHNER, Treasurer of Tipton County, was born in 
Richland County, Ohio, May 28, 1839, and remained in his native county 
until he was fifteen years of age. He then went to Van Wert 
County, Ohio. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, 
Fourth Ohio Cavalry, and was assigned to the Army of the Cum- 
berland. He was with Sherman on his campaign as far as Atlanta, and 
then returned with Thomas to Nashville, and was in the battle at that 
place. He then joined Wilson on his cavalry expedition. He saw Jeff 
Davis when he was brought into headquarters. In July, 1865, he was dis- 
charged, and immediately returned to his home in A^an Wert County, Ohio. 
Soon after this, he made a trip through the West, traveling through the 
States of Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, and finally settled at Wind- 
fall, Ind., November, 1866, where he entered into the grocery business. 
He continued in business at that place until 1880, when he was elected 
by the Democracy of Tipton County to the office of County Treasurer, 
which position he now occupies. Mr. Zehner was married, November 6^ 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 267 

1866, to Miss Rosanna Davis. They have a family of four children, 
namely, Walter, Bertha May, Nancy L. and John Otto. Politically, Mr. 
Zehner is a Democrat, and is also a prominent member of the I. 0. 0. F. 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 

PETER ACHENBACH was born in Lebanon County, Penn., April 
5, 1822. His father, Peter Achenbach, Sr.. removed to Montgomery 
County, Ohio, when our subject was quite young, whence he removed to 
Wayne County, Ind., and after a short residence there removed to Ham- 
ilton County, of this State. Our subject engaged in farming in Hamilton 
County, and continued until 1851, when he removed to this county, pur- 
chased a farm 'near Tipton, sold it soon after and bought the farm of 
eighty acres which he now owns, situated in Section 32, Cicero Township. 
He has sixty acres under cultivation, and well drained. He is a member 
of the Patrons of Husbandry, Plum Grove Lodge, No. 181. He was 
married in Hamilton County, Ind., October 29, 1848, to Miss Matilda 
*Knapp. His estimable wife departed this life August 4, 1882, leaving to 
his care a family of six children, viz.: William H., Daniel W., John M., 
Benjamin F., Barbara E. and James L. He also had one son, now de- 
ceased, viz., Simon. Politically, Mr. Achenbach is a member of the 
Democratic party. He is an industrious citizen, and enjoys the respect 
and esteem of his neighbors. 

JOHN H. AKERS, a farmer owning 120 acres in Cicero Township, 
Section 25, half of which is under cultivation, isanative of Owen County, 
Ky., and was born May 24, 1825. He was reared in his native county, 
and at the age of twenty-two went to Louisville, where he Avorked about 
five years. In 1850, he removed to Johnson County, Ind., and engaged 
in farming until 1864, when he came to Tipton County and located on 
his present tract of land. His land is fertile and productive, and he keeps 
a number of cattle and hogs. He raises sixty bushels of corn to the acre, 
and about twenty bushels of wheat. Mr. Akers was married in Johnson 
County, Ind., in the fall of 1850, to Miss Mary Ann Graham, a daughter 
of James Graham. Mr. Akers is a worthy citizen in his community, and 
he and his wife are consistent members of the church. 

THOMAS B. BATES is a native of Butler County, Ohio, where he 
was born January 17, 1846. In his early childhood his parents removed 
to Henry County, Ind., where he grew to manhood. In August, 186-"^, 
he enlisted in the Twenty-third Indiana Battery. He served in Burn- 
side's campaign, Sherman's campaign to Atlanta, and Thomas' cam- 



268 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

paign to Columbus, Franklin and Nashville against Hood. He was hon- 
orably discharged July 3, 1865, and returned to Henry County, where 
for a time he engaged in farming. On November 8. 1872, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Sarah E. Leavell, in Tipton County, and immediately there- 
after removed to Tipton, this county, where he engaged in farming. In 
1875, he was appointed Superintendent of the County Farm, which posi- 
tion he held for eight years. He owns 140 acres of fine land in Section 
15, of which seventy acres are under cultivation, and the remainder is 
timbered land, well set in blue grass. His cultivated land is drained by 
1,050 rods of tile ditching, which has a fine outlet in a large open ditch. 
His farm is well stocked with cattle, hogs, etc., and particularly worthy 
of mention are twenty-five fine cows. In the spring of 1883, at the re- 
quest of the citizens of Tipton, he started a dairy, and every morning and 
evening supplies said citizens with the best milk obtainable from thor- 
oughbred cows. Mr. Bates is a Democrat, and takes an active part 
in political affairs. In the campaign of 1880, he was Chairman of 
the Democratic County Central Committee. He was again chosen in 
1882, but owing to the urgency of his business matters he could not 
serve. He is a member of both the Masons and Odd Fellows. 

FRANCIS BECK, a native of Germany, was born November 4, 1829. 
His fiither, John Beck, emigrated to America in 1833, resided one year 
in Pennsylvania, and then removed to Wayne County, Ind. About 
three years later, he removed to Tipton County, and entered eighty acres 
of timber land in Cicero Township. He resided in this county until his 
death, which occurred in 1875, at the age of seventy-six years. The sub- 
ject of this sketch, in 1864, purchased the home farm of eighty acres, and 
has since resided on this. He has added sixty acres to this, and has 
his land well drained, with sixty-one acres under cultivation. Mr. Beck 
was married, in 1864, in this county, to Miss Elizabeth Curnutt, who 
died in 1865. He afterward married, in 1867, Mrs. Sarah Doversberger. 
They have six children living — John, Edward, William, Charles, Lorunze 
and Annie. Mr. Beck is a successful farmer, and is an active member of 
tlie Democratic party. 

JAMES BENNETT, a native of Rush County, Ind., was born Janu- 
ary 12, 1828, and spent his youth in his native county. He came to 
Tipton County in October, 1844, and entered land near Sharpsville. 
After residing here four years, he returned to Rush County, purchased a 
farm, and lived there eight years. He then sold his farm in Rush County 
and returned to Tipton County, purchased 160 acres near Sharpsville, 
and remained here about twelve years. He then sold this farm and 
located in Indianapolis, where he managed a boarding-house for some 
time. After this, he lived two years in' Hamilton County, two years in 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 269 

Rush County, and, in 1880, returned to Sharpsville, and shortly pur- 
chased a farm of 140 acres, where he now resides. He has sixty-five 
acres under cultivation. Mr. Bennett was married, in 1844, to Miss 
Mary Brookbank. She died August 23, 18G4, leaving two children — 
Hester A. and Mary E. He next married, December 26, 1865, Levinia 
A. Smith. This union has been blessed with two children — Harriet J. 
and Margaret E. 

DR. SILAS BLOUNT, medical practitioner, farmer, minister of the 
Gospel and ex-County Judge, is a native of Ross County, Ohio, where he was 
born October 10, 1800, two years before Ohio was admitted into the L^nion. 
He is the son of Cyrus and Elizabeth Blount, the former of whom went 
to Highland County, Ohio, purchased land, and erected a house, but was 
prevented from removing to his new home by his death, which occurred 
in 1802. His widow and family of seven children removed to their High- 
land County home, and there our subject grew to manhood. He has 
been twice married, first, in 1822. in Highland County, Ohio, to Miss 
Elizabeth Miller, who died December 24, 1822 ; his second marriage 
occurred September 17, 1827, to Miss Barbara Miller, his present wife, 
who was born September 6, 1809. He remained in his native State 
until 1841, practicing medicine and engaging in agricultural pursuits. 
In 1841, he located in Tipton County, Ind., on 160 acres of land, which 
he had previously purchased. Since then he has added eighty acres, and 
is now the possessor of 240 acres in Section 22, Cicero Township, 120 
acres of which are under cultivation, and the remainder in woods pasture. 
He is also the owner of two dwelling houses and lots in Tipton, and three 
houses and lots in the city of Indianapolis, situated in Butler's Division, 
on Broadway. He and his wife are members of the Christian Church, 
and are the parents of eight children living, and two deceased, viz., Bra- 
zilla M., Louisa J., Cyrus N., Mary M., Elizabeth M., Jacob B., Barbara 
P., and Alcinda T. ; also Eli V., died October 29, 1859, aged twenty-two 
years, after having graduated at the Northwestern Christian LTniversity, 
completed his legal studies, and been admitted to the bar ; and the other 
child dead is Mytelena, an infant. Dr. Blount has always been an enthu- 
siastic supporter of higher education, and no pioneer of Tipton County 
ever made ampler provision for his children in that respect than he has. 
He has spent at least $10,000 in educating them, and every one of them, 
with perhaps one or two exceptions, are graduates of classical colleges. 
His occupations have been various. As above mentioned, he has practiced 
medicine for many years. He sold goods at West Kinderhook, and was 
for some time Postmaster at that place. He was one of the first Associate 
Judges of Tipton County, and served eleven years. He has never lost 
an opportunity to administer the Gospel. Politically, he is a Democrat. 



270 BIOGRArHICAL SKETCHES: 

He is now in his eighty-fourth year, but, notwithstanding his advanced 
age, is in excellent health. 

JOHN BOULTON is a native of Tennessee; his father, Peter 
Boulton, came to Franklin County, Ind., where our subject spent his 
boyhood days. He engaged in the shingle business for some time, and, 
since then, he has followed agricultural pursuits. In 1865, he removed 
to Decatur County, Ind., purchased a farm and remained there about five 
years ; he then sold out and bought a farm in Jennings County, where 
he remained until 1872, when he came to Tipton County, purchased a 
farm two and a half miles south of Tipton, and lived there till 1883, 
when he sold out and purchased eighty acres in Section 84, Cicero 
Township. He built a neat residence and moved into it; he has forty 
acres under cultivation, Mr. Boulton was married, February 25, 1850, 
in Butler County, Ohio, to Miss Mary E. Byrum. They have ten 
children living — Annie J., Jemima, Thomas, Mary E., John F., Lewis, 
Doc, Lincoln, Flora and Eva. 

JOHN BURKHART, farmer, is a native of Germany, where he 
was born September 1, 1814 ; he remained in the Fatherland until he 
attained his twentieth year, when he emigrated to America. After his 
arrival in this country, he resided in Lancaster County, Penn., one 
summer, and then in the State of Ohio until 1844, when he moved to 
L^nion County, Ind. Here he lived four years; he then removed to 
Tipton County and located in Cicero Township ; he is the owner of a 
farm containing sixty-eight acres, four miles west of Tipton, under good 
cultivation ; he also owns a fine residence on North West street, Tipton, 
which he occupies as his home; he has always followed the occupation of 
a farmer since his residence in this county, and has been very successful ; 
he is a Democrat, and he is a consistent member of the Christian or 
Disciples' Church. Mr. Burkhart was married, February 22, 1838. in 
Butler County, Ohio, to Miss Sarah Bridges. The issue of their mar- 
riage consists of eight children, viz. : Enos L., Thomas W., Jane, Mary, 
Daniel B., Alonzo G., Maria and Sarah. 

THOMAS W. BURKHART, a farmer, was born in Butler County, 
Ohio, May 16, 1841 ; his parents are John and Sarah (Bridges) Burk- 
hart. Thomas was reared on a farm, and, when he attained his majority, 
engaged in farming on a tract of timbered land containing 200 acres, 
situated in Section 83, Cicero Township, Tipton County; his present 
farm of 120 acres he has since acquired, and moved on it in 1863, 
where he has resided for twenty years ; he has 100 acres under cultiva- 
tion, splendidly ditched and unsurpassed for fertility ; he averages annu- 
ally on this land fifty bushels of corn and from fifteen to eighteen bushels 
of wheat ; he raises a fair amount of stock, consisting principally of hogs 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 271 

and cattle; he was married in Tipton County March 22, 1863, to Miss 
Emily Egler. They have five children, namely, Mrs. Ada A. Beckett, 
Eddie E., James cf, Francis H. and Mary C. Politically, he is a mem- 
ber of the Democratic party. 

A. G. BURKHART, a Tipton County farmer, was born in this 
county February 10, l8ol, and has always made this his home. Heat- 
tended the common schools of the county, and subsequently attended 
Butler University two years. He was married, November 9, 1875, in 
this county, to Miss Serena A. Mount. Four sons bless this union— 
Arthur E., Claude M., Halley C. and John W. After his marriage, Mr. 
Burkhart engaged in farming on rented land, and in 1878 purchased 
eighty acres in Cicero Township, and has since been able to add forty 
acres to this; he has about sixty acres under cultivation, has a good 
dwelling, and a first-class barn which he built in 1882 at a cost of $1,000. 
Mr. Burkhart is a prosperous farmer and prominent citizen ; he is identi- 
fied with the Democratic party, and is an active worker. 

ALEXANDER G. CARSON, a Tipton County farmer, was born 
November 19, 1838, in Marion County, Ind., where he remained until he 
was about twelve years old ; he then removed with his father, Alexander 
Carson, to Tipton County, and settled on a farm in Prairie Township. In 
1870, his father sold this farm, removed to Clinton County, and settled 
near Michigantown, where he died April 17, 1880, at the age of seventy- 
six. For more than half a century he was a devoted Christian, and a 
member of the Baptist Church ; ten children survived him. The subject 
of this sketch came to Tipton County and settled in Cicero Township, 
and purchased a small farm of forty acres ; he subsequently sold this and 
purchased another farm of eighty acres, upon which he moved in 1876. 
He has continued farming since with good success ; he has about fifty 
acres under cultivation, and his land is of very fertile soil, producing 
seventy-five bushels of corn to the acre ; he built a good residence upon 
it in the fall of 1882. Mr. Carson was married in Marion County, Ind., 
January 1, 1862, to Miss Mary E. Rabourn. They have two children — 
William Sherman and Ida Belle. Mr. Carson is a Republican in politics, 
and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

H. L. CLARK, firmer, is a native of Fairfax County, Va., and was 
born August 22, 1815. When he was seventeen years old, his father, 
Josius M. Clark, removed to Harrison County, Ky., where he remained 
until his death, April 21, 1845, at the age of seventy-five. H. L. Clark, 
engaged in farming a short time in Kentucky, and was married, Febru- 
ary 13, 1838, in Harrison County, Ky., to Miss Elizabeth Peld. 
He removed to Randolph County, Ind., in 1840, and later located in 
Rush County ; he came to Tipton County in 1856, and located upon 



272 V BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Section 30, on eighty acres of land, forty acres of which he entered ; he 
came to the county by wagon, and cut his way through the forest to 
reach his h>t ; he built a house and succeeded in clearing sixty-five acres 
of land. Mr. and Mrs. Clark had five children — Josius M., ex-County 
Surveyor, Caroline M, Winans, Williaui W., Marion E. (deceased), ex- 
County Recorder, and Hannah J. Glass (deceased), Mrs. Elizabeth 
Clark died January 10, 1880. Mr. Clark is an old pioneer and early- 
settler. He is a worthy citizen in his community, and an active member 
of the Democratic party. 

JAMES COE, farmer, was born in Frederick County, Va., January 
8, 1842, and spent his youth in his native State. He enlisted in 1861 in 
the confederate army in Company D, Thirty-third Regiment of Virginia. 
He was in Stonewall Jackson's command, and engaged in battle at Port 
Republic, seven days' fight near Richmond, Slaughter Mountain and Bui 
Run. In 1863, he came to Ohio, and two years later located in Tipton 
County, Ind. In 1867, he purchased fifty acres of land in Tipton County, 
of which he has forty-two acres under cultivation. Mr. Coe was married, 
August 11, 1866, in this county, to Miss Sarah J. McMurtry. -They have 
four children living — Melda V., Richard L., Eva Sophia and Mary Lucy. 
Mr. Coe is a well-to-do farmer and a popular citizen in his community. 

L. H. COX, farmer, is a native of Tennessee, and was born May 23, 
1822. When he was quite small, his parents removed to Wayne County, 
Ky., and subsequently located in Johnson County, Ind., where his parents 
died when he was only ten years old, leaving him to do for himself. He 
engaged in farming, and remained there until 1849, when he removed 
to Tipton County and entered eighty acres near Sharpsville. He 
cleared sixty-five acres of this land, and in 1881 sold it and bought a farm 
of forty acres, which has about twenty-five acres under cultivation. Mr. 
Cox was married in Johnson County, Ind., August 27, 1848, to Miss 
Martha Ann Hendricks, a daughter of Squire Hendricks. They have had 
fifteen children — Almeda, Andrew, Squire T., Mary E., John M., Elisha, 
Robert E., Enlitious A., Emma L., Laura F., Margaret J. (deceased), 
Albian (deceased), James F. (deceased) Marcus E. (deceased) and Isaac 
J. (deceased). Mr. Cox was in an early day a Whig, and of late years has 
cast his vote with the Republican party. 

WILLIAM A. CURREY, farmer and stock-dealer, owning 169 acres 
in Section 27, Cicero Township, is a native of Franklin County, Ind., and 
was born November 19, 1824. He engaged in farming in his native 
county until 1877, when he removed to Madison County, Ind., and pur- 
chased a farm of 154 acres. Shortly after, he traded this land for his 
present farm in Tipton County and has since resided here. His land is 
mostly under cultivation, is of fertile soil and well drained, and lies be- 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. , 278 

tween the Pike and the Wabash Railroad ; his farm produces 600 bushels of 
wheat and 2,000 bushels of corn annually. Mr. Currey was married in 
Franklin County, Ind., March 16, 1862, to Lucinda Stant. They have 
a family of seven children — Lucy, John and Jonathan (twins), Nora and 
Cora (twins), William and Charles. Mr. Currey is alive, energetic farm- 
er ; he raises and trades in stock, both horses and cattle quite exten- 
sively. 

SYLVESTER J. DE POY, farmer and teacher, is a native of Howard 
County, Ind., and was born September 9, 1852. He is the son of Will- 
iam and Catherine J. (King) DePoy. His father was born in Virginia 
September 2, 1823, and removed to Fayette County, Ohio, when he was 
quite young. He spent his youth on a farm in that county and was there 
married, August 29, 1849, to Miss Catherine J. King, born in Ohio, 
March 1, 1830. In 1850, he removed to Howard County, Ind.; and 
purchased a farm one mile north of Kokomo. In 1860, he sold this 
and purchased a farm of sixty acres in Pulaski Councy, near Star 
City, where they have since resided. He has a family of seven children, 
four of whom are residents of Tipton County — Sylvester J., Fletcher 
J., Laura E., a teacher, and Ella J., a teacher. The rest of the family 
reside at their home in Pulaski County, viz.: Susan E., Alice B. and 
Willie H. The subject of this sketch remained in Howard County until 
he was eight years of age, when he removed with his parents to Pulaski 
County. In 1873, he came to Tipton, where he attended the high 
school three years, and has since been engaged in farming and teach- 
ing in Tipton County, and has given good satisfaction in the teachers' 
profession. He is identified with the Republican party and takes an 
active interest in the political issues of the day. 

HUGH DICKEY, ex-Treasurer and ex-Sheriff of Tipton County, was 
born in Fayette County, Ind., March 7, 1820, and was reared on a farm 
in his native county. In 1852, he came to Tipton County and settled 
on 160 acres of timbered land in Cicero Township. He now owns 280 
acres, 200 of which are under cultivation and the remainder in past- 
ure, well set with blue grass, and his farm is well drained with tile. 
Mr. Dickey is a Democrat in politics, and was elected by his party to the 
office of Sheriff, in 1862, and was re-elected in 1864. He was elected 
Treasurer of Tipton County in 1866, and served one term of two years. 
He was married in Fayette County, Ind., February 15, 1844, to Miss 
Hannah Manlove. They have two sons — George A., a farmer, residing 
on the home farm, and Andrew S., a physician, residing in Tipton. 

POWHATTAN H. DODD, a prominent farmer in Cicero Township, 
was born on September 10, 1825, in Virginia, where he remained 
until he was fifteen years of age. His fither, Joseph Dodd, then re- 



274 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

moved to Hamilton County, InJ., and spent the remainder of his life 
in Hamilton and Tipton Counties. He died in Hamilton County in 
1843, leaving a family of twelve children, of whom our subject was 
the eldest, hence the care of the family fell upon him. P. H. Dodd 
engaged in farming in Hamilton County till 1859, when he was en- 
abled to buy with his hard-earned money eighty-five acres of land 
near Westfield. This he traded for 160 acres in Section 27, Madison 
Township, and in 1859 moved upon this tract of timber and prairie 
land, about ten acres being cleared. Here he opened a farm of 100 acres, 
and has met with good success. Mr. Dodd was married, September 28, 
1847, in Hamilton County, to Miss Lurinda Wilson. They had four 
children — Lurinda J., wife of William Ressler ; James Preston (de- 
ceased) ; William Melvin (deceased) ; and Milburn Jasper, who lived to 
manhood, and died October 21, 1878, at the age of twenty-five. Mrs. 
Dodd died September 18, 1S74, aiid Mr. Dodd was next married in 
Tipton County, Ind., September 10, 1875, to Miss Elizabeth Tingle. 
He owns four vacant lots in Tipton, and two good farms in the county. 
He gave his child a farm of forty acres and he purchased a home of 
twenty-five acres north of Tipton, upon which he moved in February, 
1876, and let his farms out to a tenant. He is a highly respected farmer, 
and he and wife are members of the New Light Church. Mr. Dodd is a 
Democrat. 

LEWIS H. DOTY, a native of Johnson County, Ind., was born 
May 20, 1847. He was reared in Johnson County, and March 11, 
1865, enlisted in Company E, Thirty-third Regiment Illinois Volunteer 
Infantry, and was in the service about six months. He was married in 
Shelby County, Ind., September 10, 1866, to Miss Maria Barimore. 
After his marriage, he located in Jay County, Ind., and engaged in farm- 
ing. Here his wife died November 24, 1868, leaving one child — 
Samuel H. Mr. Doty then returned to Johnson County and engaged 
in farming. He was next married, April 3, 1870, in Johnson County, 
Ind., to Miss Emma Hoyt. They have four children — Flora A., Addie 
B., Robert E. and Carrie B. In 1874, he sold his farm in Johnson 
County, came to Tipton County, and purchased thirty-eight acres in 
Cicero Township, Section 27. His farm is composed of fertile soil, is 
well drained, and has twenty-five acres under cultivation. Mr. Doty is 
a prominent farmer, and an active member of the Democratic party. 

JOHN EILER is a native of Germany, where he was born April 
24, 1807. He resided in his native country until 1832, when he emi- 
grated to America. He for some time worked by the month in Pennsyl- 
vania. He then removed to Indiana, and resided for awhile in what is 
now Hagerstown, Wayne Co., Ind. He built the first house ever erected 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 275 

in that place. His next removal was to Henry County, Ind., where he 
remained for eleven years. After that he spent one year in Hamilton 
County, and then, in 1851, moved to Tipton County, where he has since 
resided. He purchased twenty acres of land near the Wabash Railroad, 
which he soon disposed of for $500. He then bought eighty acres in 
Section 32, Cicero Township, which he still owns. Of his present farm, 
sixty acres are under cultivation ; it is well drained. Mr. Eiler has been 
twice married. First in Henry County, Ind., January 7, 1835, to 
Catherine Kiser, who died in 1860. He was married the second time in 
Tipton County, on the 19th of July, 1860, to Rebecca Sarver. By his 
first wife, he is the father of ten children, viz.: George W.. Simon, 
Samuel, Abraham, William, Catherine, Martha, Susan, Mary and Matil- 
da. Politically, he is a Democrat, and he and his. wife are members of 
the Christian or Disciples' Church. 

E. C. ELLIOTT, merchant, grain dealer, farmer, etc., is a native of 
Ke'.itucky, where he was born October 31, 1839, in Bracken County. 
In his native county he grew to manhood, and worked at the carpenter's 
trade, which he learned under his father. On the breaking-out of the 
late rebellion, he enlisted, September 23, 1863, in Company G, Seventh 
Kentucky Cavalry. He saw service at Green River, Elizabethtown, 
Monticello and various other places. But his most important military 
experience was when he accompanied Gen. John Morgan on his famous 
raid through Indiana and Ohio, in which he was captured at Corydon, 
Ind.; he was sent first to the LTnited States Prison at Lousiville, Ky., 
then to "Camp Chase," Columbus, Ohio, and finally to Johnson's Island, 
Ohio, where he remained until the close of the war. He was discharged 
from prison in June of 1865, and shortly after went to Indiana, and lo- 
cated at Jackson Station, Tipton County. At that time our subject was 
the possessor of $65 in money. For about two years he worked in a saw 
mill and then embarked in the mercantile business at Jackson Station 
with a capital of f 1,000, all he had in the world. He is now the owner 
of a fine brick business room, which was erected in 1874, a large grain 
elevator, erected in 1881, and a farm of 175 acres located in Section 26, 
Cicero Township, and Section 16, Liberty Township, all under cultivation 
excepting five acres, all of which property approximates in value $15,000. 
He carries a $5,000 stock of goods and does a business of $12,000 per 
annum, while his grain business amounts to $20,000 annually. Mr. 
Elliott was married, April 22, 1861, in Bracken County, Ky., to Miss 
Mary E. Smitson, by which marriage he has two children, Ida and Lucy. 
Politically, Mi". Elliott is a Democrat. He is also a member of the Ma- 
sonic fraternity. 

VALENTINE FINDLING was born in Germany September 15. 

17 



276 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

1832, and, at the age of seven, emigrated with his parents to America. 
He was reared in Ohio, and in 1861 came to Indiana and engaged in 
plastering at Indianapolis till 1865, when he removed to Tipton Countv, 
and purchased eighty-two acres of land. He has since added forty acres to 
this, and has eighty-five acres of his farm under cultivation and well 
drained with tile. Mr. Findling was married, in 1861, to Miss Louisa 
Geyer, who died in 1868. By this union there are three children living — 
William, Emma and John. He was next married, in March, 1868, to 
Miss Margaret Kiser. They have five children — Edward, Herbert, Frank, 
Arthur and Lela May. Mr. Findling is a prominent citizen ; is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Church, and, politically, is identified with the Re- 
publican party. 

GEORGE W. FIPPIN, Justice of the Peace, is a native of Hamilton 
County, where he was born June 1, 1848. After attaining his majority, 
he, in 1869, left his native county and removed to Tipton County, where 
he engaged in farming and the manufacture of tiles. He has been very 
successful, especially in the last-named business, in which he has succeeded 
in turning out annually about $2,000 worth of tiling. He has recently 
disposed of his interest in the tile factory, and has turned his attention to 
the cultivation of a farm of forty acres, which he owns, located in Sec- 
tion 28, Township 21, Range 4 east. He is a member of the Masonic 
and Odd Fellows' fraternities, and adheres to the political tenets of the 
Democratic party. He also fills the office of Justice of the Peace, ta 
which he was but recently elected. Mr. Fippin was married, June 3, 
1869, in Hamilton County, to Miss Rachel E. Rushton. After a com- 
panionship of nearly thirteen years, his wife departed this life January 31, 
1882. By her Mr. Fippin is the father of three children, viz.: Ardilla 
J., Ethlola and Alice M. 

JAMES M. FRENCH, a native of Shelby County, Ind., was born 
March 21, 1841. His father, John French, was born in Ohio in 1812, 
and at the age of seventeen, came to Shelby County, Ind., and resided in 
the town of Black Hawk. He was married, in 1836, to Miss Lydia 
Spurling, and, after her. death, was married, in 1844, to Jane M. Will- 
iams. Mr. French died in December, 1864. The subject of this sketch 
was reared in his native county, and July 8, 1861, enlisted in the United 
States Army, in Company H, Nineteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry. He was assigned to the First Division and First Brigade of 
the Eastern War Department. He engaged in the battle at Catlet Sta- 
tion, Va., the second battle of Bull Run, Chantilly and South Mountain. 
In the latter battle he was so severely wounded in the right thigh, that 
eight pieces of bone had to be removed. He was unable to walk without 
crutches for fourteen months. He remained in the hospital at Frederick City 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 277 

during this time, and was discharged October 13, 1863. He then returned to 
Shelby County, where he engaged in farming, and, in 1865, removed to 
Johnson County. In 1875, he came to Tipton County and purchased forty 
acres of land in Cicero Township, Section 28, where he has since resided. His 
farm is all, excepting six acres, under cultivation, and well drained. Mr. 
French was married, December 1, 1866, in Johnson County, Ind., to 
Miss Caroline Doty. They have five children living — Louis A., born 
January 20, 1868; Sarah A., born April 17, 1870; Charlie H., born 
March 5, 1872; Laura E., born December 31, 1873, and Idu, born June 
8, 1876. Mr. French is a member of the G. A. R., and politically is 
identified with the Republican party. 

HENRY GOAR, one of the men prominently identified with Tipton 
County history, was born in Virginia November 16, 1821, where he re- 
sided until he was seventeen years of age, when, in company with his 
father, James Goar, he removed to Henry County, Ind., where they re- 
sided until 1840, when they removed to Jefferson Township, Tipton 
County. At the time of his removal to Jefferson Township, there were 
but few families in it, John D. Smith, who had come the year previous, 
and a few others, being all that were settled there. His father purchased 
160 acres of timbered land, and with the assistance of our subject and his 
brother Matt, he soon had fifty acres under cultivation. In 1847, he sold 
this farm and purchased a small farm in Section 27, Cicero Township, 
where he resided until his death, whicli occurred on April 13, 1855. In 
1846, Henry Goar pre-empted 160 acres of land. In 1848, he located 
on it and commenced clearing up a farm. The first year he cleared six 
acres and planted it in corn ; he afterward cleared about seven acres an- 
nually for several years ; he now has 122 acres of very productive land 
under cultivation. He devotes his attention to the cultivation of the soil 
rather than the raising of stock He has, for the past eighteen years, 
averaged about sixteen bushels of wheat and at least fifty bushels of corn 
to the acre, and at times has raised as high as 100 bushels of corn and 
thirty-seven and a half bushels of wheat to the acre. His farm is well 
supplied with buildings and improved machinery. Mr. Goar was married in 
Henry County, Ind., May 27, 1844, to Miss Martha E. Smith; they have 
had nine children, namely, James J., Isaac N., Mary B., Mattie A., 
Sarah E., Nancy C, Emma, Charles, Joseph M. Politically, Mr. Goar 
is a Greenbacker, and has always been prominent in the counsels of that 
party. 

CYRUS L. GOOD, a prominent farmer of Tipton County, is a native 
of this county, and was born November 12, 1844. At the age often, he 
removed with his father, Edward Good, to Hamilton County, where he 
was reared and educated. September 1, 1864, he enlisted in Battery D, 



278 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

First Indiana Heavy Artillery, and served one year. When he returned 
from the war, he engaged in teaching several years, and subsequently be- 
gan farming. In 1871, he removed to Tipton County, locating on a farm 
in Section 29, Cicero Township, where he has since lived. Mr. Good 
was married, November 5, 1868, in this county, to Miss Phebe E. Mo- 
zingo. They have had four children — Roscoe L., Edward Milton, Jessie 
Oris (deceased) and Cyrus R. (deceased). Mr. Good is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and the G. A. R. He is an energetic farmer, and 
is an active member of the Republican party. 

JOSEPH GOODYKOONTZ, farmer, was born in Wayne County. 
Ind., April 18, 1836. His father, Harvey Goodykoontz, was born in 
Virginia on January 26, 1813, and located in Tipton County in 1839. 
He was married in Wayne County, Ind., at the age of twenty-one, to 
Miss Eliza Wood. He died in Tipton County May 23, 1882, leaving 
a family of nine children. Our subject was reared in Tipton County, 
and was married June 20, 1858, in Hamilton County, Ind., to Miss 
Martha J. Murray. They have six children living — Izora, Ellen, Asher, 
Catherine, Lucina and Josie. Mr. Goodykoontz engaged in farming on 
his ftither's farm, and now owns 120 acres in Cicero Township. Of this 
he has ninety acres under cultivation. He raises a fair amount of stock. 

JASPER GOODYKOONTZ, farmer and teacher, was born in Tipton 
County January 10, 1855, and has always made it his home. He 
attended the common schools of the county, Butler University at Irving- 
ton. Ind., the Northern Normal at Valparaiso, Ind., and the Terre 
Haute State Normal. He graduated from the latter institution June 23, 
1880. He has been teaching during the winter, and farming and car- 
pentering during the summer, and now owns a farm of fifty-three and 
one-fourth acres in Cicero Township. He also owns a library of 500 
volumes, worth about $700. His father, Harvey Goodykoontz, 
son of Daniel Goodykoontz, one of the old settlers of the 
county, was born in January, 1813, in Virginia. Harvey came 
to Tipton County in 1839, and entered 160 acres in Cicero Township, 
and added to this until he owned 560 acres of land in Tipton County, 
about three-fifths of which he put under cultivation. He married Miss 
Eliza E. Wood, daughter of David J. and Rebecca Wood. Mr. Goody- 
koontz died May 23, 1882, leaving nine children — Joseph, Daniel. 
Lucina, Harvey, Marion, Newton, Jasper, Franklin and Warren. Mrs. 
Goodykoontz and the four last-named children are at present living on 
he home farm. 

ELIAS HALL was born in Henry County, Ind., August 12, 1830, 
and is the son of Hudson and Nancy Hall. Hudson Hall was born in 
A^'ir'^inia about July, 1784, and was married in Ohio to Miss Nancy 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 279 

Alley ; he removed to Henry County, Ind., and in 1849 came to Tip- 
ton County, purchased a tract of timber land, built a house, but did not 
live to remove his family to this county, his death occurring July 12, 
1849. After his death, his widow removed with her family upon the farm, 
where she resided until her death, August 12, 1852. Of a family of twelve 
children, only six are living — Mrs. Rebecca Richards, Elijah, William, 
Nathan, Mrs. Elizabeth Singleton and Elias. The subject of this sketch 
came to Tipton County, with his mother, at the age of sixteen, and lo- 
cated in Cicero Township. He was married, April 27, 1856, in this 
county, to Miss Nancy Swope, daughter of Andrew Swope. He lo- 
cated on a farm of sixty acres in Section 4, Cicero Township, and has 
cleared forty acres of land. His farm is very fertile and is well drained 
with tile ditching. 

JOHN M. HARMON, farmer, owning 120 acres of land in Cicero 
Township, with seventy acres under cultivation, is a native of Ripley 
County, Ind., and was born November 11, 1831. His father, Jacob 
Harmon, a native of North Carolina, resided most of his life in Bath 
County, Ky., and was a successful farmer of that county. He died in 
1860, at the age of ninety-eight. The subject of this sketch spent his 
youth in Bath County, Ky., and at the age of nineteen came to Switzer- 
land County, Ind., and was there married March 5, 1856, to Miss Mary 
C. Thatcher. He removed to Indianapolis, and later, located in Hamil- 
ton County, where he remained three years. He came to Tipton County 
in February, 1865, and located on his present tract of land, three" acres 
of which had been cleared. He has opened a good farm of seventy 
acres, and turns his attention principally to raising wheat and corn. lie 
has a fair amount of cattle and hogs. Mr. Harmon aided in cutting the 
timber on gravel road No. 1. Mr. and Mrs. Harmon have had one child 
— Viola S., deceased. 

EMANUEL HARTMAN is a native of York County, Penn., where 
he was born December 16, 1815. His parents, Henry and Catherine 
Hartman, in 1827 located in Wayne County, Ind., where Emanuel was 
reared. He engaged in farming, and continued until 1850, when he 
came to Tipton County. He rented a farm for three years ; at the end 
of that time, he bought and moved upon his present farm of eighty acres 
in Section 29, Cicero Township. He has forty-five acres under cultiva- 
tion, and the remainder in wood pasture. He has been twice married — 
the first time in Wayne County, in 1840, to Miss Lucy Russell, and in 
1871 he married Libby White, of Tipton County. He has one child- 
Catherine. Politically, Mr. Hartman is a Democrat. 

ELISHA HASKETT, a farmer and one of the pioneers of Tipton 
Countv, is a native of North Carolina. He grew to manhood in his na- 



280 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

tive State, when he emigrated to Tipton County in 1848, where he en- 
tered upon the career of a farmer. When our subject located in this 
county, the present thriving town of Tipton contained but about one 
dozen houses, only one of which was a frame, the rest being the typical 
cabin of the frontier, Mr. Haskett at the present time owns nine valua- 
ble lots and eiglit houses m the town of Tipton. His public services 
have been many and various. He has assisted in laying out many roads 
and ditches in the county. He votes the Democratic ticket. He has 
been married four times, the first marriage occurring in North Carolina, 
in 1839, to Miss Martha Ann Wallace, who died in 1852. His second 
marriage took place in 1854, to Delphina C. Davis, who departed this 
life in 1862. He was married the third time, in 1865, to Charlotte Cor- 
dell, and after her demise he was married in the fall of 1880 to Marga- 
ret Haskett, his present wife. He is the father of twelve children, as 
follows : By his first wife five, by his second wife two, by his third wife 
three, and by his fourth wife two. He is a member of the Grange society. 

FREDERICK HOOVER was born in Wayne County, Ind., January 
27, 1828. In his native county he attained his majority, and followed farm- 
ing until 1862, when he came to this county, settling in Madi- 
son Township. There he remained about eight years, when he purchased 
a tract of land, in Sections 4 and 5, Cicero Township, containing 125 
acres. Of this farm he has about seventy-five acres under cultivation and 
well drained. It averages fifty bushels of corn and about eighteen bush- 
els of wheat to the acre. His corn he feeds to his stock ; he raises prin- 
cipally cattle and hogs. During the war and after, Mr. Hoover was en- 
gaged in mercantile business, in partnership with Mr. Ad Jackson, in 
Tipton. At this he continued for about seven years, when he sold out his 
interest and returned to agricultural pursuits; he has been twice mar- 
ried, first in 1851 to Miss Eveline T. Miller, of Wayne County, Ind., 
whose death occurred in 1861. His second marriage occurred January 
10, 1866, to Martha J. Manifold, also of Wayne County. By his first 
wife he has two children now living — Jacob M. and William M. By his 
second wife, he has one child, a daughter, also living, named Mary E. 
Mr. Hoover takes quite an interest in the culture of bees, of which he 
has at present twenty-eight hives in splendid condition. Both he and his 
wife are members of the church. He is politically a member of the 
Democratic party. 

ISAAC HOOVER is a native of Wayne County, Ind., where he 
was born March 23, 1831 ; he grew to manhood in his native county, 
and engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1859, when he removed to 
Tipton County and purchased a tract of land containing forty acres in 
Madison Township. Upon this he resided until 1873, when he purchased 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 281 

sixty acres in Section 5, Cicero Township, which he now makes his home. 
Of the 100 acres which he now owns, about seventy-two acres are under 
cultivation and well drained. He was married, November £0, 1853, to 
Miss Sarah Miller, of Wayne County. The issue of their marriage 
consists of five children, namely, Alice, William H., Jacob, Walter and 
Eva. Politically, he is of the Democratic persuasion. 

JOHN T. HUNTER, farmer, is a native of Muskingum County, 
Ohio, and was born May 26, 1827 ; his father, John Hunter, removed to 
Marion County, Ind., in 1835, and here John T. spent his youth, and 
attended the common schools. The subject of this sketch engaged, in 
farming in Marion County until 1860, when he purchased 160 acres of 
timbered land in Cicero Township, Tipton County. He now owns a good 
farm of 240 acres of fertile soil, well drained, and with 170 acres under 
cultivation. Mr. Hunter was married, in Marion County, Ind., Novem- 
ber 3, 1850, to Miss Elizabeth J. Higdon. This union has been blessed 
with a family of six children — Mary E., Margaret, Charles W., Robert 
0., Cora and Eva. Mr. Hunter, in 1866, built a commodious dwelling 
upon his farm, and he also has other good buildings. He is a member of 
the I. 0. 0. F., and politically is identified with the Democratic 
party ; he is a prominent farmer, and is President of the Tipton County 
Fair Company. 

CHARLES M. INNIS was born in Rush County, Ind., December 
10, 1834, and was reared on a farm in that county and remained there 
until 1852 ; he then removed to Tipton County and located in Cicero 
Township, where he purchased 100 acres of timber land, and began 
clearing out a home ; he has a good farm, well drained, with sixty acres 
under cultivation ; he raises from fifty to sixty bushels of corn to the 
acre, and from fifteen to twenty of wheat ; he has fair buildings and an 
excellent orchard. Mr. Innis was marriefd in Rush County, Ind., Sep- 
tember 11, 1855, to Miss Sarah A. Wright, who died October 13, 1882. 
They had two sons, James F. and William, a teacher by profession. Mr. 
Innis is a prominent farmer, a worthy citizen, and, politically, is an 
active member of the Democratic party. 

J. P. KATON was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, June 26, 1817, 
and was reared in his native county. He left there at the age of twenty- 
six, and spent a short time in Iowa, after which he engaged in making 
linseed oil in Pittsburgh, Penn. He continued in this business about 
three years, and then erected a white lead factory in Zanesville, Ohio, 
where he continued in business three years. In 1853, he engaged in 
mercantile pursuits, and operated a saw and grist mill and carding 
machine. In 1855, he sold out this business and engaged in farming 
a short time. He then operated a saw mill at Cedarville, Ohio, 



282 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

for three years, and in 1863 removed to Tipton County and settled near 
Petersburg, In 1867, he purchased a farm of sixty-seven acres in Cicero 
Township, and has cleared forty acres, and it is here that he now resides. 
Mr. Katon was married in Pittsburgh, Penn., September 14, 1848, to 
Miss Mary E. McKee. They have three children living — Granville B., 
Mellville G. and Mrs. Marianne G. Reed. Mr. Katon is a well-to-do 
farmer, and politically is identified with the Republican party. 

JAMES McCOLLEY, a native of Pendleton County, Ky., was born 
May 2, 1819. His father, George McColley, in a very early day came 
to Fayette County, Ind., and three years later located in Madison County, 
where he remained five years. He then removed to Marion County, and 
resided in Perry Township about forty years. He was a shoe-maker by 
trade, but resided on his farm and there worked at his trade. He died 
about 1873, at the age of eighty-three. The subject of this sketch served 
an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, and followed this business 
about ten years in Rush and Shelby Counties. In 1843, he began farm- 
ing in Shelby County, where he remained until 1870, when he removed 
to Marion County, Ind. There he remained until 1875, when he came 
to Tipton County, locating in Cicero Township. Mr. McColley was 
married, February 19, 1844, in Shelby County, Ind., to Miss Caroline 
McMahon. They have three children living — Jesse, Cynthia Ann Casey 
and Nicholas M. Mr. McColley is a prominent farmer, and politically 
is identified with the Republican party. 

JESSE McCOLLEY, son of James and Caroline (McMahon) McColley, 
was born November 10, 1845, in Shelby County, Ind., and spent his 
boyhood days in his native county. He engaged in farming in Shelby 
County until 1876, when he removed to Tipton County and purchased a 
farm of forty acres in Cicero Township, where he has since resided and 
followed agricultural pursuits. Mr. McColley was married in 1875 to 
Miss Delia McColley, who died June 4, 1877. He is a wide-awake, en- 
ergetic farmer, and a worthy citizen. 

JOHN S. McCOLLEY, son of George W. McColley, is a native of 
Rush County, Ind., and was born March 3, 1838. He was reared on a 
farm in his native county, and received a fair education in the common 
schools. He engaged in farming in Rush County until 1872, when he 
removed to Marshall County and purchased a farm of eighty acres. In 
1880, he came to Tipton County and purchased a farm of 156 acres in 
Section 27, Cicero Township, and has since added twenty-five acres. His 
farm is of fertile soil, well drained, with 125 acres under cultivation. 
He was married, March 18, 1870, in Rush County, Ind., to Miss Sarah 
J. Green, who died August 2, 1879. They had two children — Sarah E. 
and Arvilla. Mr, McColley is a prosperous farmer and excellent citizen, 
and is identified with the Democratic party. 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 283 

WILLIAM F. McCORKILL, a native of Lexington, Ky., was born 
August 19, 1832. His father, Bryson McCorkill, removed to Johnson 
County in 1837, and in 1865 located in Hancock County, Ind., where 
his death occurred April 7, 1865. The subject of this sketch removed to 
Boone County, and subsequently engaged in farming in Marion County. 
In October, 1872, he removed to Tipton County and purchased a farm 
of forty acres in Cicero Township, and cleared thirty-five acres. Irf 1881, 
he traded this for eighty acres in Section 35 of the same township. He 
now has seventy-five acres under cultivation, well drained with tiling, 
and deals in both stock and grain. Mr. McCorkill was married in John- 
son County, Ind., to Miss Mary E. Rominger. They have five children 
— Thomas S., Cornelius B., James L., Rozaly and Charles F. Mr. Mc- 
Corkill enlisted in April, 1864, in Company E, Ninth Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, and served nearly two years ; he was assigned to the 
Fourth Army Corps, Second and Third Brigades. He is a Democrat in 
politics, and a member of the G. A. R. 

JONATHAN B. McLUCAS, son of John and Melinda McLucas, 
was born in Wayne County, Ind., December 2, 1821. He grew to man- 
hood in his native county, and obtained his education from its common 
schools. In 1851, he removed to Tipton County and located on a tract 
of land containing ninety-six acres in Section 5, Cicero Township, all of 
which was timber. He now owns 161 acres in the same section, 100 
acres of which are well drained, both by tile and open ditches, and are in a 
fine state of cultivation. Mr. McLucas was married in 1847 to Miss 
Amanda Miller, of Wayne County, Ind. They have three children liv- 
ing, viz.: Melinda, William M. and Martha. Politically, he is a mem- 
ber of the Democratic party, and he and his wife are both members of 
the Christian or Disciples' Church. 

JOSIAH M. MALLERY is a native of Jeff"erson County, N. Y., 
and was born May 24, 1806. When he was twelve years old, his father, 
Curtis Mallery, removed to Ohio, and two years later located in Hamil- 
ton County, Ind. Mr. Mallery learned the carpenter's trade, which he 
pursued until about 1862 ; he then removed to Tipton County, Ind., and 
purchased 282 acres of land in Cicero Township. He subsequently sold 
105 acres and gave 144 acres to his sons, and now has forty acres, twenty- 
five of which are under cultivation. He was married in Hamilton Coun- 
ty, Ind., June 17, 1830, to Miss Calista Plumer, who died August 1, 
1831 ; he then married April 26, 1833, Catherine Dorrah, who died Sep- 
tember 28, 1834 ; his third marriage, September 6, 1835, was to 
Miss Maria L. Emmons, whose death occurred January 21, 1872. He 
has two children living by his last wife — Milton J. and Mrs. Jessie Bol- 
ton. Mr. Mallery is an old settler, and is a stanch supporter of Repub- 
lican principles. 



284 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

P. L. MOLDEN, farmer, is a native of Clermont County, Ohio, and 
was born May 1, 1819. He remained in his native State until 1838, 
when he removed to Fayette County, Ind., and in 1847 located in Tipton 
County ; he has resided here since, and has a farm of forty acres in Cicero 
Township, with thirty acres under cultivation and well drained. In Sep- 
tember, 1881, he lost his house and contents by fire, but rebuilt on the 
same spot. Mr. Molden was married January 10, 1844, in Fayette 
County, Ind., to Miss Sarah J. Fielding. They have three children liv- 
ing — John Thomas, Layton T. and Sherman P. L., and seven deceased, 
four of whom were grown — James R. A., Alcesta, Eva C. and William 
S. Mr. Molden was troubled from the age of seventeen with white swell- 
ing, and in 1850 he was compelled to have his right lower limb amputat- 
ed. He has been compelled for many years to walk with crutches. James 
Molden, the father of our subject, was a native of Virginia, and was born 
December 30, 1793 ; he was reared in Kentucky and Ohio, and was mar- 
ried, July 30, 1818, to Miss Mary Ludlow; he removed to Fayette 
County, Ind., in 1838, and nine years later located in Tipton County, 
and here resided until his death, which occurred September 5, 1874. 

JOHN T. MOZINGO. a native uf Hamilton County, Ind., was born 
November 22, 1842 ; his father, Milton Mozingo, was born July 30, 1805, 
in Washington County, Va., and was married in Shelby County, Ind., 
December 23, 1831, to Miss Margaret Cooper. She was born July 31, 
1804, is still living, and resides on the old home farm. Milton Mozingo 
came to Tipton County in 1850, purchased 200 acres of timber land, and 
put about seventy acres under cultivation ; he was an old settler of this 
county and resided here until his death, February 29, 1880. Of a fam- 
ily of six children, four are now living — Frances M., Josephine Cooper, 
John T. and Phebe Ann Good. The subject of this sketch enlisted, in 
July, 1861, in Company C, Twenty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, and was assigned, first to the Western Army, and later to the 
Southern Army ; he was in battle at Prairie Grove, Ark., siege of Vicks- 
burg and Morganzi Bend, Miss., and was discharged September 21, 1864; 
he was married, September 25, 1867, in this county, to Miss Ellen 
Dounner. They have four children — Flora Etta, Sarah M., Elpina and 
Marion Edgar ; he has since his marriage engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits ; he has cleared about sixty acres of land, and his farm is fertile and 
well-drained. Mr. Mozingo is an active politician in the Republican par- 
ty, and is a member of the G. A. R. 

GOTTLOB OFF, a native of Germany, was born December 15, 
1837 ; he was educated in his native country, and in 1845 emigrated to 
America and located at Indianapolis, where he served an apprenticeship 
of two years at the cabinet-maker's trade ; he drove a mineral water 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 285 

■wagon two years, and in 1861 enlisted in the United States Army in 
Company E, Eleventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served 
three months ; he then joined his brothers in the saw mill business at 
Jackson Station, and did a good business there for ten years. Durin^ 
this time he also engaged in farming to a considerable extent. In 1871, 
he sold his interest in the mill ; began clearing a farm in Cicero Township ; 
he owns 160 acres, 100 acres of which are under cultivation. Mr. Off was 
married in Indianapolis, November 26 1865, to Miss Minnie Grosse. 
They have five children — Anna Louisa, Ida N., John A. G., Elenoraand 
L.mra. Mr. Off is a member of the order of Druids, at Indianapolis, 
and of the G. A. R. 

JOHN W. PAPE was born in Richmond, Wayne Co., Ind., August 5, 
1848; his parents, William C. and Mary C. Pape, removed to Tipton 
County in 1860, and settled on a farm about four miles southwest of 
Tipton where they still reside. John grew to manhood in the counties 
of Tipton and Hamilton, enjoying good opportunities for acquiring both 
a German and English education : he engaged in carpentering for some 
years, and also spent a short time in the harness trade, after which he 
drove a dray for two years ; he then commenced his present business of 
saw milling and lumbering, and he also owns and runs a steam thresh- 
ing machine during the summer ; he is doing a good business; he is a 
Democrat, and takes an active interest in politics ; he was married in 
Hamilton County, Ind., May 9, 1871, to Miss Mary A. Urban, by whom 
he has had four children, viz. : Christina M.,, Albert, Ferdinand A., and 
one deceased, Harmon W. 

JOHN J. PAUL, a native of Germantown, Ohio, was born October 
25, 1835, and spent his youthful days in Centerville, Wayne County ; 
his father, Isaac Paul, removed to Tipton County, Ind., and purchased 
320 acres of timber land, and resided on this farm until his death, which 
occurred August 9, 1851, when he was fifty-two years of age. He left 
a widow and eight children, John J. being the third child. His widow 
is still living, and is in her seventy-third year ; she resides on the home 
farm. The subject of this sketch purchased 160 acres of the home farm 
in 1865, for which he paid $25 per acre, and has this well improved, 
with 135 acres under cultivation. He raises cattle, sheep and hogs, and 
deals in short-horn cattle, and Cotswold, Southdown and Leicester sheep. 
Mr. Paul was first married in Hamilton County, Ind., September 15, 
1861, to Miss Mary A. Leonard, who died June 7, 1864. He married 
a second time in Hamilton County, Ind., May 18, 1865, Miss Caroline 
Dienst, whose death occurred January 3, 1878. He was married the 
third time, in April, 1879, to Mrs. Sophia Pressler, who had three chil- 
dren by her first husband — Harrison, Joseph and Julia. Mr. Paul has 



286 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

five children — Elizabeth, Isaac H., Thomas J., Linny and Frederick. 
Mr. Paul is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and takes an active in- 
terest in politics in the Democratic ranks. 

ALEXANDER PENNOCK is a native of Cayuga County, N. Y., 
and was born September 27, 1817. He was reared in Jennings County, 
Ind., where he remained until 1850; he then came to Tipton County 
and purchased eighty acres of land, to which he has added forty acres ; 
his farm is well drained and has eighty acres under cultivation. Mr. 
Pennock has been four times married ; first, to Sarah Badgiey, by which 
union there are four children living — Sarah F., Anthony E., John T. 
and America. His second marriage was to Rhoda Richards, who left 
one child — Samuel A. He was married the third time to Barbara Be i- 
nett, who left three children — Julia A., Catherine J. and Mary C. He 
was last married to Miss Catherine Hinkle November 15, 1873. Mr. 
Pennock, in 1847, enlisted in the Mexican war, in Company D, Third 
Indiana Regiment, and served one year. He participated in several bat- 
tles, among them the battle of Buena Vista. Mr. Pennock is a promi- 
nent citizen, and politically is identified with the Democratic party. 

GEORGE W. RAINS is a native of Wayne County, Ind., where his 
birth occurred November 8, 1817. He was reared on a farm in Marion 
County, Ind., near Indianapolis. He engaged in the saw-mill and lum- 
ber business in Liberty Township, Tipton County, and continued therein 
until 1860, when he disposed of his business and emigrated to the West. 
He spent about four years in Southwest Missouri, and one year in Kan- 
sas, and then returned to Tipton County, Ind., where he has resided ever 
since. He was married in Marion County, Ind., in 1842, to Miss Mary 
Griswold. They have eight children, all of whom are living — Henry C. 
Malinda C, Charles I., Martha T., James A., Ira H., George W. and 
William D. 

HENRY C. RAINS, carpenter, contractor and lumber dealer, was 
born in Marion County, Ind., October 22, 1842 ; he is the son of George 
W. Rains ; was reared in the counties of Marion and Tipton. While at- 
tending school at Cambridge City, the war of the rebellion broke out, 
and he enlisted in the Nineteenth Battery, and was mustered into service 
August 11, 1862 ; he took part in some of the hardest fought battles of 
the war, being with Sherman on his campaign to the sea, and participat- 
ing in the battles of Perry ville, Ky., Milton, Tenn., Hoover's Gap, Chicka- 
mauga. Rocky Face Ridge, Ga., Chattahoochee River, sieges of Atlanta 
and Savannah, also at Bentonvillie, Jonesboro and Peach Tree Creek ; he 
was discharged May 13, 1865, with the same company in which he entered, 
being one of the thirteen who returned out of 145 who went away. Af- 
ter his return from the service, he entered into the saw mill and lumber 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 287 

business, in which he has been engaged for fourteen years ; he owns a 
saw mill with a capacity for cutting 5.000 feet per day ; he is also a con 
tractor, and is meeting with success; he owns 120 acres of land, 
in Sections 31 and 32, Cicero Township, of which forty acres are under 
cultivation and well drained by tile and open ditches. He was married 
in Clinton County, January, 1876, to Miss Mary Moore. They have a 
family of five children, viz : Henry, Charles, Willie. Mary and Albert. 

JAMES RECOBS was born in Fayette County, Ohio, January 12, 
1829, and is the son of Frederick Recobs ; he was reared upon a farm, 
and engaged in agricultural pursuits in Ohio until 1849, when here- 
moved to Tipton County, Ind., and followed blacksmithing for about twelve 
years ; he then farmed in different parts of Cicero Township, and in 
1864 purchased 160 acres of land in Section 24, of this township, thirty 
acres of which were under cultivation ; his farm is now well drained with 
tile, and has 150 acres under cultivation ; in 1877, he built a commodious 
brick residence, and has a good barn and other outbuildings ; he raises 
an average of fifty bushels of corn to the acre, and from fifteen to twenty- 
five bushels of wheat. In August, 1847, Mr. Recobs enlisted in the 
Mexican war, in Company D, Second Ohio, and served in Scott's army 
as far west as the city of Puebla, where he was stationed ; he was dis- 
charged in July, 1848. He was married, October 30, 1848, in Fayette 
County, Ohio, to Miss Lydia C. Burnett. They had thirteen children, 
eight of whom are living — Jane Ann, Mary E., Verell F., Robert M., 
John H., Gay, Freddie and Samuel J. Mr. Recobs is a prominent citizen, 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 'and politically is identified with 
the Democratic party. 

JOHN Q. SHAW, carpenter, and former Superintendent of the 
County Farm, was born in Butler County, Ohio, September 7, 1839. 
When he was about five years old, his parents removed to Rush County, 
where Mr. Shaw spent his boyhood days. At the age of nineteen, he 
removed to Tipton County, and has since resided here. He served an 
apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade in Rush County, and has since 
followed this trade in connection with farming. He was married, July 
13, 1859, in Tipton County, to Miss Mary E. Warner. They have a 
family of eight children — Sarah J., Polly D., James T., Teniillis, Asher, 
Clarence, Maud Capitola and Osa. Mr. Shaw owns fifty-four acres of 
land in Cicero Township, thirty-four acres of which are under cultivation. 
He is a prominent citizen, and an active member of the Democratic 
party. 

JOHN SIESS, farmer, was born in Wurt^mberg, Germany, May 9, 
1843. He came to America in 1860, and located in Decatur County, 
Ind. There he remained until 1872, when he came to Tipton County 



288 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

and engaged in farming. lie now owns a good farm of ninety acres in 
Section 38 of Cicero Township. Mr. Siess was married, in 1873, to Miss 
Catherine Stewart, a daughter of Stephen Stewart. They have two 
children — Oscar and Lewis Stephen. Mr. Siess is a successful farmer, 
has his farm in good order, and in the year 1883 built a barn 45x50 
feet, 

ROBERT SINGLETON, a prominent farmer of Cicero Township, 
was born in the North of Ireland February 15, 1826, and remained in 
his native country until he was eighteen years of age. He then emigrated 
to America and located in Boston, where he worked in a factory about 
seven years. In 1852, he went to California and engaged in mining. 
He had but $23 when he arrived in California, and when he came away, 
in 1855, he had saved $2,000. He then came to Tipton County, Ind., 
spent a short time in buying cattle, and subsequently purchased a farm 
of 160 acres, on which he has since resided. His farm is well drained, 
with 130 acres under cultivation. He raises grain and stock, and is a 
successful farmer. Mr. Singleton was married, March 30, 1856, in Tip- 
ton County, to Miss Elizabeth Hall, daughter of Hudson Hall. They 
have four children living — John H., James M., Ida and Nannie C. 

ISAAC N. SPRINGER, son of Newton I. Springer, was born in 
Washington County, Penn., June 22» 1837. At the age of sixteen, he 
came with his parents to Tipton County, where he remained with his 
father on a farm until he arrived at manhood. He then engaged in 
farming for himself, and now owns a small farm of thirty acres in Cicero 
Township ; his farm is in good condition, is well drained, and all except 
three acres is under cultivation. Mr. Springer was married in Hamilton 
County, Ind., November 27, 1859, to Miss Lovina M. Roadrick. They 
have five children living — Albert N., Sarah M., Etta M., Cora M. and 
Susan I. Mr. Springer is identified with the Republican party, and he 
and wife are members of the Christian Church. 

STEPHEN STEWART, farmer, was born in Montgomery County, 
Ky., June 7, 1822. At the age of fifteen, he went to McDonough 
County, III., and remained about eight years, after which he removed to 
Bartholomew County, Ind. In September, 1854, he came to Tipton 
County and purchased 297 acres of timber land in Cicero Township; he 
has sold 140 acres of this, and bought other lands, and now owns 376 
acres in Cicero Township, of which 265 acres are under a high state of 
cultivation and well drained. He raises grain extensively, and usually 
puts out 100 acres in corn, and GO in wheat. Mr. Stewart was married, 
April 11, 1848, in Bartholomew County, Ind., to Miss Emma M. Rud- 
dick. This union has been ble<sed with ten children — Robert 0., Will- 
iam P., Catharine, Amy, Jane, Laura, John, Antony, Ida E., deceased, 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 289 

and one infant deceased. Mr. Stewart is a well-to-do farmer, ownin». 
besides his farm land, a good dwellinor in Tipton. 

WILLIAM H. SUMMERS, farmer and tile-maker, is a native of 
Missouri, and was born January 30, 1843; his father, William Summers, 
removed to Hamilton County, Ind., when our subject was but nine years 
of age. Mr. W. H.Summers was reared on a farm in Hamilton County, 
and enlisted in the United States service August 11, 1862, and served 
until June 16, 1865; he enlisted in Company B, Seventy-fifth Regiment 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and participated in battle at Chickamauga, 
Mission Ridge, was in Sherman's campaign to Savannah, through 
to Raleigh, thence to Richmond, Va. Mr. Summers was married Sep- 
tember 6, 1866, in this county, to Miss Maria Smith, This union has 
been blessed with two children — Bertha M. and Asher B. Mr. Sum- 
mers owns a small farm of twenty-five acres, and in 187ii purchased a 
half-interest in a tile factory, and subsequently purchased the entire bus- 
iness. He manufactures about $1,700 worth of tile annually; he is 
identified with the Republican party, and takes an active interest in poli- 
tics. 

CHARLES TEAL, farmer, is a native of Sweden, where he was 
born December 5, 1840. He is the son of Charles G. Teal, who was 
born in Sweden in 1803 and remained in his native country until 1852, 
when he emigrated to America, settled in Tipton County, Ind.. bought 
a small farm, and resided there the remainder of his life. Duringr his 
residence in Sweden, he served for many years in her standing army, and 
saw a great deal of military service. He was married in his native land, 
at the age of twenty-three, to Miss Mary C. Thorman, and by her was 
the father of three children, of whom our subject is the eldest. His death, 
caused by an accident while engaged in raising a barn, occurred May 19, 
1866. His widow died September, 1879. Charles, the subject of this 
sketch, grew to manhood on a farm, and then engaged in tilling the soil 
of rented land. He is now the owner of 178 acres of land in Cigero 
Township. Tipton County, and eighty acres in Jackson Township, Ham- 
ilton County. He has 216 acres under cultivation, well drained by tile 
drains at a cost of $1,200. He has a good residence, a commodious barn, 
36x74 feet, and a straw barn 31x88 feet, a windmill for watering his 
stock, and $5,000 worth of the most improved agricultural implements. 
The fertility of the soil of his land is suSicient to enable it to produce 
from forty to sixty bushels of corn and twenty bushels of wheat to the 
acre. Altogether Mr. Teal's farm is the best equipped, and one of the 
most desirable in the borders of Tipton County. During the winter, he 
manufactures a great amount of barrel heading, using two ten-horse-power 
portable threshing engines to run the machinerv. Besides this, he owns 



290 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

two sets of French buhrs, with which he grinds the feed fur his stock, and 
also for the stock of many of his neighbors. He was married, August 31, 
1862, in this county, to Miss Elizabeth Sumner. They have three sons — 
Franklin, William and Jesse. Mr. Teal is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 
Politically, he is of the Republican persuasion. He is one of the most en- 
terprising and most esteemed men in the county. 

SAMUEL L. THOMPSON was born in Hamilton County, Ind. 
September 18, 1841, and was reared in his native county. He at- 
tended the common schools, and later the Union Hio;h School at West- 
field two years. He then engaged in teaching several winters, farming 
through the summer months. In 1870, he removed to Tipton County, 
Ind., purchased a farm of 160 acres in Cicero Township, and resided 
there till the fall of 1882, when he sold his farm. In the spring of 1883, 
he purchased 120 acres in Section 19, in Cicero Township, and moved 
upon it. His farm is well drained, with ninety acres under cultivation. 
Mr. Thompson was married, September 21, 1865, in Tipton County, to 
Miss Lucy H. Houser. They have had six children — Indiana P., Edith 
B., Lillian A., Lena V., Isaac M. (deceased) and Samuel W. (deceased). 
Mr. Thompson enlisted March 16, 1865, in Company G, One Hundred 
and Forty-seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was dis- 
charged the 17th of the following August. 

ROBERT W. TODD was born in Franklin County, Ind., July 29, 
1841. He is the son of George Todd, Sr., who was born in New Jersey 
in 1812, and who located when quite young in Butler County, Ohio, 
and after, in Franklin County, Ind. In the last-named county, he was 
married, in 1840, to Miss Mary A. Sizelove, and remained there until 
1864, when he removed to Tipton County and settled on a tract of 160 
acres of land, situated in Sections 29 and 30, Cicero Township. In the 
last-named section, he built a residence, which he made his home until his 
death, which occurred February 20, 1875, at the age of sixty-three. Of 
his 160 acres of land, about eighty were under cultivation. His widow 
still survives him and resides at the old home. She has the following 
children, namely, Robert W., Josephs., George L., Ezra N., Francis M., 
Clement V. and Lemuel S. Robert W., the subject of this sketch, was 
reared in Franklin County. In 1865, he came to Tipton County, and 
has since made this his home. On coming to this county, he farmed a 
tract of eighty acres located in Wild Cat Township. About 1868, he re- 
moved to Cicero Township, Section 30, on a farm of eighty acres. He 
is also the owner of eighty acres in Section 29, of the same township. Of 
all this land, he has about eighty acres under cultivation. Mr. Todd 
has been three times married. First, in Grant County, Ind., March 25, 
1866, to Miss Isabelle D. Smith, who died in February, 1867. His 



CICERO TOWNSHIP. 291 

second marriage occurred in Tipton County, November 29, 1868, to 
Louisa E. Friend, who departed this life June 9, 1875. His last mar- 
riage occurred August 21, 1876, to Amanda J. Russell, his present wife. 
He is the father of two children by his second and third wives, respect- 
ively named VVorthington R. and Everet Alton. Politically, Mr. Todd 
is a vigorous Democrat. 

DILLARD VAN BUSKIRK, farmer, is a native of Wayne 
County, Ind., and was born May 1, 1818. He was reared in Henry 
County, Ind., where he attended the common schools. He worked by 
the month at the carpenter's trade, and subsequently took up contract- 
ing and building. In the spring of 1850, he removed to Tipton County 
and has since made this his home, except two years spent in Fulton 
County. He owns a farm of seventy-nine acres in Cicero Township, on 
which he moved in 1857. He has since resided on this and has about 
sixty acres under cultivation. Mr. Van Buskirk was married, December 
16, 1841, in Henry County, Ind., to Miss Rebecca Paul. They have 
had nine children — Mary E., Sarah A., Amanda, Samuel, Emeretta, 
Helen D., Robert M., Thomas Benton (deceased) and George W. (de- 
ceased). Joseph Van Buskirk, the fiither of our subject, was born in 
Kentucky in 1794:, and came to Indiana about 1815 ; he was a black- 
smith and pursued his trade for some time, and subsequently engaged in 
farming ; he was married in Wayne County, Ind., in 1816, to Miss 
Mollie Huff; he located in Tipton County about 1844, and here resided 
until his death, which occurred in June, 1866. 

JEHU VAN BUSKIRK, Deputy Surveyor and ex-Surveyor, is a 
I'ative of Henry County, Ind., and was born September 22, 1826. He 
is the son of Joseph Van Buskirk. Our subject engaged in teaching the 
early part of his life, and was elected to the office of Surveyor of Tipton 
County by the Democratic party in 1872, and was twice re-elected, serv- 
ing six successive years. He was previously elected in 1856, and served 
one term, and has also been Deputy Surveyor much of the time since. 
During the falls of the last four years, Mr. V. has operated a sorghum 
factory, and does the grinding by steam. He owns a good home of 
twenty-six acres of fertile land, with eighteen acres under cultivation. 
He heats his sitting room by register from the cellar below. His barn 
has a brick basement, and is arranged so that he can drive into the second 
story. The roof is self-supporting, and the barn has no timbers in the 
way of storage. Mr. Van Buskirk was married, in June, 1861, to Miss 
Martha Small, who died about ayear after their marriage. In July, 1868, 
he was married to Elizabeth Carr, of this county. Mr. Van Buskirk has 
a family of three children — Sallie, Mamie and Cora. About the year 
1852, he became a Christian, and about the same time signed a temper- 



292 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

ance pledge and a tobacco pledge. He has since faithfully kept all his 
pledges. In the winter of 1855-56, he attended a course of medical lect- 
ures in Cincinnati, since which time he has acted as his own physician. 

GRANVILLE VERNON, a native of Rockingham County, N. C, 
was born May 9, 1824, and is a son of Green and Telistia Vernon. His 
parents removed to Shelby County, Ind., in 1831, where our subject was 
reared and educated. He engaged in farming in Shelby County, and was 
there married, February 24, 1846, to Miss Sarah Hennes, born Decem- 
ber 12, 1828, In 1857, he removed to Hancock County, Ind., where he 
remained two years, and in 1859 sold his farm and removed to Tipton 
County, He purchased eighty acres in Section 19, in Cicero Township, 
which he subsequently sold, and purchased eighty acres in Section 20, 
which he now owns. He has about forty- five acres under cultivation, and 
well drained. He is a member of the Democratic party, and the Plum 
Grove Grange, No. 181. He and wife are members of the Christian 
Church, They have a family of eight children — Mary J., Sarah E.. 
Richard B., Matilda F., Nancy E., Barbara A., Daisy D. and Alice M. 
His father's death occurred in Sullivan County, Ind., in March, 1871. 
His mother, aged seventy-eight, is still living, and resides in Sullivan 
County. 

GEORGE V. WAMSLEY was born in Franklin County, Ind., 
December 28, 1850, and is the son of Lawrence N, Wamsley. He was 
reared on a farm in his native county, and engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits when he began life for himself He owned a farm of sixty-three 
acres in Franklin County, and continued farming there until August, 
1880, when he sold his farm and removed to Tipton County. Here he 
purchased 100 acres of land in Section 33, Cicero Township, and has 
since added sixty acres. He has 120 acres under cultivation and well 
drained. He was married, December 28, 1876, in Franklin County, Ind., 
to Miss Lydia Gephart. They have a family of three children — Irena 
May, Alton L. and Wilber. Mr. Wamsley is a highly respected citizen, 
and an energetic farmer. 

DAVID WIGGINS, farmer, was born in Lancaster, Penn,, June 1, 
1835. He was reared in his native county and there engaged in black - 
smithing. In 1865, he removed to Hamilton County, Ind., where he 
followed farming and blacksmithing. He purchased thirty acres of land 
in that county, and remained there until 1877, when he traded this 
farm for eighty acres of land in Cicero Township, Tipton County ; he 
located on this, and has added to it until now he has a farm of 120 
acres, well drained, of fertile soil, and with seventy-five acres under cul- 
tivation. Mr. Wiggins was married in Lancaster County, Penn., Janu- 
ary 23, 1862, to Miss Mary Nagle. They have eight children living — 



WILD CAT TOWxNSHlP. 293 

John E., George S., William M., Sarah E., Ida M., Angeline, Bertha, 
and David. 

JOHN WINANS, farmer, owns sixty acres of good land in Section 
30, Cicero Township, Tipton County. He is a native of Harrison County, 
Ky., and was born October 18, 1836, and is the son of John Winans. He 
spent his boyhood days in Scott County, Ky., and engaged in the dis 
tillery business. In 1859, he came to Indianapolis and began butcher- 
ing for some time, and in 1865 enlisted in the United States service in 
Company 1, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry, and served about six months. He then returned to Indianapolis 
and worked in a saw mill, and in the fiill of 1865 came to Tipton County, 
where he worked in a saw mill for some time. He then engaged in farm- 
ing, which occupation he has since continued. In November, 1882, he 
purchased sixty acres in Section 30, where he still lives. He was mar- 
ried in this county, April 4, 1867. to Miss Caroline M. Clark. They have 
two children, Oscar C. and Laura J. Mr. Winans is a Democrat in poli- 
tics, is an Odd Fellow and a member of the G. A. R. 

JONATHAN WOLVERTON, a native of Northumberland County, 
Penn,, was born November 13, 1828. He was reared in Butler County, 
Ohio, and engaged by the month working on a farm. In 1853, he came 
to Decatur County, where he followed agricultural pursuits until October, 
1862, when he removed to Tipton County, Ind., and located on eighty 
acres of timbered land. He now owns 176 acres of good land, with 120 
acres under cultivation ; he raises about fifty bushels of corn and fifteen 
bushels of wheat per acre ; his land is well drained, has good outbuildings, 
and a first-class residence; he raises a fair amount of both hogs and 
cattle. Mr. Wolverton was married, November 22, 1855, in Decatur 
County, Ind., to Miss Corlinda A. Barr, who died November 26, 1856, 
leaving one child living, Joseph W. Mr. Wolverton was next married, 
June 24, 1857, to Miss Martha Barr. They have four children living — 
Axie A., Wilbur W., Mattie L. and Annie : he has three children de- 
ceased — Henry F., Levi S. and John N. The latter died at the age of 
sixteen years. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 
W. K. ARMSTRONG was born in Cumberland County, Penn., 
December 12, 1812, and is the fourth often children born to James and 
Georgianna (Greenwood) Armstrong, both natives of Pennsylvania, and 
of English descent. W. K. Armstrong at the age of seventeen engaged 
as an apprentice at the tanner's trade. After serving his apprenticeship, 



294 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

he went to Plymouth, Richland County, Ohio, where he conducted a 
tannery and harness shop, made boots and shoes, and superintended a 
farm. After continuing in business liere many years, he sold out and en- 
gaged in the lumber business, operating a saw mill and grist mill ; he 
subsequently located in Wyandot County, Ohio, where he farmed for 
three years. He then sold out and engaged in the hotel business in 
Crestline, Ohio, for two years, after which he returned to Wyandot 
County, and bought and sold five farms in six years; he then came to 
Tipton County, and engaged in the lumber business, and purchased 200 
ocres of land in the edge of Grant County ; he conducted the lumber 
business alone for a few years, and in company with his son for seven 
years, after which he retired from business, and removed to his farm in 
Grant County. After selling this, he purchased in November, 1880, 128 
acres of well-improved land in Wild Cat Township, and is now enjoying 
the fruits of a well-spent life. He started in life a poor boy, and through 
his own efforts has become an independent man. Mr. Armstrong was 
married at Wellsburg, Va., February 28, 1836, to Miss Martha C. 
Connell. She was born March 27, 1817, and is the daughter of John 
Connell, who was a soldier under Gen. Harrison at the siege of Fort 
Meigs. They have had eleven children, five of whom are living — Harri- 
son, lumberer and farmer ; Philip, farmer; William, M. D., of Mexico, 
Ind. ; Mary Elma and Benjamin Franklin. Mr. Armstrong was reared 
a Democrat, but is now a Republican. He is a liberal supporter of all 
home enterprises, and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

WINSER AUSTIN, physician, is a native of West Virginia, and is 
the eldest of four children born to John and Margaret Austin ; his father 
was a native of West Virginia, and of French and English descent ; his 
mother was born in Maryland, of English and Welsh parentage. Our 
subject lived at home on the farm until he was fifteen years of age, after 
which he worked out as a farm hand three years; he obtained a good 
common school education, and read medicine for several years at intervals. 
At the age of nineteen, he enlisted in Company A, Third Regiment Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry, as Hospital Steward, serving four years on de- 
tached duty ; he then veteranized in Company E, Sixth Regiment West 
Virginia Cavalry, apart of the Eighth Army Corps. They were in battle 
at McDowell, Va., at Cross Keys, Slaughter Mountain, and the second 
battle at Bull Run. They were on a raid through Virginia under Gen. 
Averill, after which they were mounted on fresh horses, and Mr. Austin 
was taken prisoner in West Virginia; he was taken to Libby Prison and 
tliere held sixty days, and then paroled by being a member of the Medical 
Department. He was sent to Washington, and participated in the capture 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 295 

of Booth, the assassin ; he was then sent to the Army of the We.-?t, 
remaining on the frontier until he was discharged, November 13, 1860 ; 
he then returned home, and subsequently engaged in the practice of 
medicine at Grandville, Ind., for three years. In the fall of 186!>, he 
located at Windfall, where he has now a large, lucrative practice ; he has 
attended different medical colleges, and has contributed to Indiana medi- 
cal literature in the way of reports and essays ; he has always been an 
active Republican, and is now Health Officer. Mr. Austin was married, 
December 14, 1865, to Miss Naoma Jacobs, who was born in West 
Virginia March 6, 1841. This union was blessed with five children — 
Hattie, Harry, Ray, Winser and Clarke. Mr, Austin and family are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

ASHLEY AYERS was born in Darke County, Ohio, March 18, 
1827, and is the eldest son of Alfred and Sardes (Ashley) Ayers, natives 
respectively of Connecticut and New»Y''ork, and both of English descent. 
At the age of ten, he came with his parents to Randolph County, Ind.. 
while it was yet a forest ; he assisted his fiither in redeeming from the 
forest a good home from land entered in 1887; his education was ob- 
tained from the log cabin schoolhouse ; he began farming in 1848, on 
rented land, and in the fall of 1852 came to this county, locating on the 
farm where he now lives ; he has been industrious and economical, and a 
good home is the result. Mr. Ayers was married in November, 1847, to 
Miss Desira Gist, of Randolph County, Ind. She died in 1854, leaving 
two sons, William and Silas. March 17, 1855, he married Miss Mary 
A. Adams, of Marion County, Ind. This union has been blessed with 
nine children, five of whom are living — Catharine, Edith Thena, Thomas 
E., Letitia and Maryetta. Mr. Ayers and wife are members of the 
Christian Church; he is a Republican in politics, and has held some of 
the minor offices of the township ; he is one of our pioneer citizens, and 
is ever ready to encourage public improvements. 

NATHAN BAILEY, merchant, handling a general stock of dry 
goods and groceries, is a native of Randolph County, Ind., and was born 
May 11, 1842 : he was the son of David and Elizabeth (Freeman) Bailey, 
of English descent. David Bailey was an early settler of Randolph 
County ; he died March 19, 1860, in Tipton County, at the age of forty- 
two ; his wife died previously in Randolph County. Nathan Bailey was 
reared on a farm, and spent his youth in Howard and Tipton Counties ; 
he attended the pioneer schools, and at the age of thirteen began working 
on the farm ; in 1859, he made atrip to Iowa, and in the spring of 1860 
was called home by his father's death ; he then ewlisted in Company G, 
Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but soon after going 
out was taken sick and was subsequently discharged on account of dis- 



296 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

ability; he returned home and recruited, and in the spring of 1864 en- 
listed in Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry, joining the Army of the Tennessee. Their 
time was mostly spent doing guard duty, and upon their return home, 
while riding on the top of the train, he was thrown oft", fracturing both 
ankles and his right wrist ; he was left at the hospital at Indianapolis, 
where he was honorably discharged ; he was compelled to use crutches 
for fifteen months, after Avhich he worked at the carpenter's trade; in 
J 867, he came to Windfall, where he operated a saw mill eighteen months; 
he then bought a third interest in Richard Freeman's general store, and 
for a number of years made numerous changes. In March, 1878, he 
and E. L. Pickering lost their goods, valued at $3,000. by fire, and sub- 
sequently he lost about $500 by burglars. After this, he purchased a 
small grocery stock, and has since added dry goods and boots and shoes. 
Mr. Bailey was married, June G, 1869, to Miss Mary Olive Armstrong, 
of Windfall, Ind. She was born February 7, 1853, and is the daughter 
of Jeiferson and Margaret A. (Taylor) Bailey, both natives of Indiana, 
and of English and Irish descent. They have two children, Attala J. 
and Bertie V. Mr, Bailey has been a life-long Republican ; he is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and wife are members of the 
Christian Church. 

WILLIAM C. BANNON, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in 
Hancock County, Ind.. February 4, 1844, and is the second of three 
sons born to John D. and Anna R. (Richard) Bannon, both natives of 
PenUvSylvania. He was left fatherless at the age of four, and in 1854 
went to Iowa with William P. Chapman, with whom he lived for eight 
years, working on the farm. In the spring of 1862, he moved to Madi- 
son County, Ind., and subsequently enlisted in Company G, Twelfth 
Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, under Gen. Logan. He engaged 
in battle at Jackson. Miss., Missionary Ridge, Dallas, Tenn., Kenesaw 
Mountain, New Hope Church, and the siege of Atlanta. He was hon- 
orably discharged after serving about three years. Returning to Hamil- 
ton County, he engaged in farming on rented land for two years, when he 
purchased forty acres. In the fall of 1872, he removed with his family 
to this township, and purchased his present home of eighty acres, on 
which he found twelve acres cleared and a small log cabin. He was 
married, August 27, 1865, to Miss Nancy E. Kirinaman, born February 
26, 1849. This marriage has been blessed with nine children, six of 
whom are living — Henry, Jerry, Mazy, Jesse, William and Andrew. 
Mr. Bannon and wife are members of the Christian Church, and he is a 
Union Democrat, and has held some of the minor offices of the township. 

JACOB BARROW is a native of Madison Countv, and was born 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 297 

March 6, 1842. He is the son of James and Elizabeth (Denny) Barrow, 
natives of Kentucky, and of English descent. His father was an early 
settler in Madison County, and in 1849 removed with his family to Tip- 
ton County. He obtained a good home for his family before his death, 
which occurred in 1853. He had lived a consistent Christian life, as a 
member of the U. B. Church. His wife (aged seventy-two) still sur- 
vives him, and resides with her son Jacob. Our subject was reared on 
the farm, but was deprived of any education, as he and his elder brother 
yfere the main supports of the family. He remained at home until his 
mother married again, and at the age of fourteen he began working 
for himself. Without any instructions, he built a wagon, doing all the 
wood-work, blacksmithing and painting, and when completed sold it for 
$120. He worked at wagon-making and farming until 1877, when he 
removed to Windfall and engaged in blacksmithing. He and brothers 
invented and patented "The Little Giant Stump Puller," which 
has since been twice improved. They have also invented and patented 
an elliptic engine, applicable for all purposes, also a wind engine, and a 
beltless governor for an engine, steam boiler and filtering heater. Mr. 
Barrow enlisted in the United States service in September, 1864, in the 
Fourth Indiana Light Artillery. He engaged in battle at Nashville, 
Tenn., and was honorably discharged in the fall of 1865. He is a 
Democrat, and has served as Justice of the Peace of VVild Cat Township. 
He was married, October 3, 1861, to Miss Rebecca A. Pumphrey, of 
Howard County ; she was the daughter of Jackson Pumphrey. Mrs. 
Barrow died August 6, 1880, leaving four children — Dora, Zana A., 
Amanda J. and Lora Lee. About 1874, he was ordained as minister of 
the Gospel, and for years was a Baptist pastor. Ill health caused him 
to discontinue the ministry. 

SAMUEL BARROW, a leading inventor of Northern Indiana, is a 
native of Madison County, born March 23, 1844, and is a son of James 
Barrow ; he worked on the farm until seventeen years old, and April 17, 
186]., enlisted in Company D, Sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, three months' service. After this service, he re-enlisted in Com- 
pany I, Fifty -first Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and participated 
in the battles of Perryville, Ky., Stone River, and in tlie famous raid of 
Col. Streight. Near Rome, Ga., Mr. Barrow was taken prisoner and held 
thirty days on Belle Island, when he was paroled. After being ex- 
changed, he rejoined his regiment, took part in the battles of Franklin 
and Nashville, and accompanied Gen. Willick through Texas. He was 
honorably discharged as a veteran. He then returned to Tipton County 
and engaged in farming for four years. In 1869, with his brother David, 
he established a wagon shop in Windfall, where his brother Jacob joined 



298 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

the firm now known as Barrow Bros. They were inventors of " The 
Little Grant Stump Puller," a wind engine, steam engine, governor and 
boiler, etc. Mr. Barrow was married, July 19, 1867, to Miss Alice 
Woolley, of Tipton County, daughter of William Woolley. Mrs. Bar- 
row was killed by lightning in 1876, and left one daughter — Rosalie 
Magnolia. Mr. Barrow is an active temperance man. In 1874, he was 
licensed to preach as a local minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

DAVID BARROW was born in Madison County, Ind., February 
23, 1849, and is also a son of James Barrow. At the age of fifteen, he 
enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Regiment In- 
diana Volunteer Infimtry, and was honorably discharged in 1864. When 
seventeen, he began an apprenticeship to carpentering, attending school 
during the winter for four seasons, thus acquiring a knowledge of the 
common branches. At the age of twenty-one, he became a partner with 
his brother Samuel in the manufacture of wagons. In 1872, he opened 
a wagon shop in Howard County, which he conducted eight months, after 
which he took up farming. In 1877, he purchased a half interest in the 
wagon manufactory of Samuel Barrow, the firm being known as S. 
Barrow & Bro. Later, he became a member of the firm of Barrow Bros. 
He is well versed in music, which he has taught, both vocal and instru- 
mental. Mr. Barrow is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church,, 
and an active worker in the Sabbath school ; also a member of the I. 0> 
0. F.; he is a Republican and a temperance man. 

PERRY BEHYMER is a native of Clermont County. Ohio, and 
was born December 4, 1850. He is the eldest son of nine children born 
to William and Martha (Littleton) Behymer, natives of Kentucky and 
Ohio, and of German and English descent. His father was a cooper by 
trade, but for the last thirty years has given his attention to farming. 
William Behymer removed to Rush County, Ind., in 1853, and in 1861 
located in Grant County. He now resides in Rigdon, Grant County. He 
has served as Justice of the Peace, and now holds the position of Notary 
Public. He is a Democrat in politics, and he and wife are prominent 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Perry Behymer spent his 
boyhood on the farm, having access to the common schools. At the age 
of eighteen he attended one summer term of seventy days, after which he 
received a twelve months' license to teach in Tipton County. He taught 
twelve terms in succession in Tipton, Grant and Madison Counties, and 
was Principal of the Windfall High School in 1876-77, continuing two 
terms of nine months each. He attended one term of seventeen weeks in 
the Normal School of Lebanon, Ohio. Soon after he began teaching at 
Windfall, he commenced reading law, and assisting as junior editor upon 
the Windfall News. In the summer of 1877, he and his brother became 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 299 

editors of this paper, which they published until May, 1880. Having 
purchased the Tipton Time?:., they removed to Tipton and united the 
strength of the News with the Times. This they conducted one year 
with a circulation of 900. After this, Mr. Behymer retired from the 
editorial work and returned to Windfall, where he soon after engaged in 
the practice of law, having been admitted to the bar in Tipton County 
in 1879. He has met with success in his practice. Mr. Behymer was 
married, March 14, 1872, to Miss Mary E. Legg, who died May 16, 1872. 
He was next married, March 11, 1880, to Miss Julia A, Graham, of this 
county, and daughter of Hollingsworth Graham. Mr. Behymer is a 
Democrat in politics, and has served as School Trustee, and as President 
of the School Board. In 1878, he was a candidate for County Superin- 
tendent, and was defeated by one vote. He is a highly respected citizen, 
and his wife is a consistent member of the Christian Church. 

W. H. BUTLER, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Wayne 
County, Ind., June 14, 1819, and is a son of Eli and Jane (Buzan) Butler, 
natives of Georgia and Kentucky respectively. These parties came to 
Indiana with their parents while it was a Territory, where they married 
and reared a family of nine children. Eli Butler was a farmer, and in 
1827 located in Rush County, where he entered land and continued 
twenty-five years, when he removed to Marion County and passed the 
remainder of his days, dying at the age of eighty; his wife followed a 
few years later at the age of eighty-five. The subject of this sketch, at 
the age of twenty-one, began in life empty handed. He worked at job 
work and as a farm hand for five years, when he settled upon forty acres 
he had purchased in Marion County, and remained there five years. 
This he sold, and in the spring of 1860 came to Tipton County and 
located on the farm where he now lives. Here he found a log cabin, and 
began to clear a home from the forest, experiencing all the privations of 
pioneer life. He now has a good and well improved farm. Mr. Butler 
was married, January 1, 1845, to Miss Sarah R. Dilliner, born in 
Pennsylvania September 25, 1824, a daughter of Augustine Dilliner. 
They have nine children — Elizabeth J., Phoebe A., George L., Smith D., 
Jesse W., Susan A., Marion F., John A. and Sylvanus S. Mr. Butler 
is identified with the Democratic party, and he and wife are members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

WILLIAM T. CLAWSON, landlord and liveryman, was born in 
Wayne County, Ind., October 13, 1834, and is one of nine children born 
to Abnor and Elizabeth (White) Clawson. Abnor Clawson came with 
his brother to Wayne County in 1812. Their parents followed in the 
fall. This family redeemed from the forest a good home, and here Abnor 
was married, and reared a family of nine children. He accumulated a 



300 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

good farm of 260 acres, besides property in Richmond. His wife died in 
1865, aged sixty-three ; he died in 1870, aged seventy-six. William T. 
Clawson, at the age of eighteen, engaged as an apprentice, for one year, 
at plow-making. He then worked as journeyman eight or nine years. 
Then he farmed on the homestead for four years. Subsequently he in- 
vented and manufactured the "Empire Plow," a successful double corn 
plow. Still later, after renting and farming three years, he and Mathew 
Charles operated the Fairview Dairy for three years. They invented and 
patented a "milk carrier and refrigerator," which proved a success. 
From this time Mr. Clawson engaged in farming in different localities, 
and in dairying, until 1882, when he went into the hotel and livery busi- 
ness in Windfall. He entertains the traveling public in the best of style, 
and has as a partner in the livery business W. R. Bailey. Mr. Clawson 
has long been a Republican in politics, and is an Odd Fellow. He was 
married June 6, 1861, to Miss Mary E. Warman, of Wayne County. 
Five children have blessed this union, four of whom are living — Frank 
W., Emma E., Edward E. and Nellie B. 

SIMEON CLEM, farmer, is a native of Shenandoah County, Va., 
and was born December 17, 1820. He is the son of John and Juliana 
(Moyers) Clem, natives of Virginia, and of German descent. John Clem 
was a farmer, who spent his life in Shenandoah County. A few months 
before his death, he removed to Page County, Va., and there died in 1828. 
He was a highly esteemed citizen, and was a soldier in the war of 1812. 
Our subject remained upon the home farm until he was twenty-one, when 
he began farming and operating a flouring mill. After this he worked 
at job work three years ; then went to Ohio, and afterward farmed in 
Rockingham County, Va., on rented land. In 1856, he located in 
Madison County, Ind., where he remained until 1864. He then located 
in Henry County, and, in the spring of 1866, removed to this county 
and located on forty acres purchased the previous year. Mr. Clem was 
married, February 9, 1847, to Miss Margaret Wetzel, of Shenandoah 
County, Va. She was born March 2, 1821. This union has been 
blessed with six cliildren, three of whom are living — John, born Decem- 
ber 14, 1847 ; George, born June 8, 1849 ; Lydia F., born August 29, 
1860, wife of W. L. Moore. He is a Republican in politics, and cast 
his first vote for President Lincoln, and he and wife are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

I. C. CONKLING, a prominent business man of Windfall, is a na- 
tive of Hamilton County, Ohio, and was born November 21, 1823 ; he is 
the fifth of nine children born to Isaac and Rebecca (Marsh) Conkling, 
natives of New Jersey, and of Welsh descent. Isaac Conkling was a 
blacksmith by trade, and in 1829 he abandoned his trade and removed to 
his father's farm and followed agricultui-al pursuits until his death, which 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 301 

occurred June 29, 1849. Mrs. Conkling lived to the age of eighty-five 
and died in 1880. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and 
hiid access to the common schools. Upon leaving school, he resumed 
farming. In the spring of 1850, he started for the gold regions of Cali- 
fornia. January 1, 1852, Mr. Conkling returned home and engaged in 
the lumber business at Lockland, Ohio, for three years. After this he 
lived on a farm until the spring of 1864, when he returned to Lockland. 
In the spring of 1870, he purchased the saw mill he now owns in Wind- 
fall, and soon after this located in Kokomo. In September, 1871, he 
removed to Windfall, and the following year built his present residence; 
he now owns 260 acres of land, good property in Windfall, and village 
property in Lockland, Ohio, worth $8,000. He and son are now operat- 
ing a saw mill and hoop factory ; Mr. Conkling is a Republican in poli- 
tics, and has served as a member of the School Boards at both Lockland, 
Ohio, and Windfall, Ind. ; he was married, February 17, 1853, to Miss 
Miitilda L. Patton, born September 10, 1828 ; six of the seven children 
are yet living — Percy F.; Ada V., wife of William F. Scott; H. Herbert ; 
Katie L., wife of John Thornburgh ; Edgar C. and Clifford W. Mr. 
Conkling is a member of the Baptist Church and his wife of the Christian. 

B. F. CONWAY, a leading farmer, was born in Henry County, Ind., 
August 19, 1835, and is the eldest living son of Richard and Cynthia 
(Ray) Conway, natives respectively of Kentucky and Virginia. Richard 
Conway located in Wild Cat Township, Tipton County, in 1860; he made 
a comfortable home before his death, April 27, 1868, aged sixty - 
two; his wife is still living, aged seventy- three years, and resides with 
her daughter, in Marion County. Mr. Conway was a Republi- 
can, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Our 
subject worked on his father's fj,rin ami received a com;noa school 
education. At the age of seventeen, he began farm job work, and subse- 
quently worked at house carpentering six years. In 1863, he came to 
Tipton County and located on land which he had purchased in 1861 ; this 
land was marshy, but he his opened a good farm of 200 acres, well- 
drained, with 160 under cultivation. Mr. Conway was married, February 
22, 1863, to Miss Sarah E. Lawson, a native of Rush County, daughter 
of Ransom Lawson. They have had seven children, five of whom are liv- 
ing — Elmer E., Lienella, Laura B., Minnie and Daisey. Mr. Conway is 
an enterprising citizen and earnest supporter of all public improvements. 
He is an active worker in the Republican ranks, and a Master Mason. 

JOEL COPHER is a native of Gallatin County, Ky.; he was born 
April 26, 1824, and is the third of eight children born to Joel and Sarah 
(Foley) Copher, natives respectively of Kentucky and Virginia; he was 
reared upon a farm and received a fair education from the common schools. 



302 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

At the age of twenty, he began farming in Switzerland County, Imi., 
;ind made a good home of ninety-five acres, on which he lived until the 
fall of 1868; he then removed to this township and purchased forty acres 
of land, but the August previous he had purchased 160 acres (where he 
now lives), which at that time was in its native state. He began to clear 
the forest and built a log cabin, into which he moved in 1869; he has 
here redeemed a good home, and has seventy acres under good cultivation. 
In early life, he was a Whig, having cast his first President ballot for 
Gen. Taylor, but he is now a stanch supporter of Republican principles. 
He is an industrious farmer and leading citizen, at all times ready to en- 
courage home enterprises. He was married, January 19, 1844, to Miss 
Martha A. Brinson, a native of Switzerland County, Ind. ; she was born 
December 26, 1827, and is the daughter of Anthony and Nancy Brin- 
son, natives of Kentucky. Mr. Copher became the father of ten chil- 
dren — Nancy, Sarah, Mary E., Catharine, George F., Jonathan L., 
Joel 0., Emma, and Anthony, deceased, and Margaret J., deceased. Mr. 
and Mrs. Copher are members of the Christian Church. 

JAMES D. CORNELIUS, a native of Ireland, was born August 
18, 1829, and is the son of James and Sarah (Mooring) Cornelius. ''>ur 
subject spent his youth in his native country, and in 1847 came alone to 
America, landing in New Orleans December 3, 1847. He first located 
at Somerville, Ohio, where he worked upon a farm and on the railroad. 
In 1849, he removed to Liberty, Union Co., Ind., where he engaged in 
working in a saw mill and grist mill. In 1851, he removed to Wayne 
County and worked seven years in a distillery in Cambridge City. He 
located in Hancock County in 1861, and the following autumn removed 
to Madison County; one year later, he came to Tipton County, and leased 
the Knott's farm for seven years, and remained upon it the full time. In 
the meantime, he purchased eighty acres of forest land, upon which he 
moved in 1860. He has since cleared sixty acres; has erected good 
buildings, and has put in about 400 rods of underground ditching. Mr. 
Cornelius was married, October 5, 1856, to Miss Mary Conner, of Wayne 
County. She was born in Ireland in 1828, and emigrated to America in 
1853. By this marriage they have three children — Mary, Thomas and 
Catherine. Mr. Cornelius and family are active members of the Roman 
Catholic Church. 

J. F. COUCH, a farmer and pioneer of Wild Cat Township, is a 
native of Guilford County, N. C; was born November 16, 1821, and is 
the second son of Meshach and Elizabeth (Mills) Couch, whose ancestors 
located in Guilford County, N. C, before the Revolutionary war. Our 
subject was reared on a farm, and upon reaching his majority he worked at 
farming in the summer, and at coopering during the winter months. In 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 803 

1847, he removed with his parents to Henry County, Ind., and the 
following year located at Dalton, Wayne County ; in 1860, he came to 
this township, on the farm where he now lives, having entered forty 
acres of this land in 1852 ; when he arrived here he purchased forty 
acres more. Mr. Couch in an early day assisted in raising all the log cabins 
in a radius of two miles; he is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, 
and is a liberal contributor to all public improvements. Mr. Couch was 
married, November 26, 1842, to Harriet Trolter, who died in December, 
1843. leaving one daughter — Elizabeth. In 1847, he married Mrs. Julia 
A. (Lamb) Stack, of Guilford County, N. C ; she was born November 8, 
1821. This union was blessed with six children — Thomas J., Rufus D.. 
William M., Ella, Marcus F. and Alice Jane (deceased). Mrs. Julia 
Couch is the daughter of Isaac and Mary (Parrott) Lamb, both natives of 
North Carolina, and of Scotch and English descent. She has one son by 
her first marriage — Robert L. Stack. Mr. and Mrs Couch are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

WILLIAM 0. DEAN was born in Gibson County, Ind., October 
14, 1843, and was the eldest child born to James and Miranda (Tennell) 
Dean, natives of Kentucky, and of Irish descent. W. 0. Dean, at the 
age of four years, removed with his parents to Howard County, Ind. In 
February, 1864, our subject enlisted in Company G, Thirteenth Regi- 
ment Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. They engaged in battle at Huntsville, 
I)ecatur, Ala., and the second engagement at Huntsville; here Mr. Dean 
was dismounted, and received a gunshot wound in his left hand. He was 
in hospital until March, 1865, where he was honorably discharged on ac- 
count of his wound. He returned home and soon began farming, which 
he continued until 1871, though in the meantime he had carried the mail 
between West Liberty and Kokomo about four years. He then engaged 
in the stave business until 1874, and during his leisure hours studied law, 
acting as its own preceptor. In 1874, he removed to Windfall and devoted 
his time for one year to the study of law. when he was admitted to prac- 
tice in the civil courts of Tipton County. Soon after this, he opened a 
law office in Windfall, where he has practiced very nearly continuously 
ever since. He is a leading Republican, and has served as City Attorney 
two terms. Mr. Dean was married, August 27, 1865, to Miss Mahala 
Curies, daughter of Samuel B. Curies. They have had three children — 
Wilber H., Omer J. and Samuel Leslie (deceased). Mr. Dean is a lead- 
ing citjzen, and his wife is a prominent member of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. 

WILLIAM A. DENNIS was born in North Carolina April 0, 183:!. 
and is the son of Jesse and Unity (Stanley) Dennis, natives of North 
Carolina, and of Scatch and English descent. Jesse Dennis was a 



304 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

farmer and pioneer of Henry and Howard Counties, also of Wisconsin, 
where he died in 1868, aged eighty years. W. A. Dennis, at the age of 
seventeen, began life for himself. He at first worked as a farm hand, and 
three years later bought a set of tinner's tools and opened a shop. One 
year later, he removed to Greentown, where he conducted a tin shop one 
year, after which he located in West Liberty and embarked as the village 
blacksmith ; he followed this trade two years, and then worked as section 
hand on the P., C. & St. L. R. R. until 1861 ; he then worked at stave- 
making until October, 1864, when he enlisted in the First Illinois Volun- 
teer Light Artillery. He was in battle at Mobile, Ala., and Montgomery, 
Ala. He was honorably discharged in August, 1865, at Indianapolis. 
He then returned to Howard County, and soon after engaged in the stave 
business, which he followed for ten years. In 1875, he sold out and pur- 
chased his present home. He has 230 acres well drained and improved, 
having good buildings and plenty of fruit. Mr. Dennis was married, in 
1851, to Miss Caroline Hendrickson, daughter of David and Ruth Hen- 
drickson, natives of Ohio. This union was blessed with seven children. 
Mrs. Dennis died in the spring of 1870, and Mr. Dennis married his pre- 
sent wife the following November — Miss Abbie Stewart, daughter of 
Robert and Sarah Stewart, natives of Kentucky and pioneers of Tipton 
County. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis have five chil4ren. 

ARTHUR D. DOGGETT was 'born in Bath County, Ky., August 10, 
1819, and is the second son of Henry and Nancy (Smith) Doggett, natives 
of Virginia, and of English and Germm descent. Henry Doggett was a 
school teacher by profession, and died in Decatur County, Ind., in 1836, 
aged fifty years ; his wife lived to be eighty-seven years of age. 
Arthur D. Doggett received a good education ; at the age of twenty-four, 
he began life for himself on rented land, and in the fall of 1849 located 
three and one-half miles northeast of Kokomo ; three years later, he sold 
this farm and made a purchase of school land, where the town of Wind- 
fall now stands; he remained here until 1859 ; experienced all the pri- 
vations of a new country. In the meantime, he was a large contractor 
on building railroads, having taken his first contract on the I., P. & C R. 
R., from Kokomo to Cassville ; he then took a contract for grubbing, 
clearing and grading fifty miles on the C, C. & I. C, amounting to about 
$100,000; the company consisted of Foster, Doggett, Ashley and Bohan. 
In 1859, Mr. Doggett exchanged his property in Windfall for land in 
Decatur County, where he pursued the occupation of farming until 1876. 
He then removed to Howard County, and purchased 100 acres five miles 
south of Kokomo ; here he farmed until 1882 when he sold, and located 
on the farm where he noAv resides ; he has 101 acres of the best land in 
the county ; he was at one time worth about f 20,000, but has assisted 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 805 

his children with this. Mr. Doggett was married in 1843 to Miss Eliza- 
beth Frakes, of Rush County; she died in 1847, leaving three sons — 
Henry, David and Arthur ; he next married Sarah Martin, who died in 
1876, leaving two sons — Philip M. and Ralph ; he married his third wife 
in 1877, Miss Sarah A. Hazel, who died in 1878, leaving two children — 
Byron E. and Blanch Edith ; Mrs. Sarah A. Doggett was a fine artist ; 
Mr. Doggett was last married in 1881, to Hester A. Tolbot, of Kokomo ; 
she was a teacher for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Doggett are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In early life he was a 
Whig, later belonged to the Republican party, and in 1880 joined the 
National party ; he is a strong temperance man. 

C. F. FORRER, proprietor of the Windfall City Flouring Mill, 
which was built by a stock company, and which has the capacity for 
grinding 200 bushels of wheat and 200 bushels of corn per day, is one of 
the leading business men of the village. He was born in Brookville, 
Ind., January 14, 1856, and is the son of Daniel and Sarah (Cooper) 
Forrer, natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia respectively, of German 
and Irish descent. Daniel Forrer removed to Ohio in an early day, and 
subsequently located in Franklin County. He in early life learned the 
millwright trade, and met with success, and through industry and econo- 
my became quite wealthy. In July, 1882, he located at Cambridge City, 
where he is living a retired life. C. F. Forrer in his youth had access to 
the common schools, and during the vacations assisted his father in the 
mill. He attended Brookville College a few terms, and thus acquired a 
good education. He learned the miller's trade from his father, and in 
1876 took charge of his father's mill. After conducting this five years, 
he began operating the Windfall City Flouring Mill on his own responsi- 
bility, where he is doing a large custom and retail business. Mr. Forrer 
was married, April 12, 1883, to Miss Emma Miller, of Hartford City, 
Ind. She was born May 16, 1860, and is the daughter of Samuel 
Miller, a pioneer of Indiana. Mr. Forrer is identified with the Repub- 
lican party, and is a Free Mason and Odd Fellow. 

BENJAMIN F. GIFFORD, of the firm of Hirous & Gilford, manu- 
facturers of hard and soft wood lumber and staves, was born in Sciota 
County, Ohio, March 25, 1834, and is the son of Isaac and Sarah 
(Montgomery) Gifford, natives of Ohio, and of England respectively. 
Isaac Gifford was a pioneer farmer of Scioto County, Ohio, where he 
spent the latter part of his life. He was identified with the Democratic 
party, and was a zealous worker in the Methodist Episcopal Chui'ch. 
He died in 1842 ; his wife survived him until 1849. At the age of 
fifteen, Benjamin was left an orphan ; he received no education in his 
boyhood, but has now obtained a fair business education. He was en- 



306 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

gaged in job work until he wa.s twenty-three years of age. In 1857, he 
took up farming, and during winter worked in a blacksmith shop. In 
1859, he removed to Greene County, Ohio, where he engaged in farming 
until November, 1864, when he removed to Windfall, a':d purchased 
forest land in the township, in which he employed from fifteen to thirty 
men cutting cord wood and making railroad ties. In April, 1868, he lo- 
cated where he now lives and farms sixty-four acres of well-improved land. 
In 1880, he purchased a half-interest in the mill he is now successfully 
operating. Mr. Gifford was married, December 29, 1859, to Miss 
Melissa H. Thornburg, of Greene County, Ohio, who died in 1865, leaving 
one son — Perry D. Mr. Gifford was next married, in March, 1866, to 
Miss Susan McClish, of Shelby County, Ohio. Mr. Gifford is an ener- 
getic citizen, and active in all public enterprises. He is one of ten who 
closed the saloons of Windiall, by buying their right. He is an active 
Democratic politician, and has served as Township Trustee. He is a 
Mason, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

HOLDINGS WORTH GRAHAM, one of the leading farmers of 
Wild Cat Township, was born in Lancaster County, Penn., March 11, 
1832, and is the third of nine children born to James and Maria (Marsh) 
Graham, natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and of Irish and Dutch 
descent. Our subject, at the age of five years, removed with his parents 
to Fairfield, Franklin Co., Ind., where his father abandoned his trade as 
wagon-maker and began farming. In 1849, he removed to Decatur 
County, Ind., where he had access to the common schools. Upon reach- 
ing his majority, he worked as a farm hand five years, saving $100 per 
year, and with this money bought a team and some farming implements, 
and began farming on rented land. In February, 1864, he came to Tip- 
ton County and purchased eighty acres of his present home, on which he 
moved in October, 1865, and has since been a resident here ; he now 
owns 120 acres, all under cultivation. Mr. Graham, near the close of the 
war, was drafted and paid $1,000 for a substitute, causing him to go in 
debt, but through labor and economy he" paid this debt and added forty 
acres more to his farm. He was married, September 9, 1859, to Miss 
Sarah Marsh, of Shelby County, Ind.; she was born June 28, 1844, and 
is the daughter of John Marsh, a pioneer of Shelby County, Ind. By 
this marriage they have six children — Julia A., wife of Perry Behymer ; 
Laura B., James L., Harry H,, Isaac M. and John II. (deceased). Mr. 
Graham is a member of the Democratic party, and has served as Town- 
ship Trustee one term. He is a Master Mason and is a liberal supporter 
of all public enterprises ; he is a strong temperance man, and his wife 
is a member of the Christian Church. 

DR. JEFFERSON R. HILLDRUP, a native of Union County, 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 307 

Ind., was born October 1, 1844, and is the only son of James and Laura 
(Lee) Hilldrup, natives of Virginia and Ohio, and of English descent. 
His father was married in Wayne County, Ind., about 1842. He subse- 
quently removed to Philomath, Ind., where he taught in the academy two 
years, when he located in Madison County and engaged in goods business 
at Monticello ; he remained here until his death, October 9, 1853. Dr. 
Hilldrup attended the common schools, and at the age of fourteen en- 
tered Wiiite Water College; at Centerville, Wayne Co., Ind.; he taugHt 
from 1862 to 1868, at which time he started West, and spent two years 
in Kansas and Missouri ; he then returned to Madison County, Ind.. 
where he taught school the following winter, and in the spring of 1871 
began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Zimri Hockett, of Ander- 
son. Ind.; he remained in Anderson in all three years, and in the mean- 
time attended two courses of lectures at the Medical College at Indian- 
apolis ; he graduated there with honors in the spring of 1876, and soon 
after engaged in the practice of medicine at Anderson. In the spring of 
1879, he located at Windfall, where he has since practiced, except the 
summer of 1882, which was spent at Fishersburg, Madison Co., Ind. 
Dr. Hilldrup is an active, energetic man, and is fast becoming one of the 
leading physicians of T.pton County. 

THOMAS M. HIROUS, of the firm of Hirous & Gilford, manufact- 
urers of hard and soft wood lumber and staves, is a native of West Vir- 
ginia, born May 18, 1850, and is a son of Parker C. and Rebecca (Mil- 
ler) Hirous, natives of Pennsylvania and West Virginia respectively. 
Parker C. Hirous removed to Delaware County, Ind., with his family in 
1857, where he is still living on the same farm, and is a prominent citi- 
zen, and a zealous worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Thomas 
M. Hirous came from his native State at the age of seven, and spent his 
youth on his father's farm. He received a limited education, and assisted 
his father in clearing the forest. Upon arriving at his majority, he en- 
gaged in the lumber business with Samuel Holt, near Muncie. In 1876. 
he sold out and came to Windfall, where he erected the saw mill he has 
since operated. He sold a one-lialf interest to Eli Thornburg, which 
partnership existed until 1880, when Mr. T. sold out to B. F. Gilford. 
This firm is doing a fine business. Mr. Hirous began life with limited 
means, but has accumulated 100 acres of land, now fairly improved, be- 
sides village and mill property. He was married, December 24, 1874, at 
Fairmont, W. Va., to Miss Maggie Groves, of that place, born March 9, 
1849, daughter of Jacob and Priscilla (Fleming) Groves. Mr. Hirous is 
a Republican, and at present Town Councilman. He is a member of the 
I. 0. 0. F., and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

19 



308 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

JAMES HOLLOW AY, leading farmer and stock-raiser, was born in 
Hamilton County, Ind., December 25, 1831, the third of eight chil- 
dren born to Ebenezer and Ann (Justice) Holloway, both natives of Indi- 
ana. His father removed early to Ohio, and in 1830 located in Hamil- 
ton County, where he made a good home and died in 1866, at the age of 
seventy-eight. Mrs. Holloway still resides on the home farm, where she 
has lived fifty years. Our subject received a limited education in the 
pioneer schools, and at the age of twenty-one began work as a farm hand, 
and in four years saved $500, with which he purchased forty acres in 
Liberty Township, moving upon it in the spring of 1856. Two years 
later he sold this land and purchased 110 acres of his present home ; to 
this he has added and also improved ; he now has 230 acres of good land, 
with commodious buildings. Mr. Holloway was married in 1865 to Miss 
Jane Pennington, of Morgan County, Ind. Two children bless this union 
Ada and Josie. Mr. Holloway enlisted in 1862 in Company B, Sev- 
enty-fifth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which formed a part of 
the Fourteenth Army Corps of the Cumberland, which participated in the 
battles of Hartsville, Ky., Stone River, Murfreesboro, Hoover's Gap, 
Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Ga., and with 
Sherman on his historic " march to the sea." At the battle of Kenesaw 
Mountain, he received a flesh wound from a minie ball, which sent him to- 
the hospital at Ringgold for three months. Mr. Holloway was a brave 
soldier ; he is identified with the Democratic party, and he and wife are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

D. D. JOHN, merchant, is a native of Butler County, Ohio, and 
was born May 24, 1840 ; he is the son of James and Mary (Conn) John, 
of English and Irish descent ; his father died July 4, 1863, at the age of 
fifty-eight. Our subject worked on a farm until he was eighteen years of 
age, acquiring a good education ; he began teaching in 1858, and after 
teaching three terms engaged in farming in Liberty Township. In the 
fall of 1862, he enlisted in Company C, Twenty-sixth Regiment Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, and one year later joined the Army of the Tennessee, 
Thirteenth Army Corps, at the siege of Vicksburg. They went to New 
Orleans, and at an outpost known as' Madam Sterling's Plantation, La., 
he and 450 of his comrades were captured. They were taken to Camp 
Ford, Texas, where they were held as prisoners ten months, being ex- 
changed July 22, 1864. Mr. John rejoined his regiment at New Orleans. 
They Avere in the siege of Mobile, and thence proceeded to Montgomery, 
Ala. The company was disbanded September 6, 1865, Mr. John being 
then Fifth Sergeant; he returned to Tipton County, Ind., and farmed 
until May, 1869, when he began working as a clerk for J. H. Zehner, of 
Windfall ; he has remained here the most of the time since ; he is 



I 



AVILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 309 

a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and of the Democratic party ; he is 
now acting as Town Cletk, Assessor, Treasurer and member of the 
School Board. Mr. John was married, May 2, 1858, to Miss Sarah A. 
Leonard, daughter of Caleb Leonard, one of the pioneers of Tipton 
County. This union has been blessed with six children, five of whom 
are living — William C, school teacher, Oliver E., David F., Levi C. and 
Delia May. 

OLIVER KNOTTS, one of the enterprising fjirmers of Wihi Cat 
Township, was born in Rush County, Ind., July 10, 1848, and is the 
eldest of two sons born to Nathaniel and Malinda (Hatfield) Knotts, both 
natives of Ohio, and of Irish and English descent ; his father, Nathaniel 
Knotts, upon arriving at manhood, began life for himself at farming in 
Rush County ; he was there married to Miss Malinda Hatfield ; he re- 
mained in Rush County until 1854, on land he had entered some years 
previous. Mr. Knotts was a hard-working man and redeemed from the 
forest a good home. He was a highly esteemed citizen, and was identi- 
fied with the Democratic party ; he died in 1859 at the age of thirty- 
three ; his wife then returned to Rush County, and in 1861 was married 
to her present husband, William S. Hall, a prominent firmer of Rush 
County. Oliver Knotts, being left fatherless at the age of eleven re- 
turned with his mother to Rush County ; he was there reared upon a 
farm by his step-father, and, upon reaching manhood, engaged in the 
grocery business at Raleigh, and shortly after was appointed Postmaster, 
in which office he served about five years ; he also continued in the 
grocery business during this time, and in 1876 engaged in farmint' ; in 
1877, he removed to his present farm in Wild Cat Township ; his father 
entered this farm and began clearing it in the early history of the county. 
Mr. Knotts now owns eighty acres of good land and raises grain of all 
kinds; he is a stanch supporter of Republican principles; he was mar- 
ried, September 7, 1873, to Miss Rachel E. Rider, a native of Ross 
County, Ohio. She was born June 22, 1852. and is the daughter of 
Thomas and Sarah (Gotschall) Rider. 

WILSON KIRTLEY, a pioneer of this township, was born in Fay- 
ette County, Ind., April 29, 1826, and is a son of Elijah and Catharine 
Kirtley, natives of Kentucky and North Carolina respectively. Elijah 
Kirtley was a pioneer of Fayette County, and there cleared from the for- 
est a home. A few years later, he located in Ripley County, Ind., and 
subsequently removed to Rush County; the latter part of his life was 
spent in Grant County. In early life, he was a VVhig, but later a Demo- 
crat, and was a faithful worker in the Baptist Church. His wife survived 
him until 1883, and died while living with her daughter in Missouri. 
Our subject passed his youth on a farm, and at the age of twentv- 



310 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

one rented land, and farmed until 1852, when he moved to this county 
and located on the land which is now his home. Here he experi- 
enced all the privations of a new country, but has made a good home for 
his family. Mr. Kirtley was married, December 15, 1849, to Miss Mary 
Osburn, of Rush County, Ind., born December 29, 1834, daughter of 
Joseph Osburn. This union was blessed with nine children, six of whom 
are living — Joseph, Daniel V., Sarah C, Martha M., Dora A. and Arzro. 
Mr. Kirtley is a politician in the Democratic ranks, and has served a 
number of terms as Supervisor. He and wife are the oldest settlers in 
this part of the township, and both are members of the Missionary Bap- 
tist Church. 

INGERSOLL LADEN, one of the pioneers and representative 
men of Wild Cat Township, was born in Cape May County, N. J., Sep- 
tember 7, 1808, and is the eldest of eleven children born to Perry and 
Hannah (Vangilder) Laden, natives of New Jersey, and of English de- 
scent. His father died in Rush County, Ind., April 12, 1845. His 
mother's death occurred in 1856. The subject of this sketch spent his 
youth on the farm, and received a common school education. He rented 
land near home; he subsequently entered eighty acres in Rush County, 
upon which he lived fifteen years ; he then sold and removed to Iowa, 
but ten months later returned to Rush County and rented land for three 
years. In the fall of 1853, he purchased eighty acres of his present 
home, where he found a small log cabin and ten acres of ground cleared. 
Struggling on from year to year, he has made one of the best homes in 
the township, and at one time owned 400 acres, but has since divided 320 
acres between his children. Mr. Laden was married December 19, 1830, 
to Miss Isabel Allender, of Fleming County, Ky. She was born March 
16, 1812, and is the daughter of George Allender. This marriage has 
been crowned with twelve children — David, James W., Hannah E., Eliz- 
abeth J., Stephen D., Cordelia A., Mary C, George W., Samantha A., 
William, deceased, Joseph P., deceased, and Darius D., deceased, a sol- 
dier, who died from a wound received at the battle of Vicksburg. Mr. 
Laden has always taken an active part in home enterprise. He is a Dem- 
ocrat, and cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson. 

JAMES W. LADEN, farmer, was born in Rush County, Ind., Au- 
gust 12, 1835, and is the son of Ingersoll Laden ; he spent his youth on 
the farm, and in 1853, removed with his parents to Tipton County, Ind. 
At the age of twenty-one, he engaged as a teamster for James Foust, driving 
four or five yokes of cattle ; he subsequently worked in a mill, and for 
two years acted as fireman. In February, 1864, he engaged in farming on 
the land where he now lives ; he started in the green, and through unceas- 
ing toil has made a good home. In 1876, he engaged in mercantile pur- 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 811 

suits with a general stock in Windfall, and during the winter of 1879 he 
took charge of the City Hotel at Tipton. The rest of his time has been 
spent upon the farm where he now lives ; he has been a hard-working, 
industrious farmer, and is politically a member of the Democratic party. 
Mr. Laden was married, June 27, 1860, to Miss Ella Pulliam, of Tipton 
County. She died a few years later, leaving one daughter — Ida. Mr. 
Laden was next married in November, 1864. to his present wife, Miss 
Elizabeth Deer, of this county ; she is the daughter of John Deer, one 
of the pioneer farmers of Wild Cat Township. This marriage has been 
crowned with eight children, seven of whom are living — Estella, Lula, 
Delia, Lillie, Bessie, Rollie and Ingersoll. 

ARTHUR M. LEGGr, a pioneer of this township, was born in Fay- 
ette County, Ind., October 1, 1837 ; is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth 
fShrader) Legg, natives of Indiana and Pennsylvania resoectively. 
Thomas Legg was born in Lawrenceburg, Ind., October 18, 1800, and is 
probably the oldest native born citizen. In 1821, he was married to 
Miss Elizabeth Shrader. Mr. Legg remained in Ohio untill825, when he 
returned to Fayette County and engaged in farming until 1871. Years 
ago, he entered 160 acres, on a part of which Windfall now stands. Mr. 
and Mrs. Legg have had eleven children, eight of whom are living. Mr. 
Legg is the oldest citizen in the township, and resides with his youngest 
son ; he has been a life-long Democrat, and is a member of the Christian 
Church. Arthur M. Legg obtained a common school education, but after- 
ward qualified himself for teaching, and taught two terms in Fayette 
County, one in Howard and seven in Tipton County. In the meantime, 
he took up the study of surveying, and in 1860 was elected County Sur- 
veyor of Tipton County ; he came to this county in 1859, and in Febru- 
ary, 1880, located on his present home of 150 acres. Mr. Legg was mar- 
ried, December 27, 1860, to Miss Sarah E. Owen, by whom he had five 
children — William F. (deceased), Walter 0., Janie F., M. J. Omer and 
Nannie Lea. Mr. Legg is an enterprising citizen ; has served seven years 
as County Surveyor, two terms as Assessor, three terms as Township 
Trustee and one term as Justice of the Peace ; he is an active worker in 
the Democratic ranks, and he and his wife are members of the Church of 
God (Soul-Sleepers). Mr. Legg was ordained minister in 1865, since 
which time he has been an independent local worker. 

B. F. LEGG, a pioneer and farmer, is a native of Fayette County, 
Ind., and was born January 2, 1830. He is the fifth of eleven children 
born to Thomas and Elizabeth (Shrader) Legg, natives of Indiana and 
Pennsylvania, and of Scotch and German descent. Our subject received 
a limited education in the pioneer schools, and at the age of nineteen be- 
gan teaching, and taught ten winter terms in succession. He removed 



312 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

to this county in 1853, and entered forty acres of land. He has been a 
hard-working, industrious man, and has made a good home of 974 acres, 
which is well-improved. During his first four years spent in this county, 
he taught school in the winter, and tended his land in the summer. He 
has served two years as Assessor, and was Deputy Land Appraiser of 
Wild Cat Township two terms. He has served as Justice of the Peace 
nearly fifteen years, and in the fall of 1882 was elected County Commis- 
sioner of District No. 1. He is a Democrat in politics, and is a liberal 
supporter of public enterprises and benevolent purposes. Mr. Legg en- 
listed in Company G. Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
which formed a part of the Cumberland Army. He was taken sick, and 
lay in the camp hospital at Camp Neven, Ky., and was sent home on a 
furlough. After remaining at home about two months, he returned, but 
was yet unable for duty, and a few months later was honorably dis- 
charged. He went out as Orderly Sergeant, doing the work of his Clerk 
besides his own. From over-exertion and exposure, Mr. Legg was so 
disabled that he has not enjoyed good health since. After being dis- 
charged, he returned home, and now resides on the farm which has been 
his home since 1853. Mr. Legg was married in the spring of 1854 to 
Miss Sarah J. Sprong, of Fayette County, Ind. She was born October 
29, 1884, and is the daughter of Stephen Sprong. Mrs. Legg is a mem- 
ber of the Church of God. This marriage has been crowned with five 
children — Charles E., Elbert F., Cliffton, Dora M. and Aubra W. 

WILLIAM LEGG, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Butler 
County, Ohio, born October 7, 1822, and is the eldest of eleven children 
of Thomas Legg. Our subject removed with his parents to Fayette 
County, Ind., in an early day. He had access only to a subscription 
school, and to this but a few months. At the age of sixteen, he began 
life for himself, and made his home with his uncle, Phillip Shrader, until 
the age of twenty-one, when he rented land and worked at job work un- 
til 1851, when he located on land of his own in Madison County, on 
which he built a cabin, and some of which he cleared. After about four 
years he sold this and removed to Illinois. He made different changes 
in land during the six years that he spent in the West, and in the fall of 
1861 removetl to Tipton County, and subsequently located on the. farm 
on which he now lives. Here, by industry, he in time secured a 
good home. In 1873, his health failed, yet he has still superintended the 
farm. Mr. Legg was married, January 20, 1848, to Miss Clarissa 
Knotts, of Fayette County, Ind., born August 23, 1827, daughter of 
Samuel and Elizabeth Knotts. From this marriage succeeded seven 
children, five of whom are living — Thomas J., Samuel F., Charles A., 
Arthur D. and Laura A. Mr. Legg has been an active worker in the 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 313 

Democratic ranks, and he and wife are prominent members of the 
Christian Church. 

S. P. B. LETHERBERY, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in 
Marion County, Ohio, June 28, 1852, and is a son of Santford and Eliza- 
beth (May) Letherbery, both natives of Ohio. His father belonged to one 
of the pioneer families of Marion County. Our subject was reared by 
his grandmother, and received a common school education. At the age 
of twenty, he began farming on rented land, and in the spring of 1880 
came West and purchased 100 acres of his present home. He began life 
with limited means, but by 1880 had ^2,500, besides a good farming out- 
fit. He now owns 120 acres well improved, together with 105 acres of 
tillable soil. Mr. Letherbery was married, May 16, 1865, to Miss Matilda 
A. Harris, of Marion County, Ohio, born July 15, 1858, daughter of Jacob 
and Sarah A. (Kerr) Harris. Mr. Letherbery is one of the leading sheep- 
raisers of Wild Cat Township, and an active worker in the Republican 
party. He has filled some of the minor offices of the township. He is 
a worthy citizen, and with his wife is a member of the Free- Will Baptist 
Church. 

LEWIS McALISTER, M. D. and druggist, was born in St. Law- 
rence County, N. Y., May 15, 1817, and is the youngest of fifteen chil- 
dren born to John and Isabel (Lockwood) McAlister, natives of New 
Hampshire and Rhode Island, and of Scotch and Irish descent. His 
parents were among the early settlers of Lawrence County. Dr. Mc- 
Alister was left fatherless at the age of thirteen, and when he was seven- 
teen he bound himself out for three years to Salmon Currier, a horticult- 
urist of Potsdam, N. Y., receiving as pay six months' schooling, two suits 
of clothes and $200. With this money, he attended the Potsdam 
Academy one year, and, in 1839. taught school at Oswego, N. Y., for six 
months. In the spring of 1840, he entered a drug store as clerk, and at 
the same time began the study of medicine. The following winter, he 
attended a course of lectures at Albany, N. Y., and, in June, 1841, 
entered the office of his brother at Oxford, Ohio, where he continued 
studying for two years. He then attended a course of lectures at the 
Cincinnati Medical College, after which he practiced medicine one year 
at Somerville, Ohio. In the fall of 1844, he came to Milford, Decatur 
Co., Ind., and practiced twenty-two years. He then located in 
Kokomo one year, but by failing health was compelled to return to Mil- 
ford, and in the fall of 1867 located at Windfall. He built a brick 
building, and in it placed a general stock of merchandise, but subse- 
quently put in drugs alone. He was one of a stock company that built the 
Windfall City Mills. In 1876, he purchased the entire "mill, which he 
operated until 1879. He retired from active practice in 1875, but has 



314 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

since given his attention to a few special cases. He is a liberal supporter 
of public enterprise, and has contributed to the building of churches. He 
has been visited by fire at three different times, the last occurring in 
March, 1883. Dr. McAlister was married, January 1, 1846. to Miss 
Rachel Fugit, of Decatur County, Ind. She was born August 15, 1818, 
and is the daughter of John Fugit, one of the pioneers of Decatur 
County. He is a member of the Republican party, and is a strong tem- 
perance man. He is a member of the Christian Church, and his wife 
belongs to the M. E. Church. 

CAPT. AUGUSTUS McGILL came to Tipton County in July, 1882, 
and purchased a place adjoining the corporate limits of Windfall. He is 
of Celtic descent, his ancestors having come to the colony of Pennsylvania 
anterior to the Revolution, in which both his grandfathers were continent- 
al soldiers and comrades; together they wintered at Valley Forge, crossed 
the Delaware on the ice under the eye of Washington, and together took 
part in the battles of Trenton and Princeton. They subsequently settled 
in Crawford County, Penn,, where the subject of this sketch was born in 
1828. Augustus became a surveyor and school teacher, and taught at various 
points until 1855, when he married. In 1856, he was appointed Postmaster 
of his native town, and subsequently served one term as County Auditor. 
In August, 1861, he enlisted in the Eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer 
Infantry, and served, with the exception of one short interval, through the 
war. He took part in the siege of Yorktown and the battles of Hanover 
Court House, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mills, Malvern Hill, second Bull 
Run, Antietam and Fredericksburg, at the last place receiving injuries 
which necessitated his retiring for a short time from active service. In 
June, 1868, Lee invaded Pennsylvania while Capt. McGill was at home 
an invalid. Gov. Curtin issued a call for three months' men, and in less 
than twenty-four hours the Captain was on his way to Pittsburgh with a 
full company. After the repulsion of the enemy, the Captain returned 
to the Army of the Potomac, went through Grant's campaign in the Wil- 
derness, was in the assault on Cold Harbor, the advance on Petersburg, 
the capture of the Norfolk and Weldon Railroad, etc. In the spring of 
1865, he was in the last campaign against Lee, and was at Lewis' Farm, 
Boydton Road and Five Forks and many other fights, and was present at 
Lee's surrender. Since the war, the Captain has served ten years as mag- 
istrate in his native town, and successfully pursued other vocations suited 
to his crippled condition. His son, William R. McGill, is a young man 
of estimable qualities, is also a resident of this township, and is engaged in 
farming. 

W. J. MINER, one of the representative and leading men of Wind- 
fall, was born in'Hendricks County, Ind., August 4, 1837, and is the old- 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 315 

est son of Richard and Lynda Mira (Jackson) Miner, both natives of 
Indiana. Richard Miner was a farmer, but ultimately practiced law. He 
served as Probate Judge, also as Justice of the Peace for several vears. 
He was a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He died 
February 9, 1875, aged sixty-two years. W. J. Miner spent his youth 
on a farm, and received a common school education. At the age of six- 
teen, he began an apprenticeship at the wagon-maker's trade and worked 
one and a half years. He then worked one year as a journeyman, after 
which he conducted a shop of hiso wn in Elwood until 1861. He enlisted, 
November, 1861, in Company E, Thirty-fourth Regiment Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry, as a private. He was soon promoted to Orderly Sergeant, 
later to Second Lieutenant, and in 1863, at Vicksburg, to First Lieutenant. 
He was in battle at Port Gibson, Island No. 10, Chaplin Hills, New 
Madrid, Point Pleasant, siege of Vicksburg and siege of Jackson. At the 
close of the war, he returned to Madison County, where he engaged in the 
hardware business, and subsequently handled dry goods for a few years. 
After this, he again entered the hardware business, and in February, 1875, 
located in Windfall and purchased a half-interest of A. W. Gould's stock. 
In Octobei', 1877, Mr. Miner became successor to the firm of Gould (fc 
Miner, and has since conducted the business, handling a full stock of hard- 
ware, building material and agricultural implements. He is an active 
politician in the Democratic ranks, and was elected Township Trustee 
April 15, 1882. Mr. Miner was married, April 24, 1866, to Miss Eliza- 
beth Guisinger, of Anderson, Ind., and daughter of Dr. J. S. Guisinger. 
They have three children — Orpha, Gertrude and Paul. Mr. Miner is a 
member of the Masoilic fraternitiy and I. O. O. F., and is one of the most 
successful business men of the village. His maternal grandparents were 
of Irish extraction. 

H. MITCHELL, farmer, is a native of Decatur County, Ind.. and 
was born November 2, 1835. He is the son of Silas and Sarah (John- 
son) Mitchell, both natives of Kentucky, and of English and Irish de- 
scent. H. Mitchell came with his parents to this county at the age of 
twelve years, before the organization of Wild Cat Township, and here 
spent his boyhood days. At the age of eighteen, he began to battle in 
life for himself. He located near Windfall, where he found a farm with a 
log cabin and one acre of cleared ground. Two years later, he visited Iowa. 
and late in the fall of 1857 returned to this township and re-located on 
the farm he had left. In 1861, he sold this and bought his present farm 
of eighty acres, which he found low and wet. He built a log cabin and 
started for the second time in the forest. He is an active politician in the 
Democratic ranks, and has held some of the minor offices of the township. 
Mr. Mitchell was married in May, 1853, to Miss Dorcas Ann Denny, of 



816 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Tipton County ; she was born in 1833, and was the daughter of Jehu 
Denny. She died March 7, 1876, leaving ten children — Sarah J,, Eliza 
E., Marshal, Marion, Emily, Alice, Charles, Siles, Myrta and Pearl. 
Mr. Mitchell was next married in February, 1877, to Mrs. Amanda 
High. This lady died in 1879, and Mr. Mitchell was married, April 12, 
1883, to Mrs. Nancy Bragg, of Howard County. Mr. Mitchell is a 
Master Mason, and his wife is a member of the M. E. Church. 

JOSEPH S. MITCHELL, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in De- 
oatur County, Ind., September 30, 1847, He is a brother of H. 
Mitchell. His parents were one of five families that located in this 
county prior to 1848. His father pre-empted land, made a good home, 
and April 25, 1873, died at the age of seventy-two. He assisted in es- 
tablishing the first Baptist Church of his township, and was an active 
worker, and a man of prominence. His wife is still living. In 1870, 
Joseph S. located on forty acres of land which he purchased for $1,000, 
and in 1873 removed to the home farm. In February, 1874, he located 
on the farm where he now lives, finding about thirty acres cleared. He 
is a model farmer, and now owns 140 acres well improved, and with good 
buildings. Mr. Mitchell married, September 7, 1871, Miss Sarah E. 
Nutter, of Tipton County. She died in 1878, leaving two small children 
— Mary E. and John S. Mr. Mitchell was next married, in 1879, to 
Mrs. Mary E. (Harper) Mitchell, of Howard County. He is a stanch 
supporter of Democratic principles, and has held some of the minor 
offices of the township. 

WILLI A.M P. MULLIKIN, Justice of the Peace and farmer, was 
born February 1, 1842, In 1853, his father located west of Windfall, 
and here the boy William assisted to carve a home out of the forest. He 
received considerable schooling and began teaching in 1860. In August, 
1862, he enlisted in Company G, Eighty-ninth Regiment Indiana Vol- 
unteer Infantry ; his first engagement was at Munfordsville, Ky., where 
his regiment was captured. Mr. Mullikin, after being exchanged, was 
wounded in the head at Fort DeRussy, La., and left on the field for dead ; 
he did not become wholly conscious for three months, and was away from 
his regiment six months. Subsequently he saw varied and severe service 
in Tennessee and Missouri until his discharge in July, 1865. Returning 
home, he taught school in various places, and also engaged in the lumber 
business. In 1873, he was Principal of the Windfall Schools. In 1877, 
he removed to the fifty-five-acre farm where he now lives. He has been 
Town Clerk, Assessor, Treasurer and Justice of the Peace. Mr. Mul- 
likin has been three times married, the last time to Miss Henrietta S. 
Ludwig, of Franklin County. By this marriage there are two children — 
Sarah M. and Ida Leora. By the earlier marriages there were Emmet 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 317 

G., Alva M., Metta Inez and Ivy Edna. Mr. Mullikin is a member of 
the Presbyterian Church and his wife of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
His first wife, Mrs. Casandra Mullikin, presented him with twins, who 
died at the age of nine months, and later presented him with triplets, 
Avho also died in infancy. 

WILLIAM H. NEWTON, was born in Hamilton City, Ohio, July 
28, 1840, and is one of four children born to John and Philinda (Clark) 
Newton, natives of Ohio and of Eaglish descent. Mr. Newton came to 
Indiana when he was but twelve years old, and assisted his father on a 
farm in Shelby County. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, 
Seventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He participated in the 
battle at Greenbrier, Port Republic, Winchester, second battle at Bull 
Run, South Mountain and Gettysburg, being wounded in the last in his left 
hip by a gunshot. He was taken to Philadelphia, where he remained in 
the hospital three months ; he then rejoined his regiment and participated 
the battle at Chancellorsville, the campaign through the Wilderness and at 
the siege of Petersburg, where he received a second gunshot wound in 
the neck. He was confined to hospitals until July, 1864, when he was 
honorably discharged ; he returned home and engaged in farming until 
March, 1875, when he located on the farm where he now lives. He 
owns ninety-eight acres of land, well drained, well improved and with 
good buildings. Mr. Newton was married, August 16, 1860, to Miss 
Amilla Bullard, of Shelby County, Ind. She was born November 15, 
1842. They have had seven children, four of whom are living — Emma 
A., Mary P., George E. and Leora. Mr. Newton is a Republican in 
politics, is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and his wife are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

JOHN NLTTTER, one of the pioneers and prominent men of Wind- 
fall, is the oldest resident of Wild Cat Township. He is a native of Wood 
County, W. Va., and was born August 15, 1817. He is the eldest son of 
Isaac and Elizabeth (Webb) Nutter, both natives of Harrison County, Va., 
and of Irish descent. John Nutter was reared on a farm, and in the fall 
of 1840 located in Boone County, Ind.; September 24, 1841, he came to 
Tipton County and took a claim of 160 acres, erected a log cabin, and 
lived a bachelor's life for three years. He was a successful hunter, and 
by killing deer and coons he saved $130, with which he purchased his 
first piece of land, entering eighty acres in April, 1848. He was the 
fifth settler in Wild Cat Township, and was present at the organization of 
the township, serving as one of the Judges at the election. He erected 
the first hewed-log house, furnished with puncheon floor and clapboard 
door. He hai since made a good hdme, and at one time owned 470 acres 
of land. He has since given to each of his children a good home, and 



318 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Still owns 250 acres joining Windfall ; he has a fine large brick residence. 
He has been one of the leading citizens of Tipton County, where he has 
been a resident forty-two years. He served as the first Bailiff of the first 
grandjury of Tipton County. He served as County Commissioner six years, 
and it was during his official career that the county jail was erected. He 
wrote the first petition for a road in Wild Cat Township, and was appointed 
Supervisor to cut out the road. Mr. Nutter took out the second mar- 
riage license issued in Tipton County, and was married in July, 1845, to 
Miss Martha Pritchard, a native of Johnson County. She died February 
5, 1855, leaving four children, two of whom are living — James W., mer- 
chant in Windfall, and Elizabeth J., milliner and dress-maker in Windfall. 
Mr. Nutter's second marriage occurred in 1855, to Miss Amanda McKay, 
of Howard County. Three children crowned this union, one of whom is 
living — Martha A. Mrs. Nutter died in 1863, and he was last married, 
January 1, 1866, to Mrs. Nancy (Mitchell) Freeman, of Howard County. 
Mr. Nutter is an active worker in the Democratic party, and he and wife 
are members of the Baptist Church. He is a stanch supporter of the 
temperance movement, and of all public enterprises and benevolent pur- 
poses. 

JAMES W. NUTTER, of the firm of Vice & Nutter, is a native of 
Tipton County and was born February 1, 1849, and is the only son born 
to John and Martha (Pritchard) Nutter. Our subject was reared on a 
farm, and received a common school education. Upon arriving at his 
majority, he worked on the farm for his father until he was twenty-six 
years of age, after which he conducted a farm for himself until February, 
1879, when he exchanged his farm for a half interest in a business room 
and stock of goods, in company with D. B. Vice. They are conducting 
an extensive business, and are also dealing in all kinds of grain, and buy- 
ing and shipping stock. Their business room and stock of goods were 
burned, causing a loss of $2,500, but they immediately erected a fine, 
large brick building, 21x80 feet, two stories, which is well filled with 
a general stock of goods. Mr. Nutter was married, August 19, 1875, to 
Miss Amanda E. Hardy, of Franklin County, Ky. She was born Feb- 
ruary 4, 1858, and is the daughter of Samuel Hardy. This union has 
been blessed with four children — Ora B.. John S., James and Edward. 
Mr. Nutter has been a politician in the Democratic ranks, and his wife is 
a member of the Christian Church. 

THOMAS B. OSBURN, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in Rush 
County, Ind., September 28, 1839, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Burton) 
Osburn ; Joseph Osburn located in Rush County at an early day, and 
there entered land ; he cleared from the forest a home, upon which he re- 
sided until 1881, when he sold the same and located ne.ar New Brunswick, 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 319 

Boone Co., Ind., where he is now living; he commenced life a poor boy 
but by economy and industry, he accumulated 300 acres in Rush County, 
300 in Tipton County, and eighty acres in Madison County ; he gave a 
farm to each of his children, and still has a good home ; he is now seventy- 
four years of age, and enjoys good health ; he is a Democrat in politics, 
and a faithful worker in the Baptist Church. Our subject received a 
limited education in the common schools, and assisted his father on the 
farm until he was twenty-two years of age, when he came to Tipton 
County and engaged in improving his forest land. On August 28, 1862, 
he was married to Miss Edith Plumraer, born in this township, March 12. 
1846, daughter of Ira Plummer, one of the first settlers. To this union 
were born five children — Zimri, Joseph, Elizabeth, Jerard Guy and John H. 
By hard labor and much good management, Mr. Osburn has now a good 
farm of 200 acres, 110 of which are improved ; he is a liberal supporter 
of every public improvement, and a very earnest Democrat. Both him- 
self and wife are members of the Christian Church. 

OBADIAH OVERMAN, a pioneer farmer of Wild Cat Township. 
was born in Randolph County, Ind., November 8, 1821, and is the eldest 
son born to Cornelius and Rebecca (Ford) Overman, natives of North_ 
Carolina; his father died February 17, 1851, at the age of fifty-five; his 
mother's death occurred in 1866. Obadiah of this sketch removed to 
Wayne County. Ind., with his parents, when he was but thirteen years of 
age, and there received a limited education ; his father was an invalid, 
hence, his eldest son was early called to take charge of the home farm ; 
he remained at home until he was about twenty-two years of age, when he 
began life for himself on rented land in Rush County, Ind. The follow- 
ing year he returned to Wayne County, Ind., and in the spring of 1851 
purchased eighty acres of his present home ; in the fall of 1853, he moved 
here with his family, and, struggling from year to year, soon had a good 
home cleared out of the forest; he now owns 240 acres of land, 100 
of which are under good cultivation, with good buildings. Mr. Overman 
was married, in 1843, to Miss Sarah D. Hall, of Wayne County, Ind.; 
she was born in North Carolina August 9, 1824, and is the daughter of 
Joshua Hall, of North Carolina. By this marriage they have five chil- 
dren — Levi (who sleeps in a soldier's grave near Indianapolis), Elwood, 
Robert, Elkanah and Price. Mr. Overman is a Republican, and his wife 
is a member of the Friends' Church. In the early history of Tipton 
County, Mr. Overman was known as the poor man's friend, as he would 
give his corn to the poor man who had no money to buy, rather than sell 
it to the man who was able to pay. 

ROBERT F. OVERMAN was born in Wayne County, Ind., No- ' 
vember 2, 1850, and is the son of Obadiah Overman. When he was but 



320 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

a child, his parents removed to this county and located on land in Wild 
Cat Township ; here Mr. Overman spent his youth and received a lim- 
ited education. He began life for himself at the age of eighteen, and has 
always followed agricultural pui'suits and stock-raising. He located on 
his present farm of eighty-nine acres in 1870, finding but two acres 
cleared, and now has about fifty acres of tillable land. He was married, 
August 14, 1867, to Miss Barbara A. Miller, of Howard County ; she 
was born February 25, 1847. By this marriage they have four children 
— William E., Charity L., Rhodema A. and Eva E. Mr. Overman and 
wife are members of the Society of Friends. Mr. Overman casts his ballot 
with the Republican party, and has held some of the minor offices of the 
township ; he is a public-spirited man, and encourages all home enter- 
prises. 

WILLIAM L. OWEN was born in Carroll County, Ky., November 
18, 1837, and is the third of six children born to William and Frances 
(Driskel) Owen, natives of Kentucky, and of Irish descent. William 
Owen, Sr., removed from Kentucky to Tipton County, Ind., in 1855, and 
purchased 160 acres of forest land near Windfall ; he made a good home, 
and here remained until his death, June 3, 1870, at the age of sixty- 
seven ; his wife died June 8, 1875, at the age of seventy-one. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and at the age of twenty-one 
began farming his father's farm on shares. In 1865, he moved upon a 
rented farm, and one year later returned to the homestead farm ; he now 
owns forty acres of this, besides eighty acres which join it. His farm 
is well-improved, having good frame buildings. Mr. Owen was married, 
September 12, 1862, to Miss Sarah White, of Tipton County ; she was 
born in Decatur County, Ind., December 17, 1842, and is the daughter 
of John F. White, one of the early settlers of this township. Five chil- 
dren bless this union — Flora F., Jane B., Levina 0., Ice Lee and Thomas 
F. Mr. Owen has made his home through his own labor and economy, 
as he started in life empty handed. He is a well-to-do farmer, a worthy 
citizen, and is identified with the Democratic party. 

W. C. PARKER, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Preble 
County, Ohio, born March 28, 1848, and is the only child of Dr. Will- 
iam and Judith A. (Wilkinson) Parker, both natives of Ohio. Dr. Will- 
iam Parker was reared on a farm in Preble County, but studied medicine 
and graduated at the Cincinnati Medical College in 1846; he practiced 
at New Hope, Preble Co., Ohio, in Fayette County, and in Madison 
Township, in this county. He died November 8, 1852, in Preble Coun- 
ty, at the age of thirty-two. W. C. Parker was likewise reared on a 
farm, and in 1858 came to this county with his mother and located where 
he now lives. At the age of eighteen, he began life for himself on tl'.e 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 321 

farm, working on shares, where he has since continued, having full con- 
trol of the homestead, which he has improved by good buildings and 
in other ways. In 1873, he purchased forty acres of unimproved land, 
but which are now tillable. Mr. Parker was married, June 19, 1870. to 
Miss Amanda Goar, daughter of Joseph Goar, one of the pioneers of Tip- 
ton County. To this union were born four children — Joseph W., Clar- 
issa A., James W. and Charles C. Mr. Parker is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity ; he was previously a Democrat, but is now a member 
of the National party. 

E. PERRY, railroad agent and operator, is a native of Owen County, 
Ky., and was born March 27, 1852 ; he is the oldest of four children 
(three now living) born to Lewis and Orphy E. (Said) Perry, natives of 
Kentucky, and of Irish and English descent. Lewis Perry came to Tip- 
ton County, Ind., as early as 1852, locating near Windfall, and made a 
good home of 100 acres. In 1864, he enlisted in Company G, One 
Hundred and Fortieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and partici- 
pated in Sherman's march to the sea ; near Wilmington, he was taken 
sick and died. His wife died in January, 1875. In October, 1870, 
E. Perry began the study of telegraphy, and January 1, 1871, was 
given a position as night operator, which he held for ten months ; he 
was afterward stationed at different railroad points, but returned home in 
the spring of 1875, upon the death of his mother ; in 1876, he engaged as 
railroad agent, clerk and operator at Highland, 111., but in 1878, he re- 
turned to the farm. In December, 1881, he secured the position of agent 
and operator at Windfall, which he still holds ; he is one of the most accom- 
modating agents on the line ; he is identified with the Republican party, 
and is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. He was married, March 21, 1877, 
to Miss Ida Steele, of Windfall. She was born March 30, 1862 and is 
the daughter of J. H. N. Steele. They have had three children, two of 
whom are living — Ora Dessie and Bertie. Mr. Perry is owner of a farm 
of 110 acres with fair improvements, besides as good village property as 
Windfall contains. 

ELISHA PICKERING was born in Green County, Tenn., Novem- 
ber 21, 1813, and is one of twelve children born to Enos and Betta 
(Harle) Pickering, natives respectively of Virginia and North Carolina, 
and of English descent. He was reared on a farm, and received but a 
limited education. About the year 1833, he went to a brother's, near 
New Castle, Ind. In the spring of 1834, he located near Economy, 
Wayne County ; the following fall he was married to Miss Margaret Lee, 
of Wayne County, after which he engaged in farming on his father-in- 
law's place for three years. He then rented a farm near Economy, and 
two years later purchased eighty acres in Randolph County, Ind., and 



322 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

there his wife died, February 15, 1842, leaving two small children — Sarah 
K. and Henry H. (both deceased). The last named enlisted in the spring 
of 1864, in Company C, Fortieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
and died from exposure in April, 1865, In 1849, Mr. Pickering came to 
this county and entered 160 acres, built a log cabin, and began to cut 
away the forest. Mr. Pickering attended the first election in Wild Cat 
Township, and in its early history served five years as Justice of the 
Peace, and three years as County Commissioner, during which time the 
present court house was erected. September 15, 1843, he married Miss 
Rhoda Moore, of Miami County, Ohio. She was born June 21, 1814, 
and is the daughter of Samuel and Alice Moore, natives of Tennessee, 
and of English descent. They have had four children — Ezra L., Mary 
J. (deceased), Miles D. and Margaret A. Mr. Pickering is a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, and his wife belongs to the Society of Friends. 
E. L. PICKERING, of the firm of E. L. Pickering & Co., is a 
native of Randolph County, Ind., and was born July 5, 1847. He is 
the eldest of four children born to Elisha and Rhoda (Moore) Pickering, 
natives of Tennessee and Ohio, and of English descent. Our subject 
enlisted in the State service under Gen. Carrington, served one year, and 
in the fall of 1863 he enlisted in Company B, One Hundred and 
Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He engaged in battle 
at Buzzard Roost, Peach Tree Creek, Resaca, Dalton, Kenesaw Mount- 
ain, Marietta, and the siege of Atlanta. Thence he went with Gen. 
Thomas to Nashville, and at Jonesboro, S. C, he was taken sick ; he 
was honorably discharged May 25, 1865, and returned home and en- 
gaged in farming with his father ; one year later he engaged with 
John Bailey in driving a notion wagon ; he purchased a half-interest 
in Mr. Bailey's grocery and provision store, and in 1873 retired 
from this firm. In March, 1874, he purchased a one-third interest in a 
general stock of goods, and became a member of the firm of Freeman, 
Pickering & Co., and two years later the name of the firm was changed 
to Pickering, Bailey & Co. On March 3, 1878, a fire destroyed their 
building and a stock of goods worth |9,000. Mr. Pickering then entered 
the grocery business in company with D. D. John, and one year later be- 
came successor to Pickering & John ; he subsecjuently purchased an interest 
in company with A. D. Riff'e, and six months later took a third partner, 
making the firm of Pickering, Riffe & Craften. One year later, he re- 
tired from this firm, and subsequently engaged in the drug business one 
year, when he sold a half interest to E. Pickering, and is now a member 
of the firm of E. L. Pickering & Co. In 1881, they began handling a 
full line of implements, making a specialty of Gear, Scott & Co.'s 
thresher and engine, doing a business of ^15,000 annually. In 1874, 



AVILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 323 

he was commissioned Postmaster at Windfall, which office he held nine 
years. He has served on the Central Committee of the Republican party 
eight years, and has been School Trustee for eight years. He is a member 
of the Masonic order. Mr. Pickering was married in 1868 to Miss Catha- 
rine Shawhan, of Tipton County. They had four children, three of whom 
are living— Ida, Udora and Girty. He was again married, November, 
25. 1880, to Miss Rosa Kirkpatrick, of Howard County. She was born 
November 9, 1860, and is the daughter of Rankin Kirkpatrick, of Irish 
descent. This marriage has been blessed with two children— Mervil 
May and Blanche. 

SALATHIEL V. PLUMMER, a representative farmer, was born 
m Rush County. Ind., December 9, 1832, and is the son of Hiram and 
Lydia (Vickery) Plummer. Hiram Plummer located in Washington, 
Rush County, Ind., in his youth, and was there married. In 1849, he 
removed to Tipton County and purchased 160 acres ; he dealt in land 
until he owned about 600 acres ; he died August 29, 1868 ; his wife 
(aged seventy-four) is still living, and resides upon the old homestead. S. 
V. Plummer received a limited education. Upon reaching his majority, 
he began farming for himself. In 1855, he and family moved to Iowa' 
and located first in Harden County and then in Marion County. In 
1857, he returned to Tipton County, and purchased 120 acres for $1,500. 
By hard work and industry, he succeeded in making a good home.' In 
1865, he removed to Northern Missouri, but soon returned to this town- 
ship ; he then purchased 120 acres of forest land, upon which he lived 
until 1872 ; he then visited Kansas and Missouri, and located again in 
Missouri ; returning home for his family, he soon purchased his present 
home of sixty acres, which is now well improved and under cultivation. 
Mr. Plummer was married, February 18, 1853, to Miss Martha J. Gray^ 
a native of Owen County, ind. By this marriage they have four chil- 
dren—Sarah A., George M., Alice and Hiram D. Mr. Plummer is a 
supporter of Democratic principles ; his wife is a worthy member of the 
Christian Church. 

WILLIAM L. PRICE, M. D., is a native of Preble County, Ohio, 
and was born September 17, 1853; he is the second of seven children 
born to Michael and Elizabeth (Wysing) Price, both natives of Ohio, and 
of German descent ; his parents settled in Howard County in 1859, 
locating on Peach Run ; he now owns 160 acres of good land ; his faith- 
ful wife died February 22, 1876 ; he is a highly respected citizen, and a 
worthy member of the Dunkard Church. W. L. Price assisted his father 
on the farm until he was twenty -one years of age, when he began teach- 
ing in the public schools ; he read medicine first in the office of Dr. 
Charles Chittick, and in the winter of 1877-78 attended medical college 



324 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

at Ann Arbor. Previous to this he had taken a literary course of four 
months at Lebanon, Ohio. In September, 1878, he began the practice 
of medicine at ShaqDSville, Ind., and a few weeks later he located at 
Windfall and entered a partnership with Dr. Austin ; this partnership 
continued until the fall of 1879, when Dr. Price began teaching in the 
high school ; in 1880, he located at East Branch, Hamilton Co., Ind., 
where he practiced medicine a few months, when he removed to West 
Liberty, Howard County; in September, 1881, he returned to Windfall 
and assumed charge of the intermediate department of the high school, 
and the following spring again embarked in the practice of medicine ; in 
January, 1883, he formed a partnership with Dr. Zeek, and he and Dr. 
Zeek are now the leading physicians of the town, enjoying an extensive 
practice. Dr. Price was married in August, 1879, to Miss Fannie M. 
Swaim, of Windfall, and daughter of John M.^nd Eveline Swaim. This 
union is blessed with one child, Glena L. Mrs. Price is a member of 
the Christian Church. 

GEORGE M. RIFFE, farmer and stock-raiser, was born in West 
Virginia January 15, 1825, and is the son of David and Mary (Miller) 
Riffe, also natives of Virginia, of German descent. Our subject at the 
age often removed to Decatur County, Ind., where he assisted his father 
on the farm, and received his education from the subscription school ; 
upon arriving at his majority, he began farming on rented ground, and 
by hard work and economy made a good home of 240 acres in Decatur 
County. In the fall of 1861, he exchanged this for wild land in Tipton 
County, upon which he soon located ; he made several changes, and in 
1871 located on the farm where he now lives ; he was married, in 1847, 
to Sarah J. Seright, of Rush County, Ind. She was born January 14, 
1830, and is of German descent. By this union they had nine children 
— A. D., Mary S., J. W., Anna C, Sarah M., George A., Charles K. 
(deceased), Levina (deceased), and Rachael (deceased). Mr. Riffe and 
wife are members of the old Christian Church ; he is a Master Mason, 
and was reared a Democrat, but of late years has voted the Republican 
ticket. 

A. D. RIFFE, one of the leading business men of Windfall, was 
born in Decatur County, Ind., September 1, 1848, and is the eldest son 
of George M. and Sarah J. (Seright) Riffe, natives of Virginia and 
Kentucky respectively, and of German descent. A. D. Riffe assisted 
his father on the farm in Decatur and Tipton Counties, and received a 
common school education. At the age of fifteen, he entered the store of 
Petty, Seright & Co., as clerk, and remained there about two years. 
After this he spent one year on the farm, and subsequently engaged a8 
clerk for R. Freeman in Windfall, and remained with him six years ; he 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 325 

then added ready-made clothing, arid became a third partner iu the firm 
of R. Freeman k Co. This partnership was shortly dissolved, and Mr. 
Riffe then clerked in Dr. McAlister's drug store one year. For the next 
two years, he was manager and book-keeper of the Windfall City Mills, 
after which he returned to the farm. One year later, he engaged in 
mercantile pursuits, and March 1, 1880, assumed charge of W. H. 
Crafton's store, where they are doing a business from $8,000 to $12,000 
per year. Mr. Riffe is an active home politician, is well known and 
highly respected. Mr. Riife has been thrice married — first, November 6, 
1870, to Miss Sarah F. Linke, of Bartholomew County, Ind. ; this lady 
died in January, 1874, leaving one daughter, Minnie J. ; his second mar- 
riage occurred January 15, 1876, to Miss Olive Wright, of Tipton 
County. Her death occurred April 29, 1877. There was one daughter 
by this marriage, Ida M. He was married to his present wife. Miss 
Sarah A. Crafton, of Shelby County, Ind., February 7, 1878. Two 
sons have blessed this union, William E. and Carl B. Mr. Rifi"e is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

JOHN W. RIFFE, clerk for W. H. Crafton, merchant of Windfall, 
is a native of Decatur County, Ind. ; he was born November 17, 1855, 
and is the son of George M. Riffe ; he worked on his father's farm during 
his youth, and received a limited education in the common schools. In 
the summer of 1875, he engaged as clerk for John Bailey, a merchant at 
Windfall, and in 1877 entered the employ of J. H. Zehner. He contin- 
ued as his clerk until 1882, when by failing health he was compelled to 
resign his position. A few months later, he entered the employ of W. 
H. Crafton, where he is now to be found. Mr. Riffe was married March 
16, 1879, to Miss Allie Van Winkle, of Windfall, a daughter of Joseph 
Van Winkle. They have one child — Cora May. Mr. Riife is a promi- 
nent member of the Republican party, and has served as Town Clerk, 
Treasurer and Assessor one term. He was re-elected, but, as he was 
about moving out of the village, resigned. 

WILLIAM H. RUSSEL was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, 
July 18, 1829, and is the second son of Joseph and Rhoda (Walker) 
Russel, natives of Maryland, and of German descent. Joseph Russel 
removed to Cincinnati in an early day, and was there married ; he spent 
his last days near Edinburgh, Ind., and after his death his wife removed 
to Grant County, where she subsequently died. William H. Russel 
spent his youth on the farm, and at the age of eight years, began to make 
his own living ; he learned the cooper's trade in Cincinnati, and worked 
at his trade for three years, after which he located near Indianapolis, 
Ind. In 1853, he removed to Coles County, 111., where he engaged in 
farming on rented land, and in 1858 he located at Bridgeport, Marion 



326 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

County, where he conducted a cooper shop until 1864 ; he then came to 
Tipton County, and located on a fjirra in Madison Township ; he im- 
proved eighty acres, and built good buildings ; sold out, and in the spring 
of 1870 purchased his preseiit farm of 280 acres of forest land. He has 
redeemed 125 acres of land from the forest, and now has this under a 
good state of cultivation; ho also is a large raiser of livestock. Mr. 
Russel was married, September 24, 1852, to Eliza R. Griswold, of Mar- 
ion County, Ind. She was born March 2, 1836. They have had ten 
children, six of whom are living — Alice, Joseph C, Robert, Laura H., 
Sibbilla H. and Joba. 

WILLIAM SANDERS, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native of Hen- 
dricks County, Ind.; was born November 15, 1842, and is the son of 
Samson and Sarah (Russel) Sanders, both natives of North Carolina. 
William Sanders, at the age of ten, came to Tipton County, and was 
reared in the forest by one of the pioneer farmers. At the age of nine- 
teen, he enlisted, in July, 1861, in Company G, Thirty-ninth Regiment 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He participated in battle at Shiloh, at Cor- 
inth, Crab Orchard and Stone River, after which his regiment was 
mounted and known as the Thirty-ninth Maryland Infantry. Mr. San- 
ders re-enlisted in 1864, near Murfreesboro, Tenn., after which he was 
detailed as company blacksmith. In June, 1865, he was honorably dis- 
charged. He returned home and invested his money in eighty acres of 
wild land, and made several changes until 1877, when he, in February, 
1877, returned to Windfall, and conducted a blacksmith shop for two 
years, and in December, 1880, purchased his present home of sixty 
acres, where he has since resided. Mr. Sanders was married in March, 
1861, to Miss Mary A. Jones, of Madison County. They had one child 
— William. He was next married in March, 1866, to Miss Sarah Level; 
they have had five children — Rosetta, Clinton (deceased), Mary E., 
Francis M. and James. Mr. Sanders was reared a Democrat, and is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity. 

JERRY SANDERS was born in Boone County, Ind., February 15, 
1846, and is the son of Samson and Sarah (Russel) Sanders, both na- 
tives of North Carolina. Samson Sanders was among the pioneers of 
Boone County, where he lived a farmer's life. About 1852, he came to 
Tipton County, and located in Wild Cat Township, on ninety-three acres 
of unimproved land, and subsequently upon eighty acres of wild land, 
where our subject now lives. He resided upon this until after the death 
of his wife in 1870, after which he sold the farm and lived with his chil- 
dren; he spent his last days in Windfall, and died in the fall of 1876 at 
the age of sixty-seven. At the age of eighteen, Jerry Sanders began 
life for himself, and in 1879 engaged in the lumber business near Tipton. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 327 

He continued there two years, and then returned to the farm where he 
now lives, comprising forty acres under good cultivation. Mr. Sanders 
enlisted in 1864 in the twelve months' service in Company D, Fifty-fourth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, but after he got south of Indian- 
apolis was taken sick and sent back to that city. He remained there six 
weeks, at which time he was honorably discharged. He had four broth- 
ers in the rebellion, one of whom sleeps down South in a soldier's grave. 
Mr. Sanders was married, October 26, 1870, to Miss Lois A. Griswold, of 
Madison County, Ind. Five children have blessed this union — Laura, 
Henry, William, Flora (deceased) and one infant (deceased). Mr. San- 
ders is a Democrat ; he and wife are members of the Christian Church. 

DR. J. A. SCHELL, druggist, is a native of Madison County, 
Ind., and was born October 15, 1839 ; son of John and Elizabeth (Sig- 
ler) Schell, natives of Virginia, and of German descent. His father 
removed to Ohio with his family in an early day, and, in 1823, located in 
Madison County, Ind., with a little colony of twenty-one families. Mr. 
Schell remained thereuntil his death, March 4, 1878, at the age of sixty- 
four. Our subject had limited advantages for an education during his 
boyhood, and in later life was his own preceptor. He began the study of 
medicine in the spring of 1865, and continued reading medicine and 
teaching school for eight years. He read under Dr. William Suman, of 
Frankton, and in the winter of 1867-68 attended a course of lectures at 
the Ohio Medical College. The following spring he commenced his 
practice at Frankton, and August 11, 1869, he removed to Windfall, 
bringing with him a small stock of drugs. He has since resided here, 
and is doing a good business. Mr. Schell was married, September 28, 
1871, to Miss Caroline Mclntire, of Windfall. She is a native of Iowa, 
and was born August 16, 1854. This marriage has been crowned with 
one son — Elmer P., born August 18, 1872. Mr. Schell is an active 
home politician in the Democratic ranks. He served as Justice of the 
Peace three months, and was commissioned Notary Public two terms 
while in Frankton. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and he and his wife are 
members of the M. E. Church. 

CHARLES FRANKLIN SMITH, merchant, is a native of Ken- 
tucky, and was born September 16, 1828. He is the oldest of three 
children born to Henry and Susan (Wilson) Smith, natives respectively 
of Virginia and Kentucky, and of German and Scotch-Irish descent. 
His maternal grandfather participated in the battle of Yorktown, where 
Gen. Cornwallis surrendered. His father, Henry Smith, was a farmer 
and mechanic. His death occurred March 18, 1883, at the age of 
eighty years. Our subject assisted his father in the workshop at carriage- 
making, wheel-wrighting, gate-making, etc., and at the age of twenty-two 



328 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

was appointed first station agent at Pewee Valley, on the Louisville & 
Nashville Short Line. He removed North with his family in the fall of 
1857, locating at Windfall, and here engaged in merchandising and act- 
ing as station and express agent. He subsequently dealt in grain, and 
built the first warehouse. He continued there in business until 1865, 
when he removed to Tipton and entered the Auditor's office as Deputy, 
serving four years under Scott Armstrong, now of Kokomo. He after- 
ward engaged in the drug business, and later sold out and returned to 
Windfall. He was employed by J. H. Zehner in his store, where he still 
continues, and is highly esteemed as a citizen and business man. Mr. 
Smith was married, April 5, 1855, to Susan L. Hudson, of New York. 
She is the daughter of Robert and Mary J. (Hamilton) Hudson. Mr. 
Smith has taken an active part in all public and benevolent enterprises, 
and is an active politician in the Democratic ranks. He and wife are 
worthy members of the Episcopal Church, and are now enjoying a most 
pleasant home, made by their own industry and economy. 

H. N. STEELE is a native of Jefferson County, Ind., and was born 
June 27, 1832. He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Porter) Steele, 
natives of Kentucky, and of Irish descent. Mr. H. N. Steele, at the age 
of eighteen, left the parental roof, and apprenticed himself four and a 
half years to a carpenter in Indianapolis, receiving $5 per month, and 
eighteen months' schooling. He then worked at journeyman work one 
year, after which he worked at his trade as foreman in Indianapolis four 
^ears. He then removed to Hamilton County, and a few years later lo- 
cated in Howard County, where he engaged in farming and working at 
his trade until 1876, when he removed to Windfall and operated a plan- 
ing mill two years. He then sold out and engaged in the furniture 
and undertaking business, where he is doing a good business of $2,000 
per year. Mr. Steele is a Democrat in politics, and has held a number 
of minor offices of the township. He was married, January 8, 1857, to 
Miss Elizabeth Duke, of Indianapolis. She is the daughter of James 
Duke, one of the pioneers of Marion County. This union has been 
blessed with eight children, four of whom are living — Edgar, Ida, H. E. 
and Nettie. Mr. Steele is a prominent business man, and a member of 
the I. 0. 0. F. 

JESSE THATCHER, farmer, is a native of Bracken County, Ky., 
born May 26, 1819, and is a son of Joseph and Mary (Keithler) Thatcher, 
natives of New Jersey and Kentucky respectively. At the age of two 
years, our subject removed with his parents to Switzerland County, Ind., 
and at the age of seven was left an orphan, whereupon he went to live 
with Moses Branson, of Vevay, Switzerland County, where he remained ten 
years and learned the wagon-maker's trade, but his early education was 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 329 

much neglected. In 1840, he worked on a farm, and in 1841 located at 
Quercus Grove, where he opened a wagon shop. There he continued 
business nineteen years, and in 1860 removed to this county, and pur- 
chased 120 acres of forest land, on which was a log cabin, where he made 
for himself and family a good home. In 1880, he sold eighty acres of 
his farm, and is at present residing on the other forty acres he retained. 
Mr. Thatcher was married, February 23, 1842, to Miss Celia Coy, of 
Switzerland County, Ind., who died January 5, 1857, leaving five small 
children, three of whom are living — John, Cynthia A. and Joseph. Mr. 
Thatcher was next married in February, 1858, to Mrs. Eliza (Mott) 
Mounts, by which union they have had two children — Pallas (deceased), 
and Jessie Eveline. Mr. Thatcher is a representative man of the 
National party, and he and wife are members of the Christian Church. 

DRURY B. VICE, Clerk of the Court and merchant, of the firm of 
Vice & Nutter, was born in Bath County, Ky., July 19, 1841. and is the 
son of Martin and Jahazy (Barber) Vice, natives of Kentucky and Vir- 
ginia. Our subject worked on the farm and received a limited education. 
At the age of twenty-one, he left his native State and came North, locat- 
ing at Windfall in April, 1862. He worked for three years as head sawyer 
for James B. Fouch, and in the winter of 1862-63 attended school. For 
four or five years following, he was his own preceptor. He enlisted in 
November, 1863, in the Twelfth Battery of 200 men. He was stationed 
at Nashville, Tenn., and participated in battle against Gen. Hood. He 
was honorably discharged in the spring of 1865. He returned to Wind- 
fall and engaged in the hotel business, together with mercantile pursuits. 
He subsequently engaged with A. Dennis, under the firm name of Vice 
& Dennis, and later the firm became Vice, Seright & Co. Mr. Vice 
afterward became successor to this firm, and continued in business at in- 
tervals alone until February, 1879, when James W. Nutter became owner 
of one-half the stock, and they have conducted a large business since. 
They met with a large loss by fire, but rebuilt a large brick business room. 
Mr. Vice is an active Republican, and was nominated for County Treas- 
urer in 1880, but was defeated by a small majority. He was renominat- 
ed in 1882, and was successful, and will enter upon the duties of his office 
August 17, 1883. Mr. Vice was married, July 24, 1862, to Miss Anna 
E. Wall, of Wilmington, Ohio. She was a teacher in Tipton County. She 
died in 1866, leaving two children — Eugenia M. and E. Estella. Mr. 
Vice was a second time married, in May, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth J. Nut-' 
ter, of Windfall, Ind. They have one child — Nellie M. Mrs. Vice is 
conducting the leading millinery store of Windfall. Mr. Vice has secured 
a good farm of 140 acres, and he also owns fifty acres in Franklin County, 
Ky. He is a Master Mason, and he and wife are members of the Chris- 
tian Church. 



330 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

EDMUND p. WHISMAN, farmer and stock-raiser, is a native o 
Wayne County, Ind., and was born February 1, 1845; he is the eldest 
son of Peter and Mary J. (Miller) Whisman, natives respectively of Vir- 
ginia and Indiana, and of German and English descent. In the fall of 
1851, his parents located in Cicero Township, this county, and there Peter 
Whisman died, June 30, 1861, at the age of forty-nine. The subject of 
this sketch being the eldest son, was taught the use of the ax, maul an d 
wedge in his youth. When his father died, he took cha.rge of the home 
farm ; he supported the family until he was twenty-five years of age, and 
in 1870 went West to prospect for a home ; he traveled three years in 
Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Indian Territory, after which he returned 
to this county and engaged in farming the home place. In 1877, he lo- 
cated on the farm where he now lives ; he was married in the fall of 1873 
to Miss Cynthia Thatcher, of Tipton County. She was born in Switzer- 
land County, Ind., in 1847, and is the daughter of Jesse Thatcher. Four 
children blessed this union — Martha V., Peter, Eva and Jesse. Mr. Whis- 
man is identified with tl^e Democratic party, and he and his wife are mem- 
bers of the New-Light Church. 

GARRET WHITE, farmer and minister, was born in Switzerland 
County, Ind., December 1, 1838, and is a son of John and Mary (Kelso) 
White, both natives of Switzerland County, and parents of seventeen 
children. Grandfather White settled in Switzerland County in 
1801, and there erected the first saw mill. John and his faithful 
wife are yet living on the farm, where they have resided more than sixty 
years. Mr. White is a stanch supporter of Democratic principles. Gar- 
ret White received a limited education from the common schools, and at 
the age of eighteen began working for himself on the home farm. In 
1860, he, with his family, located on Indian Prairie, where he farmed for 
eleven years, and in 1871 located near Windfall, and the following spring 
moved to the sixty-acre farm on which he now lives ; this land is well 
improved, with good frame buildings. Mr. White laid the first tile ditch 
in the township, and has always been willing to assist in every public im- 
provement. He was married, August 15, 1860, to Miss Mahala Mott, of 
Switzerland County, Ind.; born January 27, 1842. This union has been 
blessed with one son — Omer, born December 81, 1861. Mr. White is a 
Republican in principle, and he and wife are members of the Methodist 
Protestant Church. Mr. White was licensed to preach in 1861, and or- 
dained in 1863. From 1873 to 1880, he was an active minister, traveling 
on a circuit, but for the last three years has been doing local service. 

AARON WHITE, was born in Switzerland County, Ind., April 15, 
1845, and is the eighth son of a family of seventeen children born to John 
White. Aaron White received a limited education in his youth and at 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 331 

the age of nineteen enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Seven- 
teenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in the six months' service, 
and after being out seven months was honorably discharged, having par- 
ticipated in a number of hard skirmishes. After returning home he en- 
listed in the United States Navy, and served aboard the "• Gen. Sher- 
man" on the Tennessee River. When the war closed, he assisted his 
father upon the farm until the fall of 1866, when he came to this county, 
stopping on the Indian Prairie the first year. Since that time he has 
been a resident of this township. He subsequently purchased the farm 
where he now lives, which contains eighty-six acres of good land, well 
improved. Mr. White was married, December 25, 1868, to Miss Emily 
M. Goar, of Jefferson Township. She was born September 22, 1847, 
and is one of a family of fifteen children born to Joseph and Clarissa 
Goar, both natives of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. White have had four 
children, two of whom are living — Mary Clarissa and Daniel V. Mr. 
White is a Republican, and his wife is a member of the Friends' Church. 

WILLIAM H. H. WOLF was born in Clark County, Ohio, June 
21, 1840, and is the son of Conrad and Hannah (Williams) Wolf, both 
natives of Ohio, and of German and Irish descent. His paternal great- 
grandfather was a Hessian soldier, who was bought by the English, and 
at the battle at Trenton, N. J., was taken prisoner. After this he joined 
the colonial forces. In 1848, Conrad Wolf located on a farm in Cham- 
paign County, Ohio, where our subject worked until he was fourteen 
years old. They then came to Grant County, Ind., and located near 
Marion in the forest. Our subject enlisted, August 10, 1868, in Com- 
pany K, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, in the six months' service, participating in the battle at Ray- 
burn and Blue Springs. He subsequently enlisted in Company G, 
Twenty-fifth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was in the 
Georgia campaign, in the siege of Savannah, and in the battle of Ben- 
tonville. At the close of the war, he engaged in farming and the saddlery 
business at various points, and subsequently, about 1870, he purchased 
his present home of seventy acres, erected a hewed-log house, and has 
since redeemed fifty acres of heavy timber land and has it well improved. 
Mr. Wolf was married, December 12, 1861, to Miss Kezia Cain, of 
Randolph County, Ind. She was born June 15, 1840, and is the daugh- 
ter of Ambrose and Esther (Smith) Cain. Five children have blessed 
this union — Conrad, a teacher; Ebenezer, a farmer; John William, 
Elva Esther and Hannah J. Mr. Wolf and wife are members of the 
Christian Church. He is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, 
and has held some of the minor offices of the township. 

GEORGE C. WOOD, M. D., Windfall. The grandparents of our sub- 



332 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

ject were John and Susan Wood, natives of Virginia, where they were 
married, subsequently removing to Nicholas County, Ky., where the 
father of our subject, Caleb Wood, was born in 1809. The ancestors of 
his mother came from Ireland, locating in Bourbon County, Ky., at a 
very early day. Here his grandparents, George and Sophia (Marsh) 
Carr, were born in 1790 and 1797, respectively, and his mother, Letitia 
McDole Carr, was born in the same county in 1819. His parents were 
married there in 1839, and in 1841 migrated to Decatur County, Ind., 
subsequently, in 1856, locating in Tipton County. Of a family of eight 
children born to them, five are now living, three girls and two boys — 
George C. was born January 3, 1852, in Decatur County, Ind., and was 
only four years of age when his parents came to Tipton County. He 
began his earlier education in the schools of that pioneer period, 
working upon the farm during the summer months. In the fall of 1871, 
he attended, for ten weeks, Howard College, located at Kokomo, applying 
himself with such industry to his studies that he was enabled to secure a 
twelve-month teacher's certificate, and the ensuing winter taught his first 
term in District No. 8, Prairie Township, being at that time only 
nineteen years of age. The ensuing spring he again attended Howard 
College, remaining ten weeks, and then attended for ten weeks a select 
school, and upon account of proficiency was awarded a first-grade certifi- 
cate, and again taught the school at No. 8. In February, 1873, he 
went to Lebanon, Ohio, and remained attending school until August, re- 
turning and teaching a select school in his home district. He continued 
teaching district and select school in Tipton County until the spring of 
1875, when he again returned to Lebanon, Ohio, and remained until 
August, 1876, when he was awarded the degree of B. S. Returning to 
Tipton County, he was Principal of the Graded School at Sharpsville. 
January, 1877, he commenced the study of medicine under the tutelege 
of Dr. A. B. Pitzer, and this study he has maintained since. He con- 
tinued teaching select and graded schools until the fall of 1878, when he 
went to Indianapolis and attended the Medical College of Indiana, taking 
one course. Returning to Sharpsville, he taught a select school, and in 
June, 1879, he was elected Superintendent of Schools of Tipton County; 
he was re-elected in June, 1881, and has served the two terms in a highly 
satisfactory manner to the citizens of the county. He continued to teach 
normal and select schools during his terms of office, and as an educator 
held superior rank. Dr. Wood also gave much time to his professional 
studies, attending courses at Indianapolis during the winter terms of 1879 
and 1880, and March 3, 1881, was awarded his diploma. In April, 1883, 
Dr. Wood removed to Windfall, where he has already inaugurated what 
promises to be a most successful career. He was united in marriage. 



WILD CAT TOWNSHIP. 333 

November, 1879, to Miss Elnora Linsday. To them was born, January, 
1881, a son — Gordon, who died November 9, 1882. 

FARLOW S. ZEEK, M. D., was born in Wayne County, Ind., 
April 3, 1838, and is the fifth of seven children bo^n to Daniel and Han- 
nah (Moor) Zeek, natives of Virginia and Tennessee respectively, and of 
German and Scotch-Irish descent. F, S. Zeek attended school in all 
about six months, and at the age of nineteen began working at the car- 
penter's trade with his brother. He worked at this trade four years, and 
in the spring of 1861 he enlisted in Company I, Eighth Regiment In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry ; he participated in battle at Rich Mountain 
and Laurel Hill, after which he returned home. In the spring of 1862, 
he recruited a company known as Company C, Eighty-ninth Regiment 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and went out as First Lieutenant. They 
engaged in battle at Munfordsville, Ky., where the members of this 
company were all taken prisoners, but the following day were paroled. 
After being exchanged, they went to Memphis, where Mr. Zeek was pro- 
moted as Captain. His company was on the Red River expedition, meet- 
ing their first hard-fought battle at Pleasant Hill ; here Mr. Zeek was 
wounded ; he was shot through the left foot and right ankle, making him 
a cripple for life ; he was taken to the officers' hospital at Memphis, 
Tenn., where he was detained six months, and later was honorably 
discharged. As soon as he was able he began reading medicine with Dr. 
E. P. Jones, of Jonesboro, Grant County. He attended the Eclectic 
College at Cincinnati, and later located in Nevada, where he practiced 
medicine one year. He then removed to Windfall, where he has since 
continued in practice. Dr. Zeek has been since troubled much with his 
wounds, but notwithstanding this he has been active in business, and has 
taken prominent part as a home politician in the Republican ranks ; he 
has been sent as a delegate to many prominent conventions, and has 
served as Town Councilman. In 1882, he was commissioned as Post- 
master of Windfall. Mr. Zeek was married, in 1865, to Miss Susan 
Brushwiller, of Spanish descent. They have two children — Lulie B. 
and Farlow S. Mr. Zeek is a Master Mason and his wife is a member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



334 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 

LINZY BALLU, retired, son of Linzy and Agnes (Repley) Ballu, 
was born in Wayne County, Ky., July 7, 1805 ; his parents located in 
Kentucky in an early day. Thence they removed to Tennessee, where 
his father died ; his mother died in Tipton County. The subject of this 
sketch was reared and educated in his native State, and in 1827 came to 
Indiana, and first settled on forty acres of land in Monroe County ; he 
cultivated this farm about ten years, when he sold and settled on forty 
acres in Madison County. When he had improved this, he disposed of 
it and purchased 160 acres in Taylor Township, Howard County ; he 
subsequently located at Nevada, Tipton County, where he purchased 
town property ; here he remained until 1878, when he came to Sharps- 
ville, Avhere he is living a retired life with his daughter, Mrs. Mary G. 
Wisner. Mr. Ballu was married in Wayne County, Ky., August 26, 
1824, to Miss Nancy Sims, of North Carolina, daughter of William and 
Rachel (Hose) Sims. Mrs. Ballu died in Tipton County, Ind., August 
5, 1876, leaving three children — Mary G., Allen P. and Rachel. Mr. 
Ballu was elected Justice of the Peace in 1863, and served twenty years ; 
he has held the position of Deputy Postmaster and railroad agent at 
Nevada; he is a member of the Methodist Church, and a Republican in 
politics. 

C. BARLOW, son of John and Priscilla (Burris) Barlow, natives of 
Kentucky, was born in Washington County, Ky., February 17, 1813, 
where he lived until he was sixteen years old ; he then came to Indiana 
and located in Johnson County, and shortly removed to Shelby County, 
where he remained two years ; he lived in Bartholomew County one 
year, when he returned to Shelby County, and nine months later pur- 
chased 160 acres of land in Bartholomew County, where he remained 
three years, and engaged in farming ; he then sold this, and purchased 
103 acres, and soon added sixty-five acres to this ; he remained on this 
place until 1851, when he came to Tipton County, and followed farming 
and milling until 1864, when he located on a farm of 512 acres adjoin- 
ing the city of Tipton ; there he engaged in farming and milling until 
1871, when he located on his present place of 120 acres. Mr. Barlow 
was first married, December 26, 1833, to Sarah F. Simmons, of Ken- 
tucky. She died June 14, 1839, leaving two children — -William and 
Sarah F.; his second marriage was, October 3, 1839, to Susan Young- 
man, who died August 23, 1860, leaving seven children — Priscilla, Mary 
A., Susan, John F., George S., Ellison M. and Thomas J.; his third 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 335 

wife was Hester Ann Youngman, who died October IG, 1869, leaving 
one child, Albert L.; his present wife, Nancy J. Brookbank, was born in 
Washington County, Ind.. September 5, 1831. Mr. Barlow has 
accumulated sufficient means to live comfortably ; he is a member of the 
A., F. & A. M., is a Republican in politics, and he and wife are mem- 
bers of the M. E. Church. 

J. 0. BATOHELOR, railroid arrant at Sharpsville, is the son of 
Robert and Esther (Foster) Batchelor, natives of New York and Ohio. 
His father was a civil engineer, and was employed by the Government at 
thetime of his death, which occurred in Virginia October 10, 1861. The 
subject of this sketch was born in Clifton, Greene Co., Ohio, February 2, 
1852, and was there reared, completing his studies at Yellow Springs, Ohio, 
in 1869; he then located at Oberlin, Ohio, where he learned telegraphy ; 
he contracted and built the land lines for the Put-in-Bay Submarine Tel- 
egraph Company. This occupied his time for two years, and he then ac- 
cepted a position with the Chicago & North- Western Railroad Company, 
where he remained about fifteen months. During this time, he was sta- 
tioned at the Chicago, Fon du Lac, Wis., Omaha, Neb., and Austin, 111. 
He then was employed on the I., P. & C. R. R., and was stationed at 
Arcadia, Hamilton County, one year, when he was transferred to his pres- 
ent position. Mr. Batchelor was married in Sharpsville, October 6, 
1880, to Miss Lottie Siler, daughter of Samuel and Susan (Blakley) Siler, 
natives of Kentucky. She was born in Whitley County, Ky., Feb- 
ruary 10, 1860. Mr. Batchelor is a highly-respected citizen, and is polit- 
ically a Republican. 

A. L. BATES, lumber dealer and proprietor of a saw mill, was born 
near Oxford, Ohio, June 12, 1852; his father, Peter C, is a native of 
New Jersey, and his mother, Sarah A. (Brown), was born in Ohio ; his 
parents now reside in Henry County, Ind. Our subject was reared and 
educated in his native State, after which he located at Anderson, Madison 
Co., Ind., and engaged in the manufacture of heading. This he success- 
fully conducted three years, and then accepted a sewing machine agency, 
which position he filled two years ; he then located at Middleton, Henry 
Co., Ind., where he engaged in saw milling, and subsequently removed 
his stock to Tipton, Ind., where he conducted this business for about two 
years; he then came to Sharpsville, where he purchased his present prop- 
erty ; his mill is complete in every respect, and has a capacity to cut 
10,000 feet of lumber per day ; he is running a full force and is doing a 
good business. Mr. Bates was married in Henry County, Ind., in xlu- 
gust, 1880, to Miss Maggie Groves of Indiana. They have one child — 
Clidy. Mr. Bates is a prominent citizen, and politically stands firm for 
the Democracy. 



336 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

J. K. BAXTER, M. D., is the son of William and Jane (Kerr) Baxter 
natives of Virginia, and of Scotch-Irish descent ; his parents came to Indi-' 
ana in 1814, and settled in JeiFerson County. The subject of this sketch 
was born in Jefferson County, Ind., September 19, 1831, and received the 
benefit of the common schools until he was sixteen years of age ; he then 
entered Asbury University at Greencastle, Ind., where he remained three 
years ; he taught school three or four years, when he located at Madison, 
Ind., and studied medicine for three years under Dr. J. H. D. Rodgers, 
a noted physician of that city. In 1854, he entered the Louisville, Ky., 
Medical College, where he remained one term. In 1855, he located at 
Sharpsville, Ind., where he engaged in the practice of his profession about 
twenty years ; he served three terms as Township Trustee, and in 
1864 enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Fortieth Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, and served in the Medical Department until the close 
of the war. In 1871, he located on his present place of 240 acres, when 
he retired from practice and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. 
Dr. Baxter was married in Sharpsville, Ind., November 25, 1868, to Miss 
Eleanor Walker, daughter of William and Penelope (McGannon) Walker. 
She was born in Jennings County, Ind., February 23, 1842. This mar- 
riage has been crowned with nine children — Ida B., Marble L., William 
W., Elva W., Fannie E., Jennie C, Josiah K., Carrie (deceased) and 
Conrad (deceased). Dr. Baxter is in every respect a self-made man, having 
educated himself, and accumulated a handsome fortune. He has one of 
the finest farms in the township ; he is a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and is a Republican in politics. 

ED. G. BECKER, son of John G. and Mary (Schegel) Becker, 
natives of Germany, was born in Prussia, Germany, September 30, 1834, 
where he was reared and educated. In 1854, he came with his parents 
to America, locating in Ripley County, Ind., where he worked some time 
for his father. He then purchased a piece of land and improved a farm, 
and, in 1871, sold this place and located on his present farm. Mr. 
Becker has met with success through life, and is to-day one of the 
wealthiest farmers in Tipton County. He is also engaged in the manu- 
facture of tile, having a large factory erected upon his farm. He was 
married in Ripley County, Ind., November 22, 1862, to Elizabeth Leips. 
She was born in Germany January 27, 1841. They have seven children — 
Frederick E., Louisa F., Louis A., Mary G., George A., Caroline S. and 
Ida. Politically, Mr. Becker is conservative in his views, and he and 
family are members of the Lutheran Church. 

WILLIAM BOWLBY is the son of Joseph and Mary (Bonnell) 
Bowlby, natives of New Jersey. His parents came to Indiana in 1844, 
and settled in Rush County. He was born in Hunterdon County, N. J., 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 337 

October 3, 1829, and lived there until he was fifteen years of age, and 
received a part of his education. In 1844, he came with his parents to 
Rush County, where he finished his studies. At the age of seventeen, he 
lost his father, who left a portion of his estate to him. On this he located 
and engaged in farming until 1853, when he came to Tipton County and 
settled on his present place of 200 acres. Here he made a fine farm, and 
has since added twenty acres to it. He also owns forty acres in Wild Cat 
Township. In 1854, he was elected Clerk of Liberty Township, and 
served three terms. He was married, in Decatur County, September 3, 
1851, to Rebecca J. Lindsay. She was born in Decatur County, Ind., 
May 17, 1830, and died in Tipton County March 3, 1863. She was the 
daughter of Joseph and Eleanor (Montgomery) Lindsay, natives of Ken- 
tucky. This union was blessed with three children — Rachel A., James 
F. and Elizabeth J. He married his present wife in Tipton County May 
4, 1865 — Phoebe Sippy, daughter of Isaac and Mercy (Ball) Sippy. She 
was born in Mercer County, Penn., April 4j 1829. To this marriage 
have been born two children — William M. and Mary M. Mr. Bowlby 
has been an Elder in the Presbyterian Church since February 22, 1873. 
He has taken a prominent part in building up his church, and has served 
as Superintendent of the Sunday school. 

THOMAS COLE, son of Robert and Martha (Ward) Cole, natives 
of Virginia and North Carolina, was bom in Montgomery County, Ky., 
June 8, 1812. In 1827, his parents emigrated to Decatur County, Ind., 
where our subject received a linfited education. He was reared on a 
farm, and has always followed agricultural pursuits. In 1835, he settled 
on forty acres of land in Shelby County, Ind., and one year later re- 
moved to Grundy County, Mo., where he entered and improved eighty 
acres ; he remained there two years, when he sold out and returned to 
Shelby County, where he purchased eighty acres. This he cultivated 
until 1847, when he located in Tipton County, on 160 acres, where he 
has since resided. In 1861, he was appointed County Commissioner 
and served eight months, when he was elected to that position, filling 
the office three years. In 1848, he was elected Justice of the Peace, 
which position he declined. He was called by the people to become a 
candidate for Representative, and this he also declined. Mr. Cole was 
married in Decatur County, Ind., September 7, 1834, to Cinderella 
Shirley, daughter of Isaac and Catherine (Hendrickson) Shirley, natives of 
Kentucky. Miss Shirley was born in Nelson County, Ky., May 28, 1815, 
and died in Tipton County. Ind., June 28, 1882. They had seven 
children — Isaac J., Robert W., Lucinda R. J., Melisa M., Nancy A., 
Thomas M. (deceased) and Elizabeth C. (deceased). Mr. Cole traveled 
extensively during his younger days. He has been identified with the 



338 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

Separate Baptist Church for forty years, and is a member of the Demo- 
cratic party. 

FRANK B. CROCKETT was born in Clinton County, Ind., Au- 
gust 28, 1852. His parents were Benjamin F. and Lucinda M. Crock- 
ett ; the former of English and the latter of Scotch extraction. Frank 
was the fourth of a family of eight children, all of whom are still living. 
His parents being in limited circumstances, his education was obtained 
principally by his own exertions. Leaving school at the age of twenty, 
he engaged in teaching and the study of the law. He has since made a 
marked success, both as a teacher and in the practice of his profession. 
In the spring of 1878, he came to Tipton County, and taught near 
Sharpsville, at which place he now resides. On June 4, 1883, he was 
unanimously chosen Superintendent of the Public Schools of Tipton 
County. Mr. Crockett is a member of the Democratic party, and is held 
in high esteem in the community. 

JOHN DAVIS, son of Peter P. and Nancy (Welling) Davis, natives 
of New Jersey and New York, was born in Somerset County, N. J., August 
11, 1814 ; he remained there until he was fourteen years of age, and in 
1828 located in New York City. He was in the employ of L. V. De- 
Forest, grocer, for seven years, after which he embarked in the grocery 
trade, and pursued that three years, when the fire of 1835 swept away 
his stock. Left without anything, he engaged in transferring goods from 
Jersey City to New York City for nine years. In 1853, he came to 
Indiana and located in Rush County, where he followed farming six 
years. He then removed to Laurel, Franklin County, where he followed 
teaming seven years, after which he returned to Rush County and en- 
gaged in farming. In 1869, he located on a farm in Tipton County, and 
in 1882 purchased his present place of eighty acres. Mr. Davis was mar- 
ried in New York City, June 6, 1836, to Miss Jane J. Clark. She was 
born in New Brunswick, Middlesex Co., N. J., May 2, 1818, and is 
the daughter of James and Elizabeth (Dill) Clark, natives of New Jersey. 
Mr. and Mrs. Davis have five children — Caroline M., Anna F., Elizabeth 
E., Theodore R. and Jane H. Mr. Davis is a prominent member of the 
Republican party, and is a worthy citizen and energetic farmer. 

D. A. FISH is the son of John B. and Elizabeth (Wilson) Fish, 
both natives of Kentucky ; his father was a local minister in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church over fifty years ; he came to Jennings County, Ind., 
in an early day, and settled on a farm, and died in 1879. Our subject 
was born in Carroll County, Ky., January 24, 1824, and was shortly 
taken by his parents to Jennings County, Ind., where he was reared and 
educated ; in 1845, he located at Du Pont, Ind., and embarked in mer- 
cantile pursuits, which he followed ten years ; in the fall of 1854, he lo- 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. ' 339 

cated at Sharpsville, where he followed mercantile pursuits for 
the most part, until 1868. In 1862-64, he served as Township Trustee. 
He was elected by the Democratic party in 1868 to fill the office of Coun- 
ty Treasurer, and was re-elected in 1870, serving two terms. In 1873, 
he located on his present place of 357 acres ; his farm is one of the best 
in the county. Mr. Fish was married in Paris, Jennings Co., Ind., 
July 20, 1845, to Allie J. Hill, daughter of D. M. and Jane (Dixon) 
Hill, both natives of Kentucky ; Miss Hill was born in Jennings County, 
Ind., November 1, 1827. By this union they have seven children — 
Culver W., Eudora, Jennie, Sarah B., Ellison, Luella C. and James L. 
Mr. Fish is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a Democrat in 
politics. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

GEORGE y. HAYNES, merchant, whose business was established 
in 1865, is the son of John and Catherine (Schellhorse) Haynes. both 
natives of Virginia, his father was a farmer, and came to Indiana, about 
the year 1838; he located in Jennings County, but subsequently died in 
Tipton County. Our subject was born in Jennings County, Ind., Au- 
gust 12, 1842, and was reared in Jennings, Ripley and Tipton Counties. 
He attended school in Sharpsville, and in 1858 he entered the dry o-oods 
firm of Franklin, Haynes & Needham, where he was employed as clerk 
until 1861 ; he then enlisted in Company C, Twenty-sixth Indiana Vol. 
unteer Infantry, was appointed Corporal, and soon after Sergeant; 
he participated in the engagement at Perry Grove, Ark., where he was 
wounded, and was confined six months in the hospital at Fayetteville, 
Ark.; he then joined his company in Missouri, and participated in the 
siege at Vicksburg ; September 29, 1863, he was captured on the Mis- 
sissippi River, and was imprisoned at Tyler, Texas and Shreveport 
La., about ten months ; he then joined his regiment at Donaldsonville, 
La., and was shortly afterward mustered out at Indianapolis, Ind.; he then 
returned to Sharpsville, and completed his education ; in 1865, he en- 
gaged in general merchandise at Sharpsville, where he has built up a 
large business, carrying a $22,000 stock, and doing a business of about 
$45,000 per year. Mr. Haynes has taken an active part in building up 
home industries. He was married, November 28, 1867, to Miss Sarah 
E. Franklin, of Indiana. They have two children — Bertha, and one un- 
named. Mr. Haynes is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and politically 
is identified with the Republican party. 

DR. W. N. HEATH is the son of William and Martha (Rodgers) 
Heath, natives of North Carolina and Kentucky. His parents came to 
Indiana in 1814, and located in Franklin County on a farm. Our sub- 
ject was born in Jefferson County, Ind., August 19, 1844, where he was 



340 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

reared and educated. He studied medicine under Dr. Mordicai Brooks 
of Brooksburg, Jefferson County, and in 1867 graduated at the Ohio Medi- 
cal College at Cincinnati. He began his practice at Mount Comfort, 
Hancock Co., Ind., and in March, 1868, located in Sharpsville, where he 
is still actively engaged in the duties of his profession. He enlisted in 
1862, in Company G, Eighty-second Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, as a private. He participated in the battle of Stone River, Tenn., 
and after serving eleven months was discharged on account of disability. 
Dr. Heath was married in Sharpsville, Ind., April 29, 1869, to Miss 
Jennie Fish, daughter of David A. and Allie J. (Hill) Fish. She was 
born in Jefferson County, Ind., in October, 1850. They have three 
children, Harry W., Gertrude L. and Clara Blanche. Dr. Heath is a 
highly respected citizen and has a good practice. He is identified with 
the Republican party, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

CAPT. J. H. HOBACK is the son of John and Kilen (Darcas) 
Hoback, both natives of Kentucky. His parents came to Johnson 
County, Ind., in 1834, and settled on a farm, and there Capt. Hoback 
was born July 24, 1835, and was there reared and educated. He served 
an apprenticeship at Liberty, Ind., at the carpenter's trade, which he fol- 
lowed four years. In April, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, Sixth 
Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served three months, during 
which time he engaged in battle at Philippi, Laurel Hill and Carrick's Ford, 
W. Va. He then re-enlisted in Company H, Fifty -seventh Regi- 
ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and soon after was commissioned First 
Lieutenant; this position he filled until after the battle of Shiloh, wheuj 
on account of disability, he returned to Tipton County, and remained a 
short time. Then, with about sixteen recruits, he went to Indianapolis, 
where he took charge of 108 men, and rejoined his regiment at Silver 
Springs, Ky. After the battle at Stone River, Tenn., he was made 
Captain. He participated in battles at Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain 
and Knoxville, Tenn., where the company veteranized and returned home 
on twenty days' furlough. They re-organized at Katusa Spring, Ga., 
and served in the principal engagements on the Atlantic coast campaign. 
Then engaged in battle at Franklin and Nashville, Tenn., after which 
the company moved into Texas, and was discharged in December, 1865. 
Mr. Hoback then returned to Tipton, and engaged in the lumber trade 
until April, 1883, when he disposed of his interest, and purchased an in- 
terest in 2,700 acres of pine lands in Hot Springs County, Ark., with a 
fine saw mill. His future residence will be Malvern, Ark. Capt. 
Hoback was married in Johnson County, Ind., in December, 1855, to 
Miss Minerva J. Tarhum, of Indiana. They have three children — Claude 
D., Melissa A. and Mattie L. Capt. Hoback is a member of the Mason- 
jc fraternity, and casts his vote with the Republican party. 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 341 

JESSE G. JACKSON, son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Jeffera) 
Jackson, natives af North Carolina, was born in Wilkes County, N. C, 
September 30, 1818. In 1830, his parents came to Rush Count}'^, Ind., 
where they spent the remainder of their days. Our subject was reared a 
farmer's boy and received a good education, which was completed at Fal- 
mouth, Rush Co., Ind. He then taught school in Rush, Fayette and 
Hancock Counties about five years, and later lived on a rented farm until 
1847, when he purchased eighty acres of unimproVed land in Hancock 
County. He cultivated this farm until 1852, when he purchased a farm 
in Shelby County, but soon sold this and bought 200 acres, upon which 
he lived eleven years. In 1854, he began his labors as a minister in the 
Old School Baptist Church, and was ordained in 1855. In 1865, he 
came to Tipton County and located on his present place. He was instru- 
mental in organizing Providence Church in Liberty Township, and has 
taken charge of this church since 1865 ; he has also charge of the 
churches at West Providence, Howard County, Taylor Creek, Grant 
County, and Lebanon, Henry County. During his ministerial career, he 
has traveled and preached in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri 
and Kansas. Among his many converts are four ministers — John G. 
Sawin, Robert W. Thompson, William N. Thorp and Peter W. Sawin, all 
of Central Indiana. Mr. Jackson was married in Howard County, Ind., 
May 6, 1841, to Hannah C. McQueary, daughter of Elder Morgan and 
Mary (Case) McQueary. This union is blessed with three children — 
Sarah E. Pratt, Hannah E. Davenport and Morgan M. Mr. Jackson is 
an earnest Christian man, is a highly-respected citizen, and politically is 
a member of the Democratic party. 

S. C. JOHNSON is the son of Lankston and Elizabeth (Cauthan) 
Johnson, both natives of Virginia. His parents came to Indiana about 
the year 1824, and located in Jennings County, and came to Tipton 
County in 1854. Mr. L. Johnson died in October, 1869, and his wife is 
still living, and is the oldest person in Liberty Township. The subject 
of this sketch was born in Jennings County, Ind., March 29, 1826, where 
he was reared and educated. He learned the blacksmith's trade at North 
Vernon, Ind., and February 27, 1854, located in Sharpsville, where he 
pursued his trade until 1864. He then enlisted in Company G, One 
Hundred and Fortieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infimtry, and served 
until the close of the war ; he was discharged at Greensboro, N. C, and 
was mustered out at Indianapolis ; he then returned to Sharpsville and 
worked at his trade until the fall of 1869, when he sold out and removed 
to Indianapolis. He continued in the same occupation until March, 1871, 
when he located at Walesboro, Bartholomew Co., Ind., and one year later 
returned to Sharpsville,where he has since been engaged in the manufact- 



342 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

ure of wagons and buggies, in general blacksmithing and custom work. 
Mr. Johnson was married in Jennings County, Ind., November 7, 1854, 
to Miss Ruth E. Johnson, a native of Jennings County, and daughter of 
Barnett P. and Lucy (Merrell) Johnson. This union is blessed with one 
child — Elmer E. Mr. Johnson is an active politician in the Republican 
party, and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

MARTIN KENDAL, son of Adam and Araminta (McKenney) 
Kendal, was born in Fayette County, Ind., February 19, 1833. Here 
he lived until he was ten years of age, when he removed with his parents 
to Henry County, Ind., and was there reared and educated; he has al- 
ways followed agricultural pursuits, and was a renter until 1850, when he 
came to Tipton County and purchased 160 acres of wild land, upon 
which he still lives ; he has improved and added to this, and now has a 
fine farm of 200 acres, with an eight-room brick dwelling, and all neces- 
sary outbuildings. Mr. Kendal began life a poor man, but has been 
successful, and has accumulated sufficient means to enable him to live 
comfortably. He is a member of the Republican party, and has served 
as Supervisor for some time. Mr. Kendal was married in Tipton County, 
Ind., to Miss Louisa J. Walker, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth 
(Goar) Walker. She was born in Monroe County, Va., February 24, 
1829. This union has been blessed with eight children — Mary E., Mel- 
vina, Nancy E., Sarah C, Henry A., Martha A. (deceased), Willis A. 
and Nora J. 

OREMEL LEE, son of David and Harriet (Murdock) Lee, natives 
of Kentucky and Virginia, was born in Oxford, Ohio, March 8, 1819 : 
he lived there until he was sixteen years of age, when he removed with 
his parents to Wayne County, Ind. ; he worked on a farm and subse- 
quently learned the wagon-maker's trade; he then learned the carpenter's 
trade, and worked at this until 1854, when he came to Tipton County, 
locating at Nevada. He remained there four years working at his trade, 
and in 1858 purchased his present place of 120 acres in Liberty Town- 
ship ; he is one of the pioneers of the township, and has improved his 
place and made it a fine farm; he was married in Madison County, Ind., 
January 10, 1851, to Rachel Ballew, daughter of Lindsay and Nancy 
(Sims) Ballew. This union has been crowned with seven children — Flor- 
ence E., Hattie M., Roxy M., Orlany R., Frank 0., Billey J. and Orange 
H. (deceased). Mrs. Lee is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and Mr. Lee is an active politician in the Democratic ranks. 

D. F. LINDSAY, M. D., son of Joseph and Elenor (Montgomery) 
Lindsay, natives of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, was born in Scott 
County, Ky., October 30, 1818, and seven years later removed with his 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 343 

parents to Decatur County, Ind., where he received his education. He 
then located at Middletown, Shelby Co., Ind., where he read medicine a 
year under Dr. Robbins, of that place. He then returned to Decatur 
County, and taught school for some time, after which he engaged in 
farming one season. He then located at Greensburg, Decatur County, 
and resumed the study of medicine with Dr. Armington, and in 1844 lo- 
cated at St. Louis, Bartholomew Co., Ind., where he engaged in the 
duties of his profession six years. He attended a course of lectures at 
Jefferson College, Louisville, Ky., after which he returned to St. Louis 
and remained in active practice about nine years, when he retired from 
his profession. In 1858, he came to Tipton County, and settled on his 
present place of 180 acres, half a mile south of Sharpsville. As an ac- 
complishment, the Doctor has read and studied law, has been admitted 
to the Tipton County bar, and has practiced about fifteen years. He 
has been Justice of the Peace in both Bartholomew and Tipton Counties, 
and in 1860 was elected Treasurer of Liberty Township, and was re- 
elected in 1861. He was married in Decatur County, Ind., October 30, 
1844, to Maria Sidwell. They have three children — Annie B., George 
B. and John F. Dr. Lindsay is an A., F. & A. M. and a Republican, 
and his wife a member of the Methodist Church. 

GEORGE W. McGEE was born November 15, 1848, in Decatur 
County, Ind., and is a son of John and Mary (Youngraan) McGee, both 
of German extraction. George was reared on a farm, his father remov- 
ing to Tipton County in 1850, and settling on the bank of Mud Creek, 
above Sharpsville. By industry, the family made one of the finest 
farms of this county. George received a fair education, considering the 
pioneer condition of the country. He lived with his parents until he 
was twenty-one years of age, when he was married, April 30, 1870, to 
Hattie Turner, daughter of Nathan Turner, of Rush County. He has, 
by diligence and economy, accumulated a fair fortune, being at present 
the largest stock and grain dealer in the county. In politics, he has al- 
ways been a Democrat. In 1882, he was elected Trustee of Liberty, 
which office he still fills with credit to himself and satisfaction to the 
public. 

JACOB G. OFF, Commissioner of Tipton County, is a native of 
Wurtemberg, Germany, and was born December 25, 1839. In 1854, he 
came to America and at once proceeded to Indianapolis, where he for 
seven years attended night school, working during the day in order to 
pay the expense of instruction. During his residence in that city, he 
also served an apprenticeship of three years at the carpenter's trade, and 
followed that vocation until 1863, when he entered into partnership with 
his two brothers in the saw mill and lumber business. They operated 



344 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

two mills, one at Indianapolis and the other at Jackson Station in Tipton 
County. In 1872, Mr. Off removed with his family to Tipton County ; 
in 1873, the Off Brothers sold their saw mill and our subject then turned 
his attention to farming on a tract of land which had been purchased 
while in the milling business, because of its valuable timber. It con- 
tained 400 acres situated in Liberty and Cicero Townships. The farm 
has now 180 acres cleared, which laborious feat was performed by Mr. 
Off himself. On this farm he produces a large amount of corn and 
wheat ; he keeps a fair amount of cattle and other stock, and sells from 
fifty to eighty head of hogs every season. Mr. Off was married at , 

Indianapolis on the 11th day of April, 186(3, to Miss Mary Karthauser. * 

They have four children, namely, Emma R., Edward C, Carrie W. and 
Oscar C. Religiously, he inclines to the Lutheran Church, in which 
faith he was reared. Politically, he is a Democrat, by which party 
he has been three times elected to the ofiice of County Commissioner. 

JOHN E. PRATT, son of Bennett and Araminta Pratt, natives of 
Maryland, was born in Queen Anne County, Md., May 25, 1830. 
He was reared and educated in his native State, and in 1849 came with 
his mother to Fayette County, Ind., where they resided a short time. 
They removed to Burlington, Rush County, where our subject learned the 
wagon-maker's trade. He followed this for about five years, after which he 
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits until 1858. During this time, 
he read and studied medicine as an accomplishment, and has never prac- 
ticed. He next located in Tipton County, where he worked eleven years 
at the carpenter's trade, and in 1870 located on his present place of 160 
acres. This he has improved until now it is one of the finest farms in 
the township. He also owns a small farm of thirty acres in Prairie Town- 
ship. Mr. Pratt was married in Tipton County, Ind., May 5, 1870, to 
Rosa E. Burns, daughter of Robert and Maria (Hendricks) Burns. She 
was born in Shelby County, Ind., December 16, 1840. They have 
three children — Mary C, Thomas B. and Sarah A. Mr. Pratt, politi- 
cally, is not a party man, but is rather conservative in his views. 

THOMAS G. PRATT, son of Bennett and Arminta M. Pratt, na- 
tives of Maryland, was born in Queen Anne County, Md., December 24, 
1882. Here he remained until he was twelve years of age, when he was 
taken by his sister to Fayette County, Ind., where he acquired a common 
school education. Leaving his adopted home, he worked as a farm hand 
five years, after which he farmed, in partnership with J. B, Cood, for 
three years. Hoping to better his fortune, he came to the rural district 
of Tipton County in 1857, and located on his present place. He at first 
had 120 acres, but now has a farm of 520 acres, in a high state of cultiva- 
tion and stocked with choice short-horn cattle. Mr. Pratt has on his 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 345 

place a large tile factory, with capacity to manufacture 100,000 tiles per 
year. He was married in Fayette County, Ind., May 18, 1854, to Sarah 
M. Nash. She was born in Fayette County, Ind., July 22, 1837, and 
is the daughter of Richard and Margaret (Moflett) Nash, natives of Penn- 
sylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Pratt have two children — Bennett R. and Will- 
iam. They have taken great pains in educating their children. Both 
sons have had considerable experience as school teachers. Mr. Pratt is a 
prominent citizen and an active member of the Republican party. 

JOHN B. REEDER is the eldest of eleven children born to Joseph 
H. and Susanna (Lindley) Reeder. His father was born in Wayne 
County, Ind., May 30, 1830, and was reared and educated in his native 
State. For many years he followed agricultural pursuits in Howard 
County, Ind., but his latter days were spent at Nevada, where he engaged 
in merchandising; he was married in Howard County, June 5, 1850, to 
Susanna Lindley, who was born in Howard County January 27, 1836. 
After many years of usefulness, Joseph H. Reeder departed this life on 
January 29, 1875. The subject of this sketch was born in Howard 
County, Ind., January 5, 1853 ; he received a liberal education, and in 
1874 became a partner with his father in merchandising at Nevada, 
where they continued business about four months ; then he became suc- 
cessor to the firm, and conducted the business until 1877, when he sold 
his stock and turned his attention to farming; he still follows this occu- 
pation, and has a comfortable home located at Nevada. Mr. Reeder was 
married in Richmond, Ind., October 25, 1875, to Martha Ricketts, daugh- 
ter of Garrett and Alice (Manford) Ricketts, natives of Indiana. She 
was born in Switzerland County, Ind., September 6, 1856. By this 
union they have three children — Flora N., Effie May and Thomas M. 
Mr. Reeder is an F. & A. M., and politically, stands firm for the Democ- 
racy. His wife is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

JAMES N. RICHARDS is the son of Elias and Sarah (Jones) 
Richards, natives of North Carolina. His parents emigrated to Indiana 
in an early day, and settled in Hamilton County, where our subject was 
born January 22, 1838. When twelve years of age, he removed with his 
father to Washington County, where he served, an apprenticeship at the 
cabinet-maker's trade ; he then worked on a farm until 1856, when he 
came to Howard County and attended school one winter ; he subsequently 
farmed on rented land until 1862, when he enlisted in Company F 
Eighty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, as Corporal. The 
first fifteen months he did garrison duty at Fort Pickering, Tenn., during 
which time he sufi"ered severely from sickness. When he regained his 
health, he was transferred to Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, and was 



346 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHfeS: 

subsequently transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and remained 
until July 17, 1865, when he was discharged. He then followed agri- 
cultural pursuits until 1879, when he located on his present place of 240 
acres. He has also on his farm a heading factory and saw mill. Mr. 
Richards has filled the positions of School Director and Supervisor; he 
was married in Howard County, in April, 1857, to Almeda Poff, a native 
of Indiana. She died in 1864, leaving three children — John M., William 
and Elias M. Mr. Richards married his present wife, Mrs. Louisa R. 
Jordon, in Tipton County, August 10, 1865. They have three children — 
Walter M., Elisha 0. and James M. Mrs. Richards has, by her former 
marriage, one child — John C. Jordon, Mr. Richards is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, the G. A. R., and the Republican party, and he and 
wife are members of the Christian Church. 

W. A. ROBINSON, harness-maker and saddler, and Postmaster at 
Sharpsville, was born in Paris, Ind., September 17, 1832, where he was 
reared and educated. He is the son of S. M. and Sarah (Bull) Robin- 
son, natives of Virginia and Kentucky respectively. His parents came 
to Indiana about 1828, and settled in Paris, his father being a pioneer 
merchant of that place. After our subject had completed his studies, he 
served as an apprentice at the harness and saddler's trade at Paris, and 
in 1854 came to Sharpsville, where he engaged in this business until 1858. 
He then located at Madison, Ind., where he worked at his trade until 
1861, when he entered the Government service and remained in the 
Quartermaster Department until 1864. He was captured at Mt. Ster- 
ling, Ky., and held under guard eight days, when he was paroled. In 
1865, he returned to Sharpsville, where he has since engaged in the 
harness and saddler's trade. He has served as Postmaster since 1865,. 
having received his appointment through President Lincoln. Mr. Robin- 
son was married in Madison, Ind., May 30, 1855, to Miss Diana V. 
Coffman, daughter of John and Virginia (Kile) Coffman, both natives of 
Virginia, who settled in Madison, Ind., in 1818. Mr. and Mrs. Robin- 
son have had two children — Mrs. Mattie A. Franklin, of Elkhart, Ind., 
and Mrs. Dora M. Wells, of Sharpsville. Mr. Robinson has served as 
Justice of the Peace, is a member of the I. 0. 0. F., and has taken thirty- 
two degrees in the F. & A. M. He is a member of the Methodist 
Church, and in politics is a Republican. 

D. P. RLTBUSH, physician, is the son of John and Sarah C. (Paul) 
Rubush, of Virginia. His father was a minister in the United Brethren 
Church until his death, which occurred December 16, 1882. Dr. Rubush 
was born in Rockingham County, Va., November 25, 1847. At the age- 
of seven, he was taken by his parents to Washington County, Tenn., 
where he attended school until 1863 ; he then came to Indiana and at- 



« 



LIBERTY TOWNSHIP. 



347 



tended one term of school at Hartsville University, Hartsford, Ind. He 
then engaged in farming a short time, and subsequently enlisted in the 
Twenty-fifth Indiana Light Battery and served until the close of the war. 
He participated in a battle at Nashville, Tenn., and others less impor- 
tant. After he was discharged, he attended school in Tennessee at Laurel 
Hill Academy, graduating from that institution in 1867 ; he then entered 
the ministry in the United Brethren Church and was ordained in 1871. 
He did circuit duty one year in Tennessee, two years in Ohio and one 
year in Indiana. During this time, he studied medicine in his leisure. 
He retired from the ministry in 1873, and in the fall of 1874 entered the 
Indiana Medical College at Indianapolis, where he studied two terms ; 
he then located at Jackson Station, Tipton Co., Ind., where he practiced 
medicine two years; he located at Sharpsville in February, 1879, where 
he is now engaged in the duties of his profession. He was married in 
Marion County, Ind., March 17, 1869, to Miss Rachel Ponder, of In- 
diana. They have five children— Jacob C, Allie I., Carl, Ethel M. and 
Lela. Dr. Rubush is a worthy citizen, and politically is identified with 
the Republican party. 

WILLIAM SMITH, son of Samuel Smith, a native of Virginia, 
was born in Greenbrier County, Va., December 5, 1826, and at the age 
of eight years moved with his parents to Madison County, Ind. Subse- 
quently they removed to Hendricks County, where our subject grew to 
manhood ; he then purchased a small farm where he remained until 18o-2, 
when he came to Tipton County and purchased 160 acres which he culti- 
vated. He is a practical farmer and has accumulated a handsome estate 
of 575 acres, part of which lies in the suburbs of Sharpsville ; he also 
owns town property ; he at one time owned and operated the flouring 
mills at Sharpsville, but is now leading a retired life on one of his farms. 
He has taken a prominent part in improving the public roads of the county, 
having served as Supervisor for ten years. Mr. Smith was married in 
Rush County March 12, 1851, to Mary Stephenson, of Indiana. She 
died in 1877, leaving three children— Sarah A., Samuel J. and William. 
He married his present wife, Mrs. Cynthia Smith, in Tipton County, June 
27, 1878. She was born in Johnson County, Ind., March 18, 1846. 
They have two children— Mary B. and Leona E. Mr. Smith is a mem- 
ber of the Republican party, and he and wife are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Smith came to Tipton County in 1852 with 
limited means, but to-day is one of the wealthiest citizens in the county. 
W. H. SPURLIN is the son of Joshua and Hester (Layman) Spur- 
lin, both natives of Ohio. His parents came to Indiana in 1833, and 
located on a farm in Shelby County. The subject of this sketch was 
born in Butler County, Ohio, June 16, 1833, and shortly removed with 



348 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his parents to Shelby County, Ind., where he was reared and educated. 
In 1853, he located on a farm in Shelby County, where he followed agri- 
cultural pursuits eighteen years. In 1860, he was ordained as a minister 
of the Separate Baptist Church, and has since engaged in that labor. He 
had charge of Pleasant Grove Church in Shelby County three years ; of 
Mt. Zion Church, Shelby County, six years; and, in 1872, came to Tip- 
ton County and located on his present place. He now has charge of 
Rock Prairie Church, of this county, and Union Church, of Howard 
County. Mr. Spurlin has been actively engaged in ministerial work for 
twenty years, has baptized many converts and preached many funeral dis- 
courses. He was married, in Shelby County, Ind.^ November 17, 1853, 
to Serena Lemar, daughter of Robert and Rosanna (Lee) Lemar, natives 
of Indiana and Virginia. Miss Lemar was born in Shelby County, Ind., 
January 20, 1886. By this union they have six children — Exlina, 
James F., Rosanna, Hester, Charley and Mary A. Mr. Spurlin is a 
prominent citizen, is identified with the Democratic party, and is one of 
its most active members. 

HENRY TOLLE is the son of Benjamin and Nancy (Applegate) 
Tolle, natives respectively of Virginia and Kentucky. His parents 
came to Indiana in an early day and settled in Rush County on a farm. 
Henry Tolle was born in Rush County April 10, 1839, and was there 
reared and educated. In 1861, he came to Tipton County and settled on 
his present place. He started with thirty acres, which he began to clear 
and improve, and now has a fine farm of 170 acres, with large, brick 
dwelling, erected at a cost of $4,000. He has taken a prominent part in 
improving the public highways, having served three terms as Supervisor. 
He was married, in Howard County, Ind., January 10, 1864, to Sarah L. 
Witson, a native of Missouri, born March 15, 1844. She was the daugh- 
ter of Elias A. and Nancy (Garner) Witson. Mrs. Tolle died in Tipton 
County May 14, 1872, leaving one child — Clara. Mr. Tolle was next 
married to Minerva A. Witson, a sister of his first wife. She was born 
in Howard County September 5, 1851, and died in Tipton County May 
3, 1877. By this union they had one child — Fred. Mr. Tolle came to 
Tipton County in 1861 with about $50, and now has a good farm well 
stocked with fine horses. He is a prominent farmer, and a stanch mem- 
ber of the Democratic party. 

JOSEPH TURNER, son of Nathan and Sarah (Murphey) Turner, 
natives of Ohio, was born in Ohio July 15, 1836, and during his infancy 
was taken by his parents to Fountain County, Ind., and eight years later 
his father removed to Rush County, where our subject was reared and 
received the benefits of the common schools. He rented land in Rush 
County five years, and in 1864 came to Tipton County and settled on 160 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 349 

acres of unimproved land. This he cultivated until 1876, when he locat- 
ed on his present place of 120 acres. Mr. Turner was married, in Fayette 
County, Ind., November 8, 1857, toElenor J. Nash, daughter of Richard 
and Margaret (Moffet) Nash, natives of Pennsylvania. She was born in 
Fayette County, Ind., June 20, 1833. This union has been blessed with 
three children — Marion T.,born in Rush County, Ind., October 15, 1858, 
and died March 4, 1864 ; Sarah M., born in Rush County July 27, 1860, 
and died March 7, 1864, and Laura A., born in Tipton County February 
10, 1865, and died September 18, 1867. Mr. Turner came to Tipton 
County in 1864 with limited means, but by his industry and good judg- 
ment he has accumulated a comfortable estate, despite his heavy loss by 
security. Mr. Turner is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and in pol- 
itics votes the Republican ticket. 

J. S. ULRICK, son of Samuel and Mary Magdalene (Kline) Ulrick, 
natives of Pennsylvania, was born in Union County, Penn., September 
17, 1826, and was reared and educated in his native State. In 1850, he 
came to Indiana and located in Sharpsville, with only $5 in Spanish and 
Mexican coin, bearing dates of the seventeenth and beginning of the 
eighteenth centuries. He still has these coins in his possession. He found 
ready employment at the plasterer's trade, which he learned, together 
with brick-laying. This he followed successfully about twenty-six years. 
In 1868, he purchased forty acres of his present place, to which he has 
been adding until now he has 200 acres of well-improved land, besides 
town property. He served as Constable in 1857 and 1858. He was mar- 
ried, in Madison, Ind., December 28, 1854, to Mary J. Naylor, born in 
Ripley County, Ind., December 10, 1829, and daughter of William D. 
and Eliza (Brown) Naylor, natives of Virginia and Kentucky. This union 
has been blessed with five children — Tommie D., Lot S., Silas A., 
Rinaldo K. (deceased), and Perry E. (deceased). Mr. Ulrick is conserva- 
tive in his political views. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
and he and wife are identified with the Lutheran Church. 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 
MATTHEW ANDERSON was born in Warren County, Ohio, Janu- 
ary 22. 1821. His parents were Isaiah, born May 25, 1779, and Eliza- 
beth (Collings) Anderson. They were married July 11, 1802, in New 
Jersey, their native State. The previous year both of them voted for 
Thomas Jefferson for President, the l;iws of New Jersey permitting women 
to vote. Isaiah died in 1855, and his wife in 1850. Matthew, the only 
survivor of a family of five children, was reared on a farm, and lived with 



350 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his parents until his father died. In 1850, he entered forty acres of land 
in Tipton County, which he still owns. In 1857, he commenced working 
on this land; being then single, he for a long time lived alone in his 
cabin. He added to his farm from year to year, and now owns over 200 
acres of fine land. June 7, 1881, he was married to Hulda J. Rollings, 
of Clinton County, Ind. This union has been blessed with one child, 
Charlie, who is still living. Matthew in his youth received a fair common 
school education. He has had his share in the development of the county. 
The money with which he purchased his first fifty-eight acres was ob- 
tained by working at 50 cents a day. Mr. Anderson is a Democrat. 

GEORGE W. BALDWIN, one of the leading farmers of Prairie 
Township, was born in New Castle County, Del., April 19, 1811 ; he is 
the fourth of six children of the family of Samuel and Rebecca Baldwin, 
natives of Pennsylvania, and of Scotch and English descent respectively ; 
Samuel's grandfather was one of the companions of William Penn, on 
his voyage to the New World, and was present when the city of Phila- 
delphia was laid out. Our subject remained with his parents untiHie 
was seventeen years of age, and his education consisted of the limited cur- 
riculum of the public schools of that day ; the most beneficial course of study 
pursued by him was during an attendance of six months at the Knights- 
town, Ind., public schools, after he had passed his twenty-fifth year ; when 
seventeen years old, he commenced working at the carpenter's trade, and 
continued until he was forty years of age, a part of which time uniting 
the business of a millwright. He located in Prairie Township, of this 
(Tipton) county, in the fall of 1851, on a tract of land containing 400 
acres, which is his present farm and place of residence. When he re- 
moved to Tipton County, he was the owner of 320 acres of land in Dela- 
ware County, Ind., which he has since disposed of, and invested the pro- 
ceeds in Howard County soil ; he never received any assistance in a fi- 
nancial way, and has become the possessor of his present property by 
good management and hard toil ; he has been twice married, the first 
time to Miss Sarah Hopper, February 5, 1833 ; this lady died October 
10, 1833 ; hia second marriage occurred December 26, 1839, to Miss 
Margaret Myers, by whom he is the father of four children, viz.: Will- 
iam F. (deceased), born February 4,1842; Charles L., born July 14, 
1843 ; Hannah J. (deceased), born April 9, 1845 ; and Isadora M. (now 
Thompson), born March 22, 1849. He is again a widow er, his wife 
Margaret having departed this life December 16, 1882 ; he has given 
each of his children a start in life, and has sufficient remaining to supply- 
him comfortably in his old age ; he is, and his wife was, aconsistent mem 
ber of the Friends' Church ; politically, he was a Whig until the dissolu- 
tion of that party, when he became, and has ever since been, a Repub- 
lican ; he is in every sense a commendable citizen. 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 351 

SAMUEL BIDDINGER, manufacturer of tile, of Prairie Town- 
ship, was born in Dearborn County, Ind., November 12, 1852, and 
is the first of a family of three children born to Aaron J., and Malinda 
(Hamilton) Biddinger ; the former was a native of Ohio, the latter of 
Indiana, and respectively of German and Irish extraction ; his father 
dying when he was about eleven years of age, himself and mother made 
their home with his maternal grandfather, James Hamilton ; here he re- 
mained until his twenty-second year. The routine of life in his youth 
was labor on the farm in the summer, and attendance at the district school 
in the winter, from which he gleaned a good practical education ; starting 
in life with no capital to advance him but his energy and pluck, he has 
become the owner of a half interest in a tile factory, in which he at 
first labored for daily wages ; the factory is now doing a business of about 
$1,400 annually, and having rented the interest of his partner, Mr. 
Thompson, who has the management of a large farm to occupy his time, 
he is now making preparations to increase the capacity of the factory. 
He was married in Prairie Township, March 2, 1876, to Miss Isabella 
Lee, daughter of William and Neoma (Chambers) Lee, both of Irish ex- 
traction, and of whose family of seven children, she was the third. They 
had two children, viz.: William A., born January 21, 1877, and Florence, 
born February 19, 1879, and departed this life August 19, 1880. Mrs. 
Biddinger died July 18, 1880. He now is, and his wife was, a consistent 
member of the Friends' Church. Politically, he is a Republican, and is 
one of its most active workers ; he is an enterprising young man, and 
has fine prospects for the future. 

THOMAS J. BROOKS, Trustee of Prairie Township, and one of 
the most enterprising farmers, was born in Hart County, Ky., January 
8, 1844. He is the son of James L. and Lucinda (Woodward) Brooks, 
natives of Kentucky, and of Irish descent, and is the fifth child in a 
family of nine children. He was reared on a farm and had few educa- 
tional advantages. He came to Tipton County in 1865, with his parents, 
who located on a farm of forty acres in Prairie Township. This the 
father, with the assistance of his sons, made one of the neatest little 
farms in the township. Since his father's death, Thomas has become 
the possessor of the home place, and has made it his residence. On 
starting in life, he had no assistance from any source, and has become 
the owner of what little property he now has by hard work and shrewd, 
economical management. He has succeeded, by close application, in 
acquiring considerable knowledge, and is regarded by his friends and ac- 
quaintances as a well-informed man. During the late rebellion, he en- 
listed in the Ninth Kentucky Cavalry, Company B, under Jacobs, and, 
during a service of twelve months, participated in several engagements. 



352 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

the principal being the battle of Perryville. Politically, he has always 
been a Democrat, and at. the spring election of 1882 he was elected 
Trustee of his township by a large majority, and is now discharging the 
duties of that office. He is an honest, capable and energetic young man. 

JOSEPH A. CAMPBELL, farmer and plasterer, of Prairie Town- 
ship, was born in Brown County, Ind., July 18, 1838. He is the son of 
William and Nancy (Spears) Campbell, and is the third of a family of 
twelve children, nine of whom are still living in the immediate neighbor- 
hood of our subject. Joseph was reared on a farm, and had no oppor- 
tunities for obtaining an education. He remained with his parents until 
twenty-three years old. On the 24th of August, 1861, he was married 
to Mary J. Burns, a native of Indiana, and daughter of Robert and 
Maria Burns. This marriage has brought him seven children, five of 
whom are yet living. After his marriage, he learned the plastering and 
carpentering trades, which he has since followed in connection with farm- 
ing. His only capital on starting in life was a determination to succeed, 
and moving on the farm he now owns, as a renter, and which was then in 
an undeveloped state, he improved it, and in 1870 purchased it. Now it 
is under excellent cultivation, well supplied with all necessary buildings, 
and ornamented by a neat residence, which stands in the place of one con- 
sumed by fire August 11, 1881. His wife died February 12, 1881, and, 
being left with five small children, and unable to attend properly 
to their interest, he married, December 24, 1882, Miss Abigail Jones, 
born in Johnson County, Ind., September 4, 1836. He has been a mem- 
ber of the Christian Church for twelve years, his wife and elder children 
also being identified therewith. He has accumulated a sufficiency for his 
declining years. He is a man of industrious habits, formed through the 
experience of a pioneer. Mr. Campbell is of temperate habits, and is 
charitable and public spirited. 

JAMES M. CAMPBELL was born in Brown County, Ind., May 
27, 1843 ; his parents were William and Nancy (Spears) Campbell ; they 
located in Prairie Township in 1843. William was born April 20, 1804, 
and married in Johnson County, Ind., August 23, 1832 ; he died January 
25, 1882; his wife was born November 20, 1817, and died March 4, 
1883. They were both natives of Kentucky ; they were highly respected 
citizens, and consistent members of the Christian Church for many years. 
Our subject, James M., is the fifth child of a family of twelve children, 
nine of whom are yet living ; he was reared on a farm, and had very 
limited educational opportunities ; in his early days, he was noted for 
extreme inquisitiveness ; he was an excellent marksman. In 1862, he 
enlisted in Company B, Seventy-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and 
served until the close of the war ; he participated in the engagements at 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 35S 

Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Marietta ; he was also with Sher- 
man during his victorious march to the sea. He was off duty only a 
few days, on account of measles. On his return home, he farmed for 
one year. He was married, November 6, 1867, to Miss Mary B. Cole, 
the second of six children born to Perry and Melvina (Butler) Cole, 
natives of Indiana, who located in Prairie Township in 1858, where 
they followed farming until his death, which occurred October 16, 1862. 
Mollie was born at the birthplace of her father February 28, 1848, and 
their union has been blessed by the birth of four children, viz., Alfred 
C, born September 15, 1868; Stella M., born November 6, 1869; 
Conie, born March 30, 1879, and Guy, born November 10, 1881. James 
M. purchased an interest in the Normanda Flouring Mills, and success- 
fully followed milling for teh years; he then sold out, and bought 134 
acres of fine land joining the north of Normanda, and since that time 
has continued farming. Mr. Campbell has energetic and industrious 
habits, is benevolent and active in all public enterprises ; he is a firm 
Republican ; his wife has been a Methodist since her girlhood. 

JOSEPH CARDWELL, one of the pioneer farmers of Prairie 
Township, was born in Rockingham County, N. C, December 14, 1813, 
and is of Irish and French descent ; his entire educational advantages 
consisted of an attendance of ten weeks at school during his boyhood ; 
in 1836, he removed to Jefferson County, Ind., and, remaining there five 
years, removed thence to Switzerland County, Ind., whence, in 1851, he 
came to Tipton County and located in Prairie Township on the farm hfr 
at present owns; in 1842, July 10, he was married to Miss Matilda 
Edwards, and by her has become the father of twelve children, of whom 
ten are yet living, viz. : Pleasant P., Ann M., Elizabeth, John W., Clar- 
inda and Lorinda (twins), James B., Noah, Mary Eliza, Alva. Lucy A. 
(died aged sixteen), and George B. M. (died aged two months). When 
our subject arrived at his new home, he was accompanied by an invalid 
mother, his wife and sister, and with scarcely means enough to provide 
for the necessities of life ; his mother died the year after his arrival, his 
sister within four years, and his wife also departed this life in 1879 ; he 
has had an experience requiring an unbroken confidence and strong nerve 
to withstand ; he has been a consistent member of the Separate Baptist 
Church for forty-three years, and also a member of the Masonic Lodge 
at Russiaville, Ind. Politically, he is a stalwart Democrat, and in 1878 
was elected by that party to the office of Assessor of his township, which 
he fills in a very creditable manner ; he has several times been appointed 
to appraise the real estate of Prairie and Liberty Townships ; he was 
one of the first Trustees of Prairie , Township ; his second marriage 
was to Mrs. Fidelia Fiskin, widow of John Fiskin, and a native of 



354 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Ohio. Our subject has a fine farm of 140 acres under cultivation ; he 
has recently erected a large barn. Surrounded by his family, consisting 
of his wife and three children yet at home, he is prepared to enjoy the 
evening of life in peace and plenty. 

PLEASANT PERRIN CARD WELL, farmer, was born March 8, 
1845, in Jefferson County, Ind.; he is the second of a family of twelve 
children, ten of whom are yet living, born to Joseph and Caroline M. (Ed- 
wards) Cardwell, natives of North Carolina, the former of whom is of 
English descent, and is a farmer in Prairie Township at the present 
time. Pleasant was reared on a farm, and never had the privilege of at- 
tending school until he was thirteen years of age, and then the terms 
were very short; he remained on the farm until he was nirieteen years of 
age ; at that time he was married to Miss Julia A. Ragan January 21, 
1864, the ceremony being performed by W. J. Tyner; his wife was the 
second child born to Thomas and Phoebe Ragan. This union has been 
crowded by the birth of nine children. Pleasant was included in the 
draft of 1864, but was rejected as not being an able-bodied man. On 
the 8th of October of the same year, himself and family being absent 
from home, his house and its entire contents were consumed by fire, the 
cause of which was never known. Mr. Cardwell has always been an in- 
dustrious, economical man, and has always enjoyed the confidence and es- 
teem of his neighbors; is a member of Prairieville Lodge, No. 554, of A., 
F. & A. M., having joined the order in 1880 ; is politically a Democrat. 

SAMUEL CARTER, a prominent Prairie Township farmer, was 
born March 22, 1827. Mr. Carter is the third child in a family of six 
born to James and Martha (Holaday) Carter, natives of North Carolina, 
and of Scotch-Irish descent; he was reared on a farm. All the education 
he ever obtained, was acquired from the district school of early days. 
Soon after attaining his majority, he was married to Miss Ruth Quaken- 
bush, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Lee) Quakenbush, of Orange 
County, Ind., natives of North Carolina, and of English and German de- 
scent respectively. Their marriage has resulted in a family of ten 
children, of whom five are living : Hannah E., Martha A., Thomas, 
James I., Sarah E., George, Cyrus, John E., Oliver P. and Samuel L. 
Shortly after the birth of the last child, his excellent wife departed this 
life, December 26, 1866. Being left alone, with the care of a large 
family, Mr. Carter married, in September, 1869, Nancy C. Glenns, 
widow of Joseph Glenns, and daughter of Richard and Sarah (Atwood) 
Wiles, natives of North Carolina. This union has been crowned by the 
birth of three children, viz.; William G., Mary E. and Laura B., all of 
whom are now deceased. Mr. Carter came to Tipton County in 1857, 
locating on a farm in Prairie Township ; this he entered from the Govern- 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 355 

ment. It contained forty acres situated near Sharpsville; he con- 
tinued to gather land, until he owned 160 acres ; he then sold that piece, 
and purchased a farm of 130 acres, located near Russiaville, Ind., and 
upon this last purchase he now makes his home. Politically, he is an 
active worker of the Republican party, having cast his first vote for 
Zachariah Taylor for President, in 1848, and he has been elected by his 
party to the office of Trustee of his township. Mr. Carter is a member 
of the Masonic fraternity, and both himself and wife are consistent mem- 
of the Baptist Church. 

THOMAS CARTER, a farmer of Prairie Township, and the son of 
Samuel Carter, was born in Tipton County, Ind., November 18, 1852. 
Mr. Carter grew to manhood on his father's farm, and obtained a practi- 
cal education from the common schools of his native county. From the 
age of fifteen, he labored as a farm hand at the rate of from $17 to $20 
per month. On the 2d day of December, 1875, he was married to Louisa 
A. Runk, born March 5, 1855, daughter of Samuel and Margaret (Rat- 
cliff) Runk, of Howard County, descended from German and English 
ancestors, and natives respectively of Virginia and Ohio. His marriage 
has been crowned by the birth of two children — Milton E. and Lillie E. 
For about five years after his marriage, he resided on a farm in Howard 
County. At the end of that time he removed to Prairie Township, Tip- 
ton County, and located upon a farm of 100 acres, near Russiaville, 
where he now resides. Politically, he is a Republican, and adheres strictly 
to the precepts of his party; his wife is a consistent and active member 
of the New-Light Church. 

AMBROSE CORN, a Prairie Township farmer, was born in Scott 
County, Ind., July 6, 1818; his parents were John and Hannah 
(Spencer) Corn, natives respectively of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and 
of Irish descent; his father died in Johnson County, Ind., in 1837, and 
his mother then resided with him until 1860, when she also died. Am- 
brose was reared on a farm, and is the fifth of a family of nine children 
all of whom are now dead save himself and one sister. Mr. Corn was 
married, July, 1841, to Miss Catherine Miller, of Johnson County, 
daughter of John Miller. In 1843, he located in Prairie Township, Tip- 
ton Co., Ind., without a dollar, and with only an ox team ; he built a 
cabin in the month of March, and got to housekeeping by the 1st of 
April. During the first year of his residence, he made baskets and traded 
them in Hamilton County for corn, taking one load to Indianapolis, 
where he exchanged them for flour and bacon. When the " reserve " land 
came into market, he disposed of all his stock and personal property, and 
secured enough money to purchase forty acres of land, which now forms 
a part of his home, and is in a high state of cultivation. They have had 



356 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

the following children : John, Mrs. Rebecca E. Gorden, James, Asa, Cal- 
vin, Mrs. Hannah J. Kindal, Isaac, Mary E., Ida C, Alfred, William 
(died in the army 1864), and David W. (died, aged two years). He has 
been a consistent member of the Separate Baptist Church for thirty years, 
and is in every respect a desirable citizen. He has always been kind to 
his afflicted relatives, keeping his mother and mother-in-law until their 
death, in all a period of nearly forty years, and providing liberally for 
the maintenance of two widowed diaughters. He is one of the pioneers 
of the county ; he is a man of broad sympathies and charity, and one 
who has succeeded by industry in providing for his declining years. 
Politically, he is a Republican, and before the birth of that party was a 
Whig. 

SAMUEL S. CRAIL was born in Allegheny County, Penn., Au- 
gust 2, 1816 ; his parents, Samuel and Sarah (Boyd) Crail, were of Eng- 
lish and Irish descent respectively ; his great-grandfather immigrated to 
this country with Lord Baltimore and settled in Maryland. Our subject 
was reared on a farm, and is the second in a family of five children, all of 
whom are living; his parents in 1822, leaving the State of Pennsylvania, 
descended the Ohio River in a flat-boat, and landing at Madison, penetrated 
to the interior and located near what is now the city of Greensburg, Decatur 
Co., Ind. On December 20, 1888, he was married to Miss Catherine Weaver. 
By her he is the father of four children. In 1849, he removed to How- 
ard County, Ind,, where he had the misfortune to lose his excellent wife. 
On December 3, 1858, he was again married. This time to Elizabeth 
Conwell, of Howard County. On the 22d of March, 1864, he removed 
to Tipton County, and settled on the farm which he now owns, of 120 
acres. It was then a swamp, but by industry he has succeeded in mak- 
ing it one of the finest farms in the county. He managed, during his 
youth, to acquire as fair an education as the public schools of that day 
could furnish. He has filled the office of Justice of the Peace for twenty 
years. He has succeeded in accumulating a respectable competence and 
in building up an unimpeachable reputation ; he has always been noted 
for his commendable spirit of public enterprise. He has recently lost his 
second wife, who died October 25, 1882. 

ZALMON DISBROW was born. in Seneca County, N. Y., December 
18, 1812 ; he is the son of Isaac C. and Elizabeth (Buritt) Disbrow, na- 
tives respectively of New York and Connecticut, and of English descent ; 
his father was a farmer and cooper, and moved to Johnson County, Ind., 
in 1831, having married his companion in 1805. They remained in 
Johnson County until their death, at the ages respectively of eighty- 
seven and seventy-seven years. Zalmon was the second of a family of 
eleven children, only three of whom are now living, two sisters, besides 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 357 

our subject, living in Johnson County. He was reared on a fiirtn ; his 
educational advantages consisted of three weeks' schooling, and this after 
he had attained his majority. During his youth, he worked at the cooper 
trade. In 1835, he was married to Miss Nancy Bowles, who died July 
7, 1837 ; his second marriage occurred February 14, 1838, to Miss 
Rachael Massey, a native of Kentucky. He located in Prairie Town- 
ship on 200 acres of land, in the woods, in 1851. On this he now resides, 
having made it a fine farm by his ceaseless toil. Mr. and Mrs. Disbrow 
have had eleven children, ten of whom are living. Zalmon is an indus- 
trious citizen, and has succeeded in accumulating a sufficiency for his old 
age. He is a fine Biblical scholar, and is inclined to the doctrine of 
Universalism. Politically, he is a stalwart Democrat. 

ENOS M. FITZ SIMMONS, a farmer of Prairie Township, and a 
native of Shelby County, Ky., was born April 12, 1816. He is the 
second of a family of ten children born to Richard and Martha (Miles) 
Fitz Simmons, both natives of Kentucky, and respectively of Irish and 
English extraction. In company with his parents, he, in 1850, emigrated 
to Marion County, Ind., and thence, after a short residence, to Tipton 
County, where he has since resided ; he was reared upon a farm, and ob- 
tained an ordinary education from the district schools. On starting in life 
he received $500, and to this he has added, and he is now the owner of a 
nice little farm of thirty acres, upon which he at present resides. July 
25, 1869, he was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Orr, a native of this 
State, who departed this life December 28, 1876. The issue of this union 
consists of two children, viz.: Robert S., born May 20, 1870, and Lora 
L., born October 30, 1873. Mr. Fitz Simmons was married the second 
time on September 4, 1878, to Miss Nettie C. Phillips, of this State, 
daughter of Lewis and Lavina (Bell) Phillips. She is the second of ten 
children born to them. This union was also crowned by the birth of two 
children, viz.: Lawrence C, born June 13, 1880, and Murray L., born 
March 30, 1883. Besides farming, our subject makes a specialty of 
raising tine horses for breeding purposes, and keeps both the Norman and 
American stock. He is a member of the Christian Church, and was a 
member of the "Grange." Politically, he is a Democrat, and is one of 
its most active supporters. 

JACOB FOSTER was born in Burlington County, N. J., March 25, 
1811. He is the youngest of a family of four children born to Edmund 
and Mary (Gaskill) Foster, natives of New Jersey, and of English and 
Scotch-Irish extraction, respectively. His mother dying when he was five 
years of age, his father placed him in care of other parties, and watched 
over him and appropriated his wages until he reached the age of eighteen. 
At that time he purchased his liberty by paying for his time until he 



358 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

should reach the a^e of twenty-one. He worked in an iron manufactory 
in his native State, and finally became its foreman. It was while laboring 
in this capacity that he married (1833) iMiss Sarah Lemon, daughter of 
Lewis and Polly (Johnson) Lemon, natives of New Jersey. Four years 
after his marriage, Mr. Foster, with his family, removed to Decatur 
County, Ind., near Kingston, and locating in the green woods; took a 
lease which he surrendered in one year. Removing a short distance, he 
rented a farm until 1854, when he purchased a farm of eighty acres, upon 
which he resided for five years. 'During his residence on this farm, his 
wife died, September 11, 1847. She was an excellent woman, and a 
consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They had ten 
children, five of whom are still living, viz.: Mrs. Mary E. Wainright, 
Mrs. Hannah A. Psalters, Mrs. Margaret J. Crail, Mrs. Lovenia A. 
Chaptman and Bdmon L. Having the care of a large family, Mr. Foster 
married, July 5, 1859, his second wife. Miss Sarah Martin, daughter of 
John and Jane (Campbell) Martin, natives of Kentucky, and of English 
descent. Of this marriage there is no issue. He removed to Prairie 
Township, Tipton County, Ind., in 1861, and located on 160 acres of 
land near Russiaville, and it is upon this farm, beautifully situated and 
highly cultivated, that he now resides. Politically, he is an active Re- 
publican, and one of that party's best workers, although his first vote was 
cast for Gen. Jackson in 1832. Both himself and wife are identified with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are among its active workers. He is 
also noted in the community where he lives for a broad and liberal charity. 
JAMES R. GIBBENS was born in Morgan County, Ind-, February 
17, 1829; his parents were David and Hannah (Botman) Gibbons, 
natives respectively of Virginia and Maryland, the former of Irish 
descent and the latter of German-Welsh extraction. The former died in 
Morgan County, Ind., in 1835; the latter died in 1879, aged ninety-four. 
They came to this State (Indiana) in 1826. James, our subject, was 
reared on a farm, and had very meager opportunities for acquiring an 
education ; he is the eighth child and the seventh son of a family of nine 
children, five of Avhom are yet living in Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. 
James remained at home maintaining his parents until the 25th of Sep- 
tember, 1851, when he was married to Miss Elizabeth Jones, born in 
Owen County, Ind., May 13, 1828. She is the daughter of Thomas 
and Frances Jones, the former, who died in Tipton County in 1859, being 
of Welsh and English extraction, and the latter, who died in Howard 
County in 1879, being of English and Irish descent. James' marriage 
has been crowned by the birth of six children — Lydia A., Mrs. Mary 
Isabelle Hoback, Hannah Frances, Hester E., Powell Morton and Riley 
Grant. In 1853, he located on the farm he now owns, and remained 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 359 

there for three years as a renter. On account of sickness, he returned to 
Owen County, and remained about seven years, five of which were passed 
in Gosport. In 1862, he came back to his farm, and has been there ever 
since. He has had considerable misfortune in his career. At one time 
he lost a fine team of horses, supposed to have been caused by poison. 
He has made a specialty of breeding fine stock, always having on hand a 
superior variety of hogs. He owns a good farm in Section 26 of Prairie 
Township, which he last year ornamented with a handsome residence. 
He has been for twenty-five years a member of the Missionary Baptist 
Church, and his wife has been a member since childhood. His older 
children also belong to the same organization. He has succeeded by 
industry in accumulating a competency, and is regarded as an honest, up- 
right and worthy citizen. Politically, he is a Republican. 

JOHN THOMAS GRAYSON, farmer and carpenter, was born in 
Decatur County, Ind., November 6, 1836. He is the third in a family 
of thirteen children, ten of whom are living, born to Wren and Lucinda 
(Williamson) Grayson, natives of Tennessee. John was reared on a farm, 
and during his youth learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed 
until President Lincoln's call for 300,000 volunteers, when he enlisted in 
Company D, Seventh Indiana Infantry, in August, 1861. He partici- 
pated in the battles of Greenbrier and Winchester, and in the defense of 
Washington. Here he was taken sick and sent to the hospital, where he 
remained only a few days, although he was kept in the convalescent camp 
all winter. In the spring, he again joined his regiment and was in the 
battle of Gettysburgh. From there, he went to the Wilderness, where, on 
the first day's engagement, May 5, 1864, he was taken prisoner, sent to 
Lynchburg and thence to Andersonville Prison. For seven long months 
he endured the torments and agonies of a living death. Released from 
prison December 6, 1864, he returned home, and as soon as he regained 
his strength resumed his trade, and removed to Tipton County, Ind. He 
was married, November 1, 1866, to Miss Lucinda Smith, born in Johnson 
County, Ind., July 21, 1848, and the daughter of Harrison and Mar- 
garet A. (Foster) Smith. This union has been crowned by the birth of 
five children, three of whom are living — Maggie Alice, Eva May and 
Delia Maud, the others dying in infancy. John is a member of the Ma- 
sonic fraternity, and attends Westport Lodge, No. 52. He has been a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for six years — his wife 
from childhood. He is the owner of a nice little farm in a fair state of 
cultivation, ornamented by a neat residence, built in 1881. He is public- 
spirited, and stands well in the community. 

ORLANDO HARLOW, a farmer and wagon-maker of Prairie 
Township, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, October 1, 1822. 



360 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Ilis parents, John and Elizabeth (Evans) Harlow, were natives of Man- 
chester, England, and, emigrating to this country, located in Maryland 
in 1819. From there they in 1820 removed to Ohio, where John, being 
a cotton-spinner by trade, erected the first cotton mill at Smithville. 
Our subject was reared on a farm, and was the last of a family of nine 
children. He had no educational advantages whatever during his youth. 
In 1844, he was married, in Hamilton Oounty, Ohio, to Miss Nancy G. 
Coleman, daughter of Richard and Mahala Coleman, natives of Kentucky. 
In 1824, his parents removed to Shelby County, Ind., where they re- 
mained until he was grown up, excepting a period of three years spent 
near Cincinnati, Ohio. During that period occurred the cholera epi- 
demic of 1832, of which they were witnesses. In 1864, he located on 
the farm he now owns in Tipton County. By his marriage he is the 
father of five children, all sons, viz.: John R., George A., David T., 
William 0. and James E., the youngest of whom, aged twenty-three, re- 
mains at home, the remainder being married and having families. In his 
younger days, our subject learned the carpenter and wagon-maker trades, 
which he has followed in connection with his farm. In 1855, he removed 
to Iowa, and remained there nearly ten years, farming and working at 
his trade, and it was at the end of that time that he located in this (Tip- 
ton) county. His present farm is composed of fine land, in a high state 
of cultivation and well supplied with a superior grade of stock. Political- 
ly, since the death of the old Whig party, he has been a zealous Demo- 
crat. He is a man of industrious, temperate habits, and is in every sense 
a commendable citizen. 

JOHN RICHARD HARLOW was born in Shelby County, Ind., 
March 31, 1847 ; he is the first of a family of five sons, all of whom are 
living, born to Orlando and Nancy (Coleman) Harlow, the former a 
native of Ohio and of English descent, and the latter a native of Ken- 
tucky, John was reared on a farm, and obtained the best education the 
common schools of that day could give him. At the age of twenty-three, 
having remained until then with his parents, he was married to Miss Mar- 
garet R. Alexander March 17, 1370. She is the daughter of Jesse and 
Moriah Alexander, the former a native of Ohio and of Irish extraction. 
His marriage has been blessed by the birth of five children, three of whom 
are yet living, viz., Thomas Henry, Clara Etta and Nancy Moriah, the 
others dying in infancy. Beginning life as a farmer, and on a rented 
farm, he has by industry become the owner of 200 acres of as fine land 
as there is in the county, the annual income from which is $2,000. It is 
well provided with all necessary improvements, is supplied with fine 
stock (in the breeding of which he takes a special interest), and it is re- 
garded by every one as among the finest farms in the township. He has 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 361 

for six years been a member of the Regular Predestinarian Baptist 
church; he is a man of public spirit and enterprise, is a liberal donator to 
the church, and is in every sense a commendable citizen. 

MICHAEL HOBACK, a farmer and a prominent citizen of Prairie 
Township, was born January 25, 1827 ; his parents were John and Dorcas 
(Killen) Hoback, the former of German and the latter of English de- 
scent. Michael received a limited education, his father dying when our 
subject was ten years old. "When four years old, he, with his parents, re- 
moved to Johnson County, Ind., where they went through many of the 
hardships of pioneer life. He was married, June 1, 1848, to Miss Eliza- 
beth J. Hall, daughter of John Hall, of Kentucky. They have had 
twelve children, eight of whom are still living. In 1850, he went with 
his fiimily to Pulaski County, Ind., remaining there two years, and then 
moved to Howard County. He farmed there till 1860, when he finally 
located on the farm he now owns. It was then a wild, swampy district, 
but he now has 115 acres under cultivation. He has had his experience 
of settling in a new county, having had to work for 50 cents a day, and 
pay 80 cents per bushel for meal. When he married, he was obliged to 
get into debt for a few articles to start housekeeping with. He and his 
wife have been members of the Methodist Episcopal Church for over thirty 
years. Mr. Hoback is a Republican, and cast his first vote for Fremont 
in 1856. 

THOMAS LAND, farmer and merchant of Prairie Township, was 
born in Switzerland County, Ind., April 26, 1832 ; his parents were 
George and Elizabeth (Rayl) Land, the former being a native of Virginia, 
of English descent, and by occupation a miller. Thomas was the third 
of a family of eight children, seven of whom are living, six in Indiana, 
and one in Kansas ; he was reared a miller, and followed that occupation 
until 1860, when he located in Prairie Township, where he now resides. 
On August 12, 1852, he was married to Miss Caroline Rayl, the fourth 
child of Thomas and Elizabeth Rayl, pioueer§ of Switzerland County, 
For one year after his arrival at his new home, he farmed. Then came 
the civil war, and he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and First 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; he remained in the service about three 
years ; he participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Milton and Mis- 
sionary Ridge, the sieges of Chattanooga, and Atlanta, Ga., and all 
the engagemeats fought during Sherman's campaign. Near Louisville, 
Ga., he was captured by Wheeler's cavalry; he was sent to Florence, S. 
C, where he remained three months, at the end of which time he was 
paroled; afterward, he was wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, and was sent 
to the hospital at Wilmington, N. C. ; at the end of one month, he was 
sent home on a furlough, and finally discharged June 16, 1865. After 



362 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his return from the service, he farmed for two years, but not being 
suflficiently strong to follow that calling, he engaged in the mercantile 
business at Groomsville, at which he continued with success until May, 
1883, when he retired therefrom to look after his farm ; his marriage has 
been crowned by the birth of eight children, viz.: William H., George 
T., Julie A., Lewis and Frank, the others dying, aged five years, two 
years, and nine months. He has been attentive and economical in his 
business, and owns a fine little farm, ornamented with a beautiful resi- 
dence. He also possesses several thousand dollars obtained from the sale 
of his store. He is a man of fine qualities, and is an excellent citizen. 

SAMUEL N. LEE was born in Orange County, Ind., January 6, 
1840 ; he is the sixth of seven children born to John D. and Rebecca 
(Henley) Lee, natives of North Carolina, and of Irish and English ex- 
traction respectively. His father located on 160 acres of land in the 
northwestern part of Prairie Township in 1857, and by the help of his 
sons succeeded in developing one of the finest farms in the county. 
Samuel grew to manhood on a farm, and obtained his education from the 
winter district schools. He was seventeen years of age when his parents 
located in this (Tipton) County, and here he has ever since remained. 
During the late civil war, he was drafted into the United States Army, 
but, furnishing a substitute, he remained with his family and farm. At 
the death of his parents, himself and brother Henry succeeded to the 
home estate, and have since managed it in partnership, and have added 
twenty acres to it, making in all 180 acres. Our subject has been twice 
married, the first time to Mary E. Clark, native of Orange County, Ind., 
September 28, 1870; one child, Lewis, born July 11, 1871, was the issue 
of this union, and seventeen days after its birth his wife departed this 
life. His second marriage occurred December 25, 1873, to Lottie Gar- 
ner, of Howard County, Ind., the first of a family of three children, born 
to Henry and Margaret Garner, natives of Ohio, and of Irish descent 
One child, Charley, born October 25, 1874, crowned this union. He 
and his wife are members of the Christian Church. Politically, he is a 
Republican, and in a business way he is an energetic, wide-awake farmer. 

ALEXANDER McCREARY, Commissioner of Tipton County, was 
born in Switzerland County, Ind., February 6, 1826. His parents, John 
and Martha (Cox) McCreary, are of Irish and English descent. He re- 
sided with his parents on their farm until his twentieth year, when he en- 
listed in the Mexican war, in the Third Indiana Regiment, under Capt. 
Carter. He participated in several engagements, principal of which was 
the battle of Buena Vista. He returned from his military service in 
July, 1847, and on November 12 of the same year, was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Nancy J. Stewart, of Harrison County, Ky. They have had 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 363 

six children, of whom five are yet living, viz. : Louis C, born August 
26, 1848 ; Alford R., born November 23, 1849 ; John F., born October 
21, 1852 ; William W., born October 1, 1857, and died May 19, 1862 ; 
Oliver P., born April 15, 1859, and Mary E., born February 12, 1864. 
In 1850, September 1, together with his family, he removed to Tipton 
County, and located on the farm he now owns, eighty acres of which were 
obtained by a soldier's warrant for services rendered in the Mexican 
war. By diligence and hard labor, he has succeeded in making it one 
of the finest farms in Prairie Township. On the breaking-out of the late 
rebellion, he was comissioned as Captain of Company C,- One Hundred 
and First Indiana Volunteers, and served nine months. He has always 
been in the front ranks of those favoring public improvements. In the 
early history of the county, he was elected to the office of Township 
Trustee. He was afterward elected to appraise the real estate of the 
county. He then, by appointment, filled the office of County Commis- 
sioner, and in 1870 was elected to the office of County Sheriff, which he 
occupied for two terms. He is now discharging the duties of County 
Commissioner. Politically, he has always been a Democrat, and is one 
of the leading men of his party. He is a liberal giver to charities. In 
1882, he lost, by fire, his residence, but has since built a finer one. 

ELHANAN MILES is a native of Shelby County, Ky., and is the 
oldest of a family of nine children born to James and Susan (Simmons) 
Miles, natives respectively of Ohio and Kentucky. Elhanan was 
reared on a farm, and obtained his education from the common schools. 
Soon after attaining his majority, he was married to Miss Berdilia L. 
Sample, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of George W. and Adaline 
(McKay) Sample, of this (Tipton) county. After his marriage, he con- 
tinued farming during summer, and worked at his trade through the 
winter. His father, James Miles, was one of the old settlers of Tipton 
County, locating within its borders in 1856 on a farm of forty-four acres, 
near Sharpsville, Ind., where he remained until his death, May 30, 1873. 
Elhanan is at present residing on a farm west of Sharpsville, containing 
fifty-eight acres, well improved, nicely situated, and supplied with every- 
thing necessary to make home pleasant. He has four children, viz. : 
Ollie, born May 18, 1864 ; Emma, born October 1, 1865 ; Myrtle May, 
born January 1, 1878, and an infant. He is an energetic, wide-awake, 
deserving young man. He is an earnest advocate of the principles of 
Democracy, and his wife is a consistent member of the Baptist Church. 
LUTHER H. MOTT was born in Hamilton County, Ohio, January 
9, 1825 ; his parents, Say res B. and Sarah (Bassett) Mott, were natives 
of New York, and descended, respectively, from German and American 
ancestors. Luther is the second of eleven children born to them, nine of 



364 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

whom are still living ; his father was a farmer, although he was reared a 
weaver. He was married in 1822, and removing to Switzerland County 
in 1839, he remained there until his death in 1848. Luther was reared 
to agricultural pursuits. Coming to Tipton County in 1850, he entered 
386 acres of land, and returned to Switzerland County ; was married 
December 30, of the same year, to Miss Margaret Smith, eldest child of 
Benjamin and Sarah (Chandler) Smith, old settlers of Clinton County, 
Ind. In 1853, he returned to Tipton County for the purpose of clear- 
ing his land, and he has admirably succeeded ; he now owns 450 acres of 
fine land, highly cultivated, supplied with convenient buildings, the 
latest farm machinery, and well provided with improved stock ; he is 
certainly in a condition to spend the remainder of his days in peace and 
plenty. His union brought him eight children, six of whom are yet liv- 
ing — Benjamin S., John W., Alice, Jesse F., Asa E., Norman F. ; 
Isora S. died, aged twenty-five years, and Cora K. died in infancy ; his 
sons are all yet at home, so that his old age is comforted by the presence 
of his children. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 82, at 
Russiaville, Ind. Politically, he is one of the prominent men in the 
Democratic party of Tipton County. He has been very successful in all 
his business enterprises. He is held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens. 
I. T. NASH was born in Fayette County, Ind., September 18, 1839; 
he is the fifth of a family of seven children born to Richard and Margaret 
(Mofiitt) Nash, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Scotch-Irish descent; 
he was reared on a farm, and obtained a common school education. On the 
breaking-out of the rebellion, Mr. Nash enlisted in the United States Army 
in August, 1862, and was assigned to Company C, Fifth Cavalry, Ninetieth 
Regiment, under Capt. Farley ; his term of service lasted only about 
nine months, on account of various misfortunes ; he was first prostrated 
by the exposure, and an accident which occurred, he being run over by a 
horse. When he was recovering, he was taken with lung fever, which, 
rendering him unfit for service, he was discharged in April, 1863. After 
his return home, and when he had sufficiently recovered, he engaged in 
the carpenter trade, which he pursued until the date of his marriage. 
That event took place October 5, 1867, the bride being Miss Elizabeth 
Keeler a native of Ohio, and the daughter of Cortz and Maria L. 
(Looker) Keeler, natives respectively of Maine and Ohio, and of Scotch- 
Irish descent. Shortly after his marriage, our subject removed to Prairie 
Township, Tipton Co., Ind., and located on an eighty-acre farm, which 
he had previously' purchased ; he has since added forty acres ; his farm 
is well improved and supplied with all necessary implements. It is 
ornamented with one of the finest residences in Prairie Township ; his 
marriage has been crowned by the birth of one child, namely, Richard 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 365 

C, born April 20, 1869; he is an active Republican, having cast his first 
vote for Lincoln in 1860 ; he is also a prominent member of the I. 0. 0. 
F., and his Avife is a consistent member of the Friends' Church. 

ROBERT NASH was born in Fayette County, Ind., June 19, 1824. 
He is the elder of two children born to Richard and Mary (Hasting) 
Nash, natives respectively of Virginia and Ohio, and of Scotch-Irish 
extraction. He was reared on a farm and worked in summer, attending 
the common school during the winter. His life until his twenty-seventh 
year was spent on the farm of his parents. At about that time, he was 
united in marriage to Miss Ruharna E. Styers, a native Hoosier and a 
daughter of Benjamin and Barbara (Jones) Styers, who were natives of 
Ohio. After his marriage, Robert continued his agricultural pursuits 
until September 5, 1855, when he removed to Tipton County, where he 
purchased 160 acres situated in the primeval forest, and, erecting the 
typical pioneer's cabin, he began clearing a farm. By good management 
he has increased his farm until he is now the owner of 305 acres of the 
choice land of Prairie Township. He has built a handsome brick resi- 
dence. His marriage has been crowned by the birth of eight children, 
viz.: D. A., born July 17, 1855; B. F., born November 22, 1858 ; W. 
F., born August 28, 1861 ; Ida J. (now Parks), February 24, 1863 ; 
Charles L., March 19, 1865; Oliver P., September 18, 1867; Arta A., 
November 2, 1872, and Delia, January 10, 1877. Mr. Nash is an active 
Republican, and in his earlier days was a Whig. Both himself and wife 
are consistent members of the Friends' Church, and are liberal donators 
to all charitable institutions. 

JOSIAH OREM, a veteran farmer of Prairie Township, was born 
July 2, 1806, in Dorchester County, Md.; his father, Samuel Orem, was 
a soldier in the war of 1812, and his mother, Sarah (Jones) Orem, had 
two brothers who participated in the struggle of the Revolution ; both his 
parents were of English extraction, and natives of Maryland, and our 
subject was the eldest of three children born to them ; they migrated to 
this State (Indiana) in 1817, and located in Switzerland County; there 
they remained until his wife died, when Samuel came to this (Tipton) 
county, and resided with his son (our subject), who had previously lo- 
cated here, until his death. Josiah remained with his parents until he 
was about twenty-seven years of age, enjoying very meager opportunities 
for obtaining instruction, because of the scarcity and remoteness of 
schools, but his quick intellect enabled him to pick up a great deal of in- 
formation ; when he began life for himself, the routine of his existence 
consisted of farming during the summer, and in boating his produce to 
the best market. In 1843, he located on that part of the Indian Reserve 
now known as Howard County ; after a residence there of about four 



366 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

years, he located in the northwestern part of Prairie Township, on 160 
acres, which constitutes his present residence. He never received any- 
thing in the way of financial assistance, and all his possessions came to 
him through hard labor. He was married, September 2, 1832, to Ann Orr 
(now deceased), a native of Pennsylvania, and the third child born to Joseph 
and Nancy (McDonald) Orr, both of whom were of Irish descent. This 
union was crowned by the birth of twelve children, viz.: Sarah J. (de- 
ceased), Nancy, John (deceased), Martha M., Joseph, Samuel P., Alex- 
ander N., Levi, Eliza L. (deceased), William (deceased), Lorenzo D. and 
Mary M. All of his children have received a liberal start from him, and 
he still has sufficient to supply his old age ; he has been a member of the 
Christian Church for thirty years, and his wife was also an active mem- 
ber of that denomination up to the time of her death. They were both, 
during its palmy days, members of the Grange. Politically, he is a 
Democrat, having cast his first vote for Gen. Jackson. 

A. H. PENCE was born in Marion County, Ind., August 10, 1852, 
and is the first of a family of eight children born to Enoch and Elizabeth 
J. (Sinks) Pence, natives of Indiana, and of German and English extrac- 
tion. His parents came to this (Tipton) county in the fall of 1870, and 
located on a farm of sixty-seven acres, and were followed by our subject 
in the spring of 1871. A. H. was reared on a farm, working through the 
summer and attending the district school in the winter. His education is 
a fine one, acquired in the common and graded schools of the State, and 
at the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and with money earned 
by his own unaided labor. He has taught twelve terms in the public 
schools of this and other counties, averaging six months to the term, and 
has succeeded by his energy in winning a position in the front ranks of 
his profession. He was married, March 12, 1882, to Miss Mattie Martin, 
a native of Missouri, and a daughter of Colin C. and Jemima (Ferguson) 
Martin, natives respectively of Indiana and Kentucky. He is an active 
and consistent member of the Christian Church, and also belongs to the 
Masonic Lodge located at Prairieville. Politically, be has always adhered 
to the Democratic party, and is one of its most energetic workers; he is 
a wide-awake young man, and has a promising future. 

ROBERT H. PYKE was born in Rush County, Ind., January 9, 
1831, and is the fourth of a family of eight children born to John W. and 
Nancy (Hastin) Pyke, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, of German and 
Irish descent. His parents located in the western part of Taylor Town- 
ship, Howard Co., Ind., in 1856, and his father, with the assistance of his 
sons, developed one of the finest farms in that county. Our subject re- 
mained with his parents during his minority, receiving from the common 
schools his education. His father having entered 120 acres of land near 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 367 

Windfall, in Tipton County, at a cost of $225, Robert purchased the 
same, paying $125 down, and the remainder in easy payments, and 
shortly after traded it for eighty acres lying west of Sharpsville in the 
woods. He now has sixty acres cleared and in cultivation, and supplied 
with all the modern improvements ; he has also succeeded in adding an 
additional eighty acres, and now has a fine farm of 160 acres. He was 
included in the draft in the fall of 1863; was in the battle of Kingston ; 
he was mustered out of service in June of 186i. Robert was married, 
May 16, 1852, to Miss Lucinda Styers, a native Hoosier, and the 
sixth of a large family of children born to Benjamin and Barbara 
(Jones) Styers, both natives of Ohio and of German extraction. They have 
had nine children, viz., Orestes, Barbara E., John F., Robert E., Laura, 
William M., Howell, Sherman and Charles (deceased). Both himself 
and wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Politically, he is an active Republican. He is an industrious citizen, and 
enjoys the esteem of the community. 

FREDERIC RAMSEYER, the present Surveyor of Tipton 
County, was born in Switzerland County, Ind., November 5, 1826. 
His parents were Daniel and Martha (Hawkins) Ramseyer. The former, 
who came to this county in 1813 and died in Switzerland County, Ind., 
at the age of seventy-eight, was a native of the Republic of Switzerland, in 
Europe, and was a nephew of the celebrated Marshal Murat of France. The 
latter, of English descent, is still living, at the advanced age of eighty- 
one years. Our subject is the oldest of a family of eleven children, eight 
of A\hom are still living. He was reared on a farm, and when he had 
reached his twentieth year he enlisted in the Third Regiment Indiana 
Volunteers, for the Mexican war. He served one year, and during that 
time participated in the battle of Buena Vista and several minor engage- 
ments, and returned home in July of 1847. After this, he spent his time 
in teaching and traveling until the year 1856, when he was united in 
marriage to Miss Adelia Heaton, daughter of Joseph W. Heaton, of How- 
ard County, Ind. Their marriage has been crowned by the birth of eight 
children — Oscar V., Flora, Philip E., Abigail, Daniel, Ada B. (died 
May 2, 1876, aged eight years), John and Simon P. Frederic removed 
to the township of Prairie, county of Tipton, in the year 1859, and lo- 
cated on the farm he now owns, which then was a comparative wilderness. 
By persistent effort and close economy, he has succeeded in accumulating 
a competency. As a citizen, he is universally esteemed, and possesses 
a large circle of friends. He has always been a Democrat, and was elect- 
ed in 1882 to the office of Surveyor, the duties of which he is now dis- 
charging with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. 

PHILIP RAMSEYER, farmer and blacksmith of Prairie Town- 



368 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

ship, Tipton County, Ind., was born in Switzerland County, Ind., Decem- 
ber 19, 1827, and is the second in a family of eleven children born to Daniel 
and Martha (Hawkins) Ramseyer. In the year 1848, Philip came to this 
county — then known as the Indian Reserve — on a prospecting tour, but 
made no purchases. In 1853, he returned and settled in Howard County; 
he remained there about fourteen years, working at his trade, that of a 
blacksmith, and manufactured the first breaking plow ever made in the 
county. In order to learn his trade, he, at the age of seventeen, appren- 
ticed himself to William Malcombson, of his native county, with whom he 
worked for four years before setting up for himself. After residing for 
the time above mentioned in Howard County, he sold his interest there, 
and removing to Prairie Township, Tipton County, purchased forty acres 
of land situated in the woods, which he has since cleared and put in a 
fine state of cultivation, and supplied with all the necessary buildings, 
implements, etc. He still works at his trade, at which he makes about 
$600 per annum, while his sons manage the affairs of the farm. He was 
married, December 31, 1855, to Miss Eunice A. Roby, a native of Indiana, 
the third of a family of seven children born to John and Hannah (Ches- 
terson) Roby, natives of Ohio, and supposed to be of English descent. 
Their marriage has been blessed with seven children, of whom five are 
living, viz.: Arpecia, John C, James M., Cebern, Laura; also Arthur 
and Eurelean, deceased. His education was received at the common 
schools ; he never had any assistance in a financial way, but has accumu- 
lated his present property by hard work. Politically, he is an uncom- 
promising apostle of the Democratic creed, and one of the most active 
workers in his party. 

OBADIAH RAMSEYER, farmer and blacksmith of Prairie Town- 
ship, Tipton County, Ind., is a native of Switzerland County, Ind., where 
he was born June 29, 1832. He is a son of Daniel and Martha 
Ramseyer. Obadiah was reared on a farm, and resided with his 
parents until he attained his majority. At that time he was 
married to Miss Susanna Posten, daughter of Levi Posten, of Jefferson 
County, Ind. They have a family of nine children, eight of whom are 
living, viz.: Emma J., married; Martha, also married; Daniel, died at 
the age of nine ; William and Preston (twins), Nancy A., George B. 
McClellan, Elizabeth and James A. After his marriage, he removed to 
Howard County, Ind., and worked at his trade (blacksmith), which he 
had learned in his youth. In the year 1859, he removed to Prairie Town- 
ship, Tipton County, Ind., where he now resides, engaged in farming 
and working at his trade. He served one year in the United States 
Army during the late civil war, and participated in several engagements, 
principal of which was the siege of Mobile. Politically, Mr. Ramseyer is 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 369 

a Democrat, and cast his first vote for James Buchanan for President. 
At present he is filling the position of Postmaster at Groomsville, Tipton 
County, which he has occupied for eight years. As a citizen, he stands 
high in the estimation of his fellows. 

CORNELIUS T. SAMUELS was horn in Washington County, 
Penn., July 12, 1818 ; his parents were James and Ann Samuels ; his 
paternal grandfather was a native of Dublin, Ireland, a hatter by trade, 
who, emigrating to America in 1779, entered the American Army under 
Gen. Washington. Our subject was reared on a farm, but, owing to the 
scarcity and remoteness of the schools, and the incapacity of the teachers 
of that day, his educational training was very limited. However, having 
a natural taste for literature and a quick intellect, he has acquired a fair 
business education. In 1819, he removed with his parents to Franklin 
County, Ind., where they resided until their death. He remained at 
home until his twenty-first year, when he commenced life for himself as a 
farm hand, at $8 per month. On the 24th of November, 1842, he was 
married to Miss Susanna Howell, daughter of John Howell, one of the 
pioneers of Franklin County. By her he is the father of seven children, 
six of whom are still living. Two years after his marriage (1844), he 
removed to Iowa Territory, and thenCe in 1845 to Decatur County, Ind., 
whence, in 1865, he removed to Tipton County and located on the farm 
which he now owns. Then it was in an undeveloped condition, but it ia 
now one of the best farms in the county. Cornelius has always been a 
Democrat ; his reputation in the community is that of a courteous, in- 
dustrious and honest citizen. • 

WILLIAM SCUDDER, an energetic farmer, is a native of Switzer- 
land County, Ind., where he was born May 21, 1840 ; his parents, Henry 
and Maria (Boyd) Scudder, were each of English descent ; he is the 
fourth of a family of five children, of whom four are now living ; he grew 
to maturity on a farm, although he became an orphan at the early age of 
eight years. When he reached his twenty-eighth year, he removed to 
Tipton County and located on his present desirable farm. At the age of 
twenty-four, he started in business for himself, and at the same time was 
united in marriage to Miss Eunice Rodgers, of his native county. They 
have had born to them nine children, eight of whom are living, viz. : 
Evaline, born October 13, 1864; George, born April 18, 1866; Alford, 
born August 12, 1868 ; Lucilla, born December 23, 1870 ; Denton, born 
April 16, 1873 ; Emma, born November 27, 1875 ; Ora and Cora, twins, 
born December 12, 1880, (Ora died in infancy) ; and Elias, born March 6, 
1883. Starting with no capital, save pluck and industry, and a fair ed- 
ucation, he has succeeded in accumulating a comfortable living. Both 
himself and wife have been consistent members of the Missionary Baptist 
Church for twelve years. 



370 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

WILLIAM A. SHUCK was born in Henry County, Ky., May 28, 
1834 ; he is the son of Samuel and Sarah (Frazier) Shuck, natives of 
Kentucky ; his mother was his father's third wife, and he was the second 
of a family of seven children. During his youth, his school privileges 
were limited, and he acquired what education he possesses after his ma- 
jority. He was married, August 12, 1855, to Miss Levina Black, of his 
native county, daughter of William and Sarah (List) Black. This union 
has been crowned by the birth of five children, viz. : William P., Amanda 
Cardwell, Mary J. Smith, Hallia Shuck, and Wyat, aged thirteen. After 
his marriage, he farmed in Shelby County, Ky., until 1872 (excepting 
two years), at which time he removed to Prairie Township, purchasing 
eighty acres of land in the green woods ; he has since, by persistent in- 
dustry, made a fine farm, and has added twenty acres ; he is quite popu- 
lar, and was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace in 1878, the 
duties of which he discharged very creditably for four years ; he is re- 
garded by many of his friends as a coming county officer ; he has been a 
consistent member of the Christian Church since his sixteenth year ; he 
was once an Odd Fellow ; he was the first successful cultivator of tobacco 
in the county, and has given it his attention for several years ; he is a 
man of broad and liberal charity. Mr. Shuck's father and mother died 
in 1883 and 1872 respectively, the former aged eighty-three years. 

HENRY A. SINKS was born in Marion County, Ind., August 31, 
1857 ; he is the son of John and Margaret (Hoover) Sinks, native " Ho- 
siers," of German extraction, and is the first child in a family of three 
born to them ; he lived with his parents until the death of his father, 
which occurred in the year 1866. After that event, he resided with his 
uncle, Gilbert Vansickle, until he attained his eighteenth year, when he 
began working for himself. The savings, accumulated by days' labor for 
various persons, together with some little assistance from his father's es- 
tate, constituted the capital with which he started in life ; his education, 
acquired from the district school, is very practical in its nature, and 
embraces a knowledge of the common school branches ; his migration to 
this (Tipton) county took place in 1867. January 7, 1879, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Nancy C. Orr, of this (Tipton) county, and the fifth of ten 
children born to Robert and Jemima (Fanchier) Orr, natives respect- 
ively of Indiana and Pennsylvania, and of Irish and German descent, the 
former of whom came to the then " Reserve " in a very early day. 
One child was the issue of their marriage, viz.: Bertie, born October 10, 
1879, and departed this life November 24, 1881. He and his wife are 
both consistent members of the Christian Church. Politically, he is an 
active aggressive Democrat. He is an energetic, wide-awake young man, 
and is at present overseeing his father-in-law's farm. 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 371 

JOSEPH A. SOMERS, physician and surgeon, Groomsville, Ind., 
was born in Henry County, Ind., December 80, 1843 ; his parents, Dr. 
John and Lydia (Mealyza) Somers, natives of Pennsylvania and of German 
descent, were married at Middletown, Ind., in 1838. His mother dying 
when Joseph was quite young, his father removed to Tipton County in 
1856, and located on the farm which he still makes his home. Joseph 
was reared at Jerome, in Howard County, receiving quite a liberal edu- 
cation, and, forming a taste for books and study, he began the study of 
medicine under his father and applied himself thereto very closely, save 
a short time spent in traveling. The last years of his study he spent 
with Dr. Zeek, of Windfall, after which he practiced his profession there 
for one year. From there he went to Nevada, where he practiced for two 
years, thence to Groomsville in 1874, where he now has a very extensive 
<;ountry practice. In 1866, he was married to Miss Louisa Wise, by 
whom he is the father of one child, a boy aged fourteen ; his wife died 
June 17, 1870. His second marriage occurred November 27, 1873, to 
Miss Sarah J. Ray, of Nevada. At one period of his life (1864), he em- 
barked in the mercantile business at Windfall, but the dishonesty of his 
partner brought disaster, and he has since confined himself strictly to the 
practice of his profession ; he and his wife are consistent members of the 
Missionary Baptist Church, he having been identified therewith for a 
period of thirteen years. Politically, he is a Democrat, and was elected by 
that party to the office of County Coroner in the fall of 1882. He is a 
man noted for his public spirit and his temperate habits. 

HARRISON SMITH was born in Sullivan County, Tenn., June 22, 
1824. His parents, Jeremiah D. and Elizabeth (Arrants) Smith, were 
of English descent, and were both natives of East Tennessee. In 1829 
they moved to Johnson County, Ind., and remained there until their 
death, Jeremiah dying in 1846, and Elizabeth in 1862. Our subject is 
the fifth in a family of eight children. He was reared on a farm, and 
about all the education he ever received was obtained by home study. He 
remained with his father until February 22, 1844, when he was married 
to Miss Margaret A. Foster, daughter of Richard and Lucinda (Coons) 
Foster. In 1849, he removed to Prairie Township, Tipton County, Ind., 
and entered of the Government 120 acres of land near where he now 
lives. His experience has been that of all pioneers, who, by hardships 
and self-denial, have wrought a home from the stubborn wilderness. By 
his first wife he is the father of fourteen children, eight of whom are now 
living — Francina, Lucinda, Richard H., Isaac V., Jeremiah D., Marion' 
S., Sarah, Adella, Ida F. (died at birth), Nathan T. (drowned in Wild 
Cat Creek at the age of seventeen), Mahala E. (died at the age of five). 
John A. G. (died aged ten months), Williatu S. (died at the age of two), 



872 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

and Clara B. (died at birth). His estimable wife, Margaret A., died 
December 5, 1881. His second marriage occurred January 20, 1883, 
to Mrs. Sophia Richardson (nee) Jacobs, of Johnson County, Ind. Har- 
rison has served two terms as Justice of the Peace of Prairie Township, 
and won golden opinions for his impartial dealings. He was a member 
of the Grange during its existence. He is a liberal-minded, public-spir- 
ited citizen, and has been for forty-four years a consistent member of the 
M. E. Church, to which his contributions have never been wanting. He 
has provided very handsomely for his children, having given them 240 
acres of fine land, but is still the possessor of an estate containing 320 acres. 

ISAAC V. SMITH, son of Harrison and Margaret A. (Foster) 
Smith, was born in Tipton County, Ind., August 24, 1851. Being 
unmarried, he has always resided with his father, excepting when attend- 
ing school or teaching. He received a good common school education, 
but being desirous of further knowledge he subsequently attended the 
Normal Schools at Lebanon, Ohio. In 1875, he began teaching, and con- 
tinued until 1881, meeting with success. Having a natural taste for 
agricultural pursuits, he has turned his attention entirely to his farm and 
the care of his stock. Mr. Smith is politically a Republican. He is a 
member of the I. 0. 0. F. Lodge, No. 324. He possesses good conver- 
sational powers, and by his genial disposition has secured a large circle of 
friends. In 1881, he sustained a severe loss by the death of his mother, 
to whom he was deeply devoted. 

JOHN W. SMITH farmer and lumber dealer, is the son of William 
M. and Mary A. (Cochran) Smith. He was born in Fayette County, 
Ohio, September 23, 1840. His father was a native of Virginia, and 
his mother of New Jersey ; he was reared on a farm, and received a com- 
mon school education. In 1851, his parents removed to Tipton County, 
Ind., where his mother died ; his father is still living. John W. re- 
mained at home until 1860. On February 16, of that year, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Sarah A. Stafford, daughter of the Rev. Charles W. Stafford, 
of Clinton County, Ind. This union has been blessed with eight children, 
all of whom are living. Mr. Smith is one of our enterprising citizens, 
and has good business abilities. He is liberal to the poor. In politics, 
he is a Republican, and adheres strictly to the principles of his party. 

JOSEPH L. STOOPS, farmer of Prairie Township, was born in 
Switzerland County, Ind., February 11, 1841 ; he is the fourth of a 
family of five children, four of Avhom are yet living in Texas, Indiana 
and Missouri, born to Eliakim and Elizabeth (Pierce) Stoops ; his father 
was a farmer and blacksmith, a native of Pennsylvania, and of German 
extraction ; his mother died in 1842, when he was only a little over a 
year old. He was reared on a farm, and his educational advantages con- 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 373 

sisted of an attendance of three months at the district school after he had 
attained the age of twenty. On account of injury received in youth, 
which incapacitated him for manual labor, he has devoted himself to 
study, and by so doing has acquired a fund of valuable information. 
Remaining on his father's farm until he reached his twenty-third year, 
he was, October 4, 1863, married to Miss Ellen Huston. She was the 
seventh in a family of thirteen children born to William W. and Eliza 
(Kirkland) Huston, the former a native of Pennsylvania and of Irish 
descent, the latter a native of Louisiana and of German descent ; was 
married to the former in her native State, and located in Indiana in 1837, 
where, February 11, 1839, Ellen was born. Joseph's marriage has been 
crowned by the birth of two children — Lulu, born July 26, 1864, and 
Irvin, born November 25, 1866. Remaining in his native county until 

1872, he removed to Patriot and engaged in the business of a butcher 
and stock dealer, and in one year suffered a loss of $200. Prior to that 
time, he had by industry accumulated suflficient to purchase the farm he 
now owns. His farm is a good one, in a fair state of cultivation, and is 
in the oldest settled part of the community, having still standing the first 
house ever built upon it. In May, 1883, he, in partnership with Mr. 
0. McCreary, purchased the mercantile business of Thomas Land, at 
Groorosville, and it is unnecessary to say that the energy and business 
tact of the new firm insures its success. He has been a Mason since 

1873, and is now a member of the Prairieville Lodge ; himself and family 
are members of the Missionary Baptist Church. In 1882, he received 
the Republican nomination for the office of Township Trustee, and al- 
though defeated, greatly reduced the opposing majority; he is a popular, 
public-spirited and worthy citizen. 

WILLIAM EVAN STRATFORD, of Prairie Township, was born 
in Switzerland County, Ind., May 25, 1847. His parents were Joshua 
and Eliza (Hollcroft) Stratford, natives of Kentucky, and William 
is the second in a family of six children, John the eldest, dying at the 
age of thirty-one years. His father was a farmer, and marrying iri 
Switzerland County, he, in 1852, with his wife, located in Prairie Town- 
ship, Tipton Co., Ind., on the farm where they both died, Joshua, July 
14, 1868, and Eliza, June 19, 1882. William grew to manhood on a 
farm, and obtained a good practical education from the common schools. 
He was married, August 25, 1869, to Miss Elizabeth C. Henry, daughter 
of Elisha and Judah (Halley) Henry. They went to housekeeping on 
the old homestead, where they still reside. Himself and wife have been 
consistent members of the Missionary Baptist Church for a number of 
years ; he is also a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 554, located at 
Prairieville. He is the owner of seventy acres of fine land partially cul- 



374 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

tivated, and ornamented by a fine little residence. In the spring of 1882, 
he was elected to the office of Assessor for his township, and is filling 
that office creditably. 

WILLIAM R. SUITE, one of the well-to-do farmers of Prairie 
Township, was born in Delaware County, Ind., April 1, 1827. He is the 
third of a family of six children born to Alexander and Sarah (Stout) 
Suite, natives respectfully of Tennessee and North Carolina, and of 
English descent. His grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier, and two 
of his uncles (Suite) participated in the war of 1812. His father located 
in the western part of Howard County, on a pre-emption claim, in the 
fall of 1840. He soon sold his claim, and, investing in several more in 
Tipton County, he disposed of them in like manner. When our subject 
was eight years of age, his mother died, and he was bound out by his 
father to a man named John Schooley, with whom he remained about 
three years, at the end of which time his father again married, and Will- 
iam was taken home. About this time his father settled in what was 
then Hamilton, but now Tipton County. He remained with his father 
until he attained his majority, when he started in life for himself, with no 
capital, save his disposition to labor. He has since then become the pos- 
sessor of 208 acres of fine land, eighty acres of which he sold to his son, 
leaving a farm of 128 acres, beautifully located, well improved, and sup- 
plied with all necessary implements. His father becoming feeble in his 
old age, William took him to his home, and made his pathway to the tomb 
as smooth and pleasant as loving hands could do. Our subject was mar- 
ried, March 29, 1849, to Miss Lucy A. Fanchier, of Kentucky, born 
November 29, 1824 ; she was the first of a family of fifteen children 
born to John B. and Sarah (Broills) Fanchier, natives of Virginia, and of 
French and English descent. Eight children have crowned this marriage, 
of whom three are now living, viz.: George W., born January 10, 1850 ; 
Issac, born July 31, 1857 ; Abigail (now Mye;'s), born December 4, 1860. 
He and his wife are members of the Christian Church, with which they 
have been associated from youth. He is also a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, and holds that order in high esteem. Politically, he has always 
voted the Democratic ticket, save one vote cast for Lincoln for President. 
In 1882, his party elected him to the office of Road Superintendent. 
He is an energetic, commendable citizen. 

JAMES TERRELL, an influential farmer of Prairie Township, was 
born in Clinton County, Ohio, February 14, 1821. He was the fifth of 
a family of nine children born to John and Jane (Wert) Terrell, native 
Virginians, and descended respectively from Scotch and Welsh ancestors. 
Our subject remained until his thirtieth year at the home of his parents. 
His education was obtained from the common schools of the countrv, at a 



PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP. 375 

time when a house built for school purposes was unknown, and when 
any vacant house was used for educational purposes. He located in Tip- 
ton County in the fall of 1862, and purchased forty acres of land in Prai- 
rie Township. This he soon disposed of, and, purchasing another forty, 
he soon increased it by the addition of eighty acres, and still further until 
he is now the possessor of 160 acres, beautifully situated and supplied 
with all necessary improvements in the way of buildings, implements, etc. 
He was started in life with a cash capital of about $400. His present pos- 
sessions are amply sufficient to enable him to live at his ease the remainder 
of his life. He was married to Catharine Schaefer January 13, 1858. 
She was of German nativity, and the eldest of a family of six children be- 
longing to John G. and Catharine (Miller) Schaefer, both of whom were 
natives of Germany. This marriage was blessed with five children — 
Charles, John, Margaret J., Catharine and Mary. Both are consistent 
members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and he is a member of the 
Alto Lodge, I. 0. 0. F. Politically, he is a Republican, and has been 
twice elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, each time for a term of 
four years. 

WILLIAM J. TYNER, one of the representative men of Tipton 
County, was born in Franklin County, Ind., January 12, 1822. He is 
the youngest and only survivor of a family of fourteen children born to 
William and Martha (Hamilton) Tyner. His father, of German and 
Welsh descent, was born in Abbeville District, S. C, in April, 1771. In 
4-pril, 1803, he left his native State and removed to Kentucky. Thence, 
in 1805, in the month of April, he removed to the Territory of Indiana, 
and located in what is now Franklin County, where for two years his 
only neighbors were Indians. From there, in April, 1807, he removed to 
Decatur County, Ind., where he resided until his death, September 18, 
1854. Every change of his life was made in the month of April. Our 
subject lived with his parents until he attained his majority, and on the 
6th of October, 1842, he was married to Miss Margarette Hamilton. His 
school privileges in his youth having been limited, he remedied that defect 
by close application at home, by which he obtained a fair business educa- 
tion. Starting in life with no cash capital, he was, shortly after his mar- 
riage, prostrated by an attack of rheumatism, which lasted about two 
years. At the end of that time, he found himself about $300 in debt, and 
with nothing that he could call his own. Removing to Prairie Township 
in an early day, he settled on a farm of 120 acres, the one he now owns, 
which was then a wilderness, but by industry he has increased his 
original tract until now he is the owner of a half-section (320 acres) of as 
fine land as there is in the county. Himself and wife joined the Regular 
Predestinarian Baptist Church in June of 1862, and have since been con- 



376 BIOGRAPHICAL SlfETClIES : 

sistent members. He has been Justice of the Peace for a period of twenty 
years. He is a typical pioneer, liberal to all deserving charities, and one 
who has proven by his life the success of a determined will. Politically, 
he is a Democrat. 

EDWARD L. WHEATLEY was born in Dorchester County, Md., 
September 30, 1835. His parents were Jesse and Magor (Owens) 
Wheatley, and were of Scotch descent. Edward L. grew to manhood on 
a farm, and during his youth had very meager opportunities for acquiring 
an education. ^ He resided with his parents until he was fourteen years 
of age, when the death of his father compelled him to go forth and 
seek his own livelihood. When he reached his majority, he removed to 
the State of Ohio. In the year 1858, he came to Tipton County, and 
located near the farm he now owns. When the late rebellion broke out, 
he enlisted in the United States Army, Company C, One Hundred and 
First Indiana Volunteers. During his term of service, he participated in 
the memorable engagements of Milton, Tenn., Chickamauga, Missionary 
Ridge, Chattanooga and all those that occurred from Ringgold, Ga., to 
Atlanta, and at Jonesboro, thence with Sherman to the sea. After 
the war, he returned to his family and farm. He has been twice married, 
the first time to a daughter of David Campbell, one of the pioneers of 
Tipton County. His second marriage occurred March 9, 1862, to Miss 
Mary A. Campbell, daughter of William Campbell. By her he is the 
father of neven children, six of whom are living. Starting in life with 
limited circumstances financially, and having had in full measure his share 
of misfortune, he has nevertheless succeeded in accumulating a fair com- 
petency and a good farm. Politically, he is a stanch Republican. He 
enjoys the respect of his fellow- citizens. 

WILLIAM WHITE, a Prairie Township farmer, was born in Swit- 
zerland County, Ind., March 8, 1832. He is the eldest of seventeen 
children born to John and Polly (Kelso) White, the former of Irish and 
the latter of German descent. William was reared on a farm and had very 
meager opportunities for obtaining an education. He remained with his 
parents until he attained his majority, when he started in life for himself 
with no capital other than a determination to succeed. On the 13th 
of February, 1853, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth 
Smith, of his native county, who has borne him six children 
viz.:, John, died in infancy; Sarah A., now married; Mary J.; 
Malinda, married; Emily, died at the age of fourteen, and William P. 
He removed to Prairie Township, Tipton Co., Ind., in October of 1855, 
and settled on the farm he now owns, then in the wilderness. He has 
always been a skillful trader, and by industry and diligence has suc- 
ceeded in accumulating a competency for his declining years. He still 
rct:iins the shoes worn by him in infancy. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 377 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 

SYLVANUS BOUSE, a native of Virginia, was born in Pendleton 
County, Va., June 22, 1821. His parents were Adam and Annis 
(Dolley) Bouse, the latter of wl\om, whose father was a British soldier in 
the Revolution, is still alive and in active health, at the advanced age of 
eighty-three. Sylvanus was reared on a farm with meager opportunities 
for obtaining an education, having at times to walk two miles over mount- 
ain roads to school. He was married on June 8, 1848, in Virginia, to 
Elizabeth J. Vandevender, and in the same year entered land from the 
Government in Jefferson Township, Tipton Co., Ind. He earned the 
money with which he paid for his land, by laboring for $8 per month, 
and had $25 left with which to begin life in the new country. On his 
trip from Virginia, which was made in a wagon, he saw but one railroad. 
The issue of his marriage consisted of six children, two of whom died in 
infancy, and four attained their majorities, viz.: Isaac, who died in his 
twenty-second year, William P., Alexis A. and Adam H. During in- 

I tervals in his farm labors, he has at times followed the vocation of a brick 
and stone mason, which was of great assistance to him in his early 
career. He bears the reputation of a sober, industrious and honorable 
citizen, and has been for ten years a consistent member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and a liberal patron of all charitable enterprises. He 
resides on a neat farm in good cultivation, of which he is the owner. 

WILLIAM ASBURY BOUSE is a native of Virginia, and was 
born in Pendleton County, January 25, 1841 ; his parents, Adam and 
Annis (Dolley) Bouse, were natives of Virginia and of German descent. 
John Dolley, Sr., grandfather of our subject, was a British soldier, and 
was captured by Gen. Washington at Trenton, N. J. Adam Bouse, sub- 
ject's father, served in the war of 1812, at Norfolk, Va.; he moved to Jef- 
ferson Township, Tipton Co., Ind., about the year 1850, locating in Sec- 
tion 4, where he remained about twenty years, and died at the residence 
of S. V. Phares, January 1, 1877, at the age of eighty-four. William A. 
was reared on a farm, and in his youth enjoyed but poor opportunities for 
obtaining an education. He enlisted in the United States Army in April 
of 1861, Company F, Eleventh Indiana Volunteer Zouaves, under Col. 
Lew Wallace. He participated in the fight at Romney, Va., which was 
among the first engagements of the war, and at the end of his short term 
of service returned home and was at once taken sick with the small-pox. 

, On his recovery from that dread scourge, he worked at the carpenter's 
trade until July 17, 1862, when he again enlisted, this time in Company 



378 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

B, Seventy-fifth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. With this company, he 
was engaged in the fight at Hoover's Gap, and Chickamauga, where he re- 
ceived a lasting injury from a fall while distributing ammunition. In the 
engagements that followed at Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, etc., he 
was in continuous fighting for two months, and in the battle at Kenesaw 
Mountain he received a painful wound in the thigh from an ounce ball. 
But nevertheless he remained with the regiment and went to Atlanta; was 
under fire with Sherman at Jonesboro for three weeks, and accom- 
panied him on his victorious march to the sea, fighting his last battle at 
Smithfield, N. C; he was discharged in January, 1865, and at once re- 
turned home. On September 23, 1868, he was married to Mrs. Mar- 
garet A. Newton, widow of Daniel H. Newton, who died at Tipton, Mo., 
and who had been a member of the Twenty-sixth Regiment Indiana Vol- 
unteer Infantry. Her parents, Eli Hall and Margaret (Hutto) Hall, were 
married in Johnson County, Ind., and came to Tipton County about 1856 ; 
her father engaged in farming until his death, which occurred December 
18, 1875, aged sixty-seven. Margaret, by her marriage with Newton, 
has one child, viz., John W., married, and a farmer. She and our subject 
have one child, Luella, born October 4, 1867. He farmed and traded 
until 1881. At that time, he removed to and purchased property in Gold- 
smith, where he has since resided. He and his wife are both members of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which they have been identified for 
eleven years. He is a man of temperate habits, generous impulses, and 
respected by his fellow-citizens. 

JOHN A. BOUSE, M. D., was born in Maryland June 14, 1852, 
and is the son of Rev. George and Virginia (Miles) Bouse. Being the 
son of a Methodist minister, he was required to make his home in various 
places. He attended the Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg, and began 
reading medicine in 1871, at Three Springs, Penn., under J. F. Thompson. 
He graduated in 1875, at the Medical Univei'sity of Philadelphia, and also 
attended one course of lectures at Bellevue Hospital, New York. He com- 
menced the practice of medicine in Clearfield County, Penn., in 1875, 
where he remained in practice for three years. He located at Goldsmith, 
Ind., in 1878, where he has won a wide reputation in his profession. Mr. 
Bouse was married, January 18, 1883, in Chambersburg, Penn., to Miss 
Minerva J. Sherk. He is a liberal donator for public improvements. He 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has been identified with the 
Methodist Episcopal Church for seven years. He is a strong advocate of 
temperance, and is an instructor in the Sunday school. 

SYLVANUS BILBY was born in Fayette County, Ind., November 
8, 1830. His parents, Stephen and Rebecca (Ludlow) Bilby, both died 
in Fayette County, the former having been a farmer and blacksmith. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 379 

Sylvanus being bound out at the age of nine when he was brought to 
Tipton County, was not permitted by his master the privilege of attend- 
ing school, consequently his education was limited. At the age of nine- 
teen, he rebelled against the tyranny of his master, and left his service. 
By economy and hard labor, he managed to secure forty acres of wild 
land, and February 16, 1851, he was married to Miss Susannah Basey, 
daughter of William and Susan Basey, pioneers of Tipton County. He 
and his wife immediately located on their land, determined to hew out a 
home. Their industry was crowned with success. In a few years he 
traded these forty acres for a piece nearer Tetersburg, and in 1865 he 
again traded, this time for the farm he now occupies, consisting of about 
100 acres of fine land in Jefferson Township. It is beautifully located, 
in a high state of cultivation, and ornamented by a fine residence. Their 
union has brought them six children, four of whom are living, viz.: 
Sarah Frances, Marinda Thompson, Erasmus Alexander and James 
Andrew. Emila died, aged twenty-one, and one died during infan- 
cy. By his industry he has saved an independent competency. They 
have both been consistent members of church from their youth. They 
enjoy the esteem of all who knew them. Politically, he is a Democrat. 

HARDEN H. BUNCH was born in Wayne County, Ind., Octo- 
ber 27, 1845; his parents, William S. and Matilda (Woolf) Bunch, were 
natives of North Carolina. Harden passed his boyhood days in a country 
town until his twelfth year, when the death of his mother occurred. For 
five years he worked on a farm, and when in his seventeenth year enlisted 
in Company K, Forty-seventh Indiana Volunteer Infantry ; he partici- 
pated in the battles of Fort Pillow and Island No. 10, and from there his 
command went to Yazoo Pass, where he was transferred to the St. Louis 
Hospital ; he remained there but two months, when he was taken as a 
clerk in the office of the Provost Marshal, at Columbus, Ohio, where he 
remained till the close of the war ; he returned home and resumed work 
on a farm ; was married, July 2, 1865, to Miss Mary Phares. Their 
union has been crowned by the birth of four children, of whom three 
are yet living, viz.: Sarah A., Everett L., Lizzie J.; and Carrie C, 
who died at the age of five years. Harden is noted for his retiring dis- 
position and cool and accurate judgment. In 1872, he was elected to the 
position of Township Trustee by a majority of eight votes, the township 
being very close, politically. xA-t the close of his first term, he was re-elected 
without any opposition ; he is a very successful farmer and raiser of stock, 
having about 200 acres of fine land situated in what is known as the 
" Indian Reserve," nearly all in cultivation and stocked with an improved 
quality of stock. He has always been a man possessed of a spirit favor- 
able to public improvements and all needed reforms ; he is a liberal patron 



380 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of the church, having been a member of the Christian Church for seven 
years. 

DAVID CAMPBELL, an early pioneer of this county, was born in 
Henry County, Ky., February 1, 1816, and is the son of James and Sa- 
rah (Carter) Campbell. David Campbell was reared on a farm, and in 
1846 the family located in Tipton County on the north side of the Indian 
Prairie, now Jefferson Township, and entered 158 acres of the most de- 
sirable land in the township. He has been one of the most successful men 
of the county ; he was married, March 5, 1840, in Johnson County, to Miss 
Sarah Jenkins ; he has deeded to his children 540 acres of good land, and 
still owns 790 acres of the best land in the county. Mr. and Mrs. 
Campbell have had ten children — Maria, born February 1, 1841, and died 
after her marriage ; Newton, born December 26, 1842 ; Thomas R., born 
February 2, 1845, died in March, 1883 ; John, born July 16, 1847 ; 
James J., born November 3, 1850 ; Elizabeth, born February 22, 1853 ; 
William, born September 25, 1855, died July 15, 1879 ; Oliver, born 
August 24, 1858; Sarah F., born July 6, 1861, and Tipton D., born 
July 15, 1865. Mr. Campbell has assisted much in the general improve- 
ment of the county ; he is liberal to the needy and distressed, and has ac- 
cumulated a good fortune by industry and economy. 

NEWTON CAMPBELL was born in Johnson County, Ind., Decem- 
ber 26, 1842. His parents, David and Mary (Jenkins) Campbell, re- 
moved with him to the Indian Reserve in 1846. Our subject was reared 
on a farm. His opportunities for acquiring an education, in those early 
days, were exceedingly limited, but by a close application to the few text- 
books which he possessed, he managed to master the rudiments of knowl- 
edge. In 1862, he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and First In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry. On March 20, 1863. he was wounded in the 
shoulder, at Milton, Tenn., by a minie ball, which relic of the rebellion 
he still carries, securely imbedded in his shoulder. On account of his 
wound, he was discharged in May, 1863. Returning home, he did such 
light work on his father's farm as his disabillity would permit of until 
1865, when he began working for himself. On the 12th of April, 1869, 
he was united in the bonds of wedlock to Miss Sarah Smith, daughter of 
John D. Smith. The issue of their marriage consists of three daughters, 
viz. : Mary E., born March 19, 1870 ; Laura D., born May 22, 1874, 
and Adaha, born September 17, 1878, He is one of the most industri- 
ous farmers and stock-raisers in the county. He is the owner of 240 
acres of land, well improved and drained, and well stocked with finely 
blooded stock. His residence on his farm is a large, elegant and conven- 
ient frame house. He is a quiet, honest and industrious citizen. 

JAMES J. CAMPBELL, merchant, was born in Prairie Township, 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 381 

Tipton County, Ind., November 3, 1850, and is one of ten children born 
to David and Mary Campbell. James J. attended the public schools 
from the age of six to twenty-one, and remained on the farm with his 
father until 1873. He then located on another of his father's farms, and 
lived there alone until December, 1874, when he was married to Miss 
Mary E. Vandevender. They have two children — Roxey, aged five, 
and Carl, aged three. Mr. Campbell engaged in the mercantile business 
in 1879, and is now ranked as one of the prominent business men of 
Goldsmith. He held the office of Postmaster for five years, and in 
March, 1882, was nominated by the Republican party for Township 
Trustee. He was elected by a large majority, and is now filling the 
office with great credit. Mr. Campbell is a young man of unusual intel- 
ligence, and is ever ready to assist charitable institutions. He was for 
several years a prominent member of the I. 0. 0. F. fraternity, of 
Tetersburg, No. 324, and is a member in good standing of the Masonic 
Lodge, No. 128, at Tipton. 

JOHN A. CAMPBELL, farmer, is a native of Adams County, 
Ohio, where he was born in 1833 ; his parents were James M. and Re- 
becca (Wasson) Campbell, both natives of the same county and State above 
named. The former was a blacksmith, stone-mason, carpenter and farmer. 
He remained in his native county until the year 1853, when he removed 
with his family of nine children to Tipton County, Ind., and settled in 
Jefferson Township ; he purchased a farm and erected the first saw mill, 
with facilities for grinding corn, ever built in the towijship, and con- 
ducted it until his death, which occurred September 16, 1855 ; his wife 
died in the spring of 1881 ; of their family, of whom John A. is the third, 
six are now living, all in Tipton County, except one, who resides in 
Douglas County, Kan. Our subject was reared on a farm ; when his 
father died, in connection with his brother, he managed the mill for one 
year ; he then sold out his interest in the milling business and farmed 
for awhile on land situated in Cicero Township ; he soon left that and, 
returning to the old home farm in Jefferson Township, he for eight 
years conducted it and maintained his mother and sisters. In 1865, he 
purchased the farm where he now resides, situated one and three-fourths 
miles south of Goldsmith ; he has eighty acres under cultivation and well 
improved. On the 8th of April, 1858, he was married to Miss Elizabeth 
Jane Weed, a native of Rush County, Ind., whose parents were natives 
of South Carolina. They have five children living — Mrs. Emma A. 
Cloud, Franklin U., Mary E., George A. and James C, and two de- 
ceased. He and his wife are both members of the Presbyterian Church, 
with which they have been identified for twenty-five years. Politically, 
he adheres to the Republican party, in which he is an acknowledged 



382 BIOGRArHICAL SKETCHES: 

leader. He is a liberal donor of the church, and possessed of a commend- 
able spirit for public improvements. 

DAVID R. CAMPBELL, physician, was born in Indiana Feb- 
ruary 14, 1848 ; his parents, George and Martha J. (Van Kirk) Camp- 
bell, were natives of Pennsylvania. David was reared on a farm and 
trained to agricultural pursuits until he was seventeen years of age, 
when he began teaching in the public schools of the country, which pro- 
fession he followed for eight years. During his career as a teacher, he 
learned and pursued, during the vacation of his school terms, the trade of 
a plasterer, working at that trade at intervals for about seven years. 
In 1874, he entered upon the study of medicine with Dr. Moore, of 
Galveston, Ind. During the winter of 1875-76, he attended his first 
term of lectures at the Indiana Medical College of Indianapolis, and in 
the spring of 1876, began the practice of his profession at Normanda, 
Tipton Co., Ind. He graduated in his profession in March 1880, at the 
same college where he attended his first term, his being the first name of 
the first class ever graduated by that institution. Dr. Campbell was mar- 
ried, December 31, 1868, to Miss Elizabeth Griffith, who died May 1, 
1881, leaving four small children — Jesse B., George G., Mary M. and 
Ira M. Since his wife's death, he has kept his little family together, by 
giving them his closest attention in the intervals of his professional 
duties. He is a close and careful student, and is winning for himself a 
lucrative practice and an enviable reputation in his profession. 

JAMES CLOUD is the son of William and Lucy (Cornelius) Cloud, 
and was born December 30, 1818. The parents were of English descent, 
and were pioneers of Dearborn County, Ind., where James was reared on 
a farm. The family settled in this county in 1847, and while on a visit 
to Wabash County December 24, 1865, the mother died in her sixty- 
third year. The father died in Tipton County January 7, 1880, in his 
eighty-fourth year. November 4, 1841, James Cloud married Ruth Ann 
Basey, daughter of William Basey, of Kentucky, and this union was 
blessed with nine children — Thomas II. (who died at Cairo, 111., October 
7, 1862), Sarah E., John W., Harriet (who died in infancy), James S., 
Martha J., Willis A., Sylvanus and Albert (the last two dying in infancy). 
James Cloud began life a poor man, and came to this township without a 
dollar left in his pocket to take possession of a forty-acre lot he had pur- 
chased the previous year, without having seen it. He found his property 
to be a swamp in the green wood, but he set energetically to work to 
redeem it, and is now the owner of a finely cultivated farm of 120 acres. 
In 1881, he lost the partner of his earlier and later manhood. She had 
been a member of the Predestinarian Baptist Church for thirty-five years, 
and Mr. Cloud is a member of the same denomination. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 383 

BOSTON DAY, a pioneer of Tipton County, was born in Pendleton 
County, Va., in 1819, and is the son of Basil and Susan (Cookholts) Day. 
He was reared as a farmer, being bound out at the age of five years until 
he was twenty-one. He had no educational advantages until he obtained 
his freedom. He came west to Ohio in 1840, remained there on a farm 
two years, and then came to Whitley County, Ind., where he was mar- 
ried in 1842. From this union were five children, one of whom is living 
— William F. Mr. Day removed to Tipton County in 1865, and settled 
in Jefferson Township, where he has since resided. He was elected 
Township Assessor in 1880, and filled the position with such credit and 
satisfaction that he was re-elected for four years in 1882, and is now filling 
that ofiice. Mr. Day was a strong anti-slavery man, and a strong advo- 
cate of temperance and moral education. He is a liberal patron oT all 
public enterprises, and has wielded great influence in the development of 
the county. He has one of the finest farms in the county, and is noted, 
at his advanced age, for his iron will and determination. He is sixty-five 
years of age, but assesses the township on foot. 

W. R. DUNHAM, school teacher and clerk, was born in Tipton 
County, Ind., February 1, 1856, and is the son of Samuel Gr. and Ma- 
tilda (Reese) Dunham, natives of Virginia and Ohio respectively. His 
parents settled in Tipton County in an early day, and our subject was 
reared on a farm in Jefferson Township. He assisted his father in clear- 
ing his land, and at the age of sixteen obtained a license to teach. He 
taught his first school at the age of seventeen, and has taught thirteen 
terms. He took charge of the first graded school in Kempton, and has 
of late years taught in the winter, and in the summer clerked in the dry 
goods and grocery store of Booth Bros., the largest store in Kempton. 
Mr. Dunham was married, April 6, 1881, to Miss Laura Belle Allen, of 
Sabina, Clinton Co., Ohio. This union has been blessed with one 
child — Wibber F. Dunham. Mr. Dunham was nominated for Township 
Trustee on the Democratic ticket when he was only twenty-three years of 
age, and was defeated by a small majority in a strong Republican town- 
ship. He is a Notary Public ; also is one of the Trustees of the New- 
Light Church, and has been a member of the I. 0. 0. F. since he was 
twenty-one years of age. 

WILLIAM H. EATON was born in Johnson County, Ind., January 
6, 1843, and is the son of James W. and Martha A. (Ragsdale) Eaton. 
William H. was reared on a farm, and at the age of twenty-one located in 
Tipton County. He was married, August 15, 1868, to Eliza A. Daven- 
port. They had one child, and Mrs. Eaton died July 15, 1865. He was 
next married, June 6, 1867, to Mary J. Layton. They had one child, 
and his wife died July 17, 1876. He was then married January 



384 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

12, 1878, to Christina Hanshew. Mr. Eaton, by industry and hard 
study, after his first marriage, obtaineda six months' teacher's certificate. 
He had but a limited education, but proved himself to be an exceptional 
educator, as was shown by his teaching in the public schools of Tipton 
and Howard Counties ten consecutive years ; he taught his last school in 
Howard County under an eighteen months' license. In 1878, he removed 
to Reno County, Kan., where he remained on a farm for three years, but 
on account of grasshoppers and drought, was not successful. He filled the 
office of Justice of the Peace Avhile there, one term, and in 1881 returned 
to Tipton County. He was elected Justice of the Peace in the spring of 
1882, which office he now holds with credit to himself and general satis- 
faction to the citizens. 

SAMUEL P. EPPERSON is a native of Mercer County, Ky., and 
was born March 14, 1815. He is the son of David and Anna (Cox) 
Epperson ; he spent his youth on a farm among slaves, his parents being 
limited slave owners ; he received a moderate education, and was mar- 
ried December 31, 1840, to Miss Eliza J. Beegle, daughter of Elijah and 
Elizabeth (Bernaugh) Beegle. Mr. Epperson located in Jefferson Town- 
ship, Tipton County, in October, 1850. He entered land as he came 
through Indianapolis, before seeing the country, but fortunately the se- 
lection was good ; he taught one or two terms of subscription school, and 
for several years bought horses and shipped to the southern market. Mr. 
and Mrs. Epperson have had nine children — Lydia B., George W., Mar- 
tha J. and Emmasetta, living; and Mary A., Ben P. and three infants, 
deceased. Their four living children are married, and they are left alone 
in their old age. They have worked and economized against many disad- 
vantages, and have a good little farm, well improved and well stocked. 
Mr. Epperson enlisted in the United States service, January, 1864, in 
the Thirty-ninth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Mounted Infantry; he 
participated in all the engagements of Gen. Sherman on his march to the 
sea, and was mustered out in North Carolina, in July, 1865. The hard- 
ships of camp and field were too great for his advanaed age, and he has 
been an invalid since the close of the war. 

GEORGE W. EPPERSON, one of the leading citizens of Jefferson 
Township, was born in Mercer County, Ky., May 28, 1846 ; his parents 
were Samuel P. and Eliza Jane (Beegle) Epperson, natives of Kentucky, 
and of English and German extraction respectively. George, the third 
of a family of nine children, was reared on a farm, and the education he 
received in his youth was the best the common schools of that day afford- 
ed. His parents emigrated to Tipton County in 1850, and settled on 
the farm Avhere they at present reside. He remained at home until 1863, 
when he enlisted in Company M, Thirty-ninth Indiana Volunteer 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 385 

Mounted Infantry, and continued therein until the close of the war. He 
participated in all the engagements prior to and during the siege of At- 
lanta ; he was with Sherman on his victorious campaign to the sea, and 
in every battle fought on that memorable march. During his term of 
service he carried the colors of his regiment for one year ; had three 
horses shot under him in different battles, and was several times wounded. 
He was mustered out of service in July of 1865, and, returning home, he 
engaged in farming, at which he continued for three years. He then 
took up and for some time followed the carpenter's trade. In 1876, he 
was elected to the office of Trustee of Jefferson Township, and at the end 
of his term of office he was re-elected by an increased majority. During 
his career as a Trustee, and up to the year 1881, he was a part of the 
time engaged as salesman in a mercantile establishment in Tetersburg. 
In January of 1881, he accepted a position as route agent from Indian- 
apolis to Decatur, 111., but soon resigned it on account of ill health. He 
then became purchasing agent for a lumber company in Kentucky, where 
he remained until August of 1882, when he was nominated by the Re- 
publicans of this county for the office of County Clerk, and he came home 
to enter the campaign. The result of that contest would have been a 
triumphant victory for Mr. Epperson had not his own party friends 
proved treacherous. He was married, September 6, 1866, to Miss Sarah 
Ryker, of Clinton County. They have four children living, viz.: Willie 
A., Emma J., Charles S. and Ora R.; and one deceased, viz., Lena. 
George, as he is familiarly known all over the county, is one of those 
hail fellows well met, with whom it is a pleasure to come in contact. 
Although a Republican, he is deservedly popular with all parties. He is 
a prominent member of the I. 0. 0. F. 

HENRY JACKSON FLOYD is a native of Iowa, in Linn County, 
in which State he was born March 17, 1853 ; his parents, William and 
Isabella (Ruse) Floyd, both natives of Ohio, and of French and English 
descent respectively, located in Jefferson Township, Tipton County, Ind., 
in 1853, where Henry, our subject, grew to manhood on his father's 
farm ; his opportunities for education in his earlier years were very limit- 
ed, on account of the straitened condition of his parents' finances ; he 
continued to assist in supporting his parents until he was twenty-three 
years of age, at which time, with his own accumulated means, he began 
educating himself at the Northern Indiana Normal School ; here he 
attended for four years, at the end of which he was regarded as a very 
good scholar. During his college career, he began teaching during vaca- 
tions in the public schools, carrying that on in connection with the busi- 
ness of farming, and soon built up a reputation second to none in his 
township. Henry is the fourth child of a family of eleven children, five- 



386 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of whom attained their majorities, but only three of them are now living. 
Henry was married, April 26, 1881, in Tipton County, to Miss Jennie 
C. Melson. They have one child, Bayard F., born March 18, 1882. Our 
subject owns a good residence where he lives, in the town of Kempton, 
and a piece of land lying north of the town ; he is yet a young man, 
temperate and industrious in his habits, and a prominent and consistent 
member of the I. 0. 0. F. and the M. E. Church. i 

JOHN FOSTER, farmer, was born in Johnson County, Ind., No- 
vember 30, 1832 ; his parents, Richard and Lucinda (Coons) Foster, 
were of German descent and natives of Virginia ; he grew to manhood 
on a farm, and enjoyed the limited advantages of about three months' 
schooling each year, but being the possessor of a strong, active mind, 
his business relations and career have made him a well-informed man. In 
1849, he located in Tipton County, in the east corner of Prairie Town- 
ship, then an unbroken wilderness. The manner in which their grain 
was ground in that day was by means of the old horse-mill, now an obso- 
lete piece of machinery. Our subject has been twice married — first to 
Miss Mary Stevens, of Johnson County, Ind., August 5, 1854, who died 
November 3, 1865, and by whom he has had five children, three of whom 
are living, viz.: George D., Arminta and Emeline ; his second marriage 
occurred August 10, 1866, to Miss Martha E. Barr ; by her he has had 
nine children, seven of whom are living, viz.: Edward E., Mary E., 
Frederick F., Dora B., Richard B., Perry, and an unnamed infant 
girl. He enlisted, February 6, 1865, in Company K, One Hun- 
dred and Fifty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was dis- 
charged September 13, 1865. Until his return from the army, he had 
not been very successful in business, but since that time, by close applica- 
tion and untiring industry, he has succeeded in increasing his capital, 
then about $2,000, to nearly $10,000, invested mainly in good farms. Mr. 
Foster is known in the community in which he lives as a pious and moral 
citizen, unswerving in his allegiance to his church and first to contribute 
to deserving charitable enterprises. 

RICHARD H. FOSTER was born January 15, 1844, in Johnson 
County, Ind., and is the son of Richard and Lucinda E. (Coons) Foster; 
his father located in Tipton County in 1850, and entered 800 acres of 
Government land, the patents being signed by President Taylor. Richard 
H. Foster spent his youth on a farm, and received a very limited educa- 
tion, having access to no public schools in his early childhood ; he was 
married, November 22, 1866, to Miss Sarah E. Barr, and lived on the 
old homestead until 1880 ; he then moved into his new home, one-half 
mile east of Goldsmith, having purchased a farm and erected a beautiful 
residence ; he has seven children — Flora D., Albert N., Laura A., 





% 



kL'- 








^^^a-^^eJ^o-t^^ 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 389 

Clarence E., Mary L., Etta L. and Mabel. Mr. Foster has been indus- 
trious and economical, and has been a successful farmer; he owns 260 
acres of good farm land, well improved ; he is a liberal donor to churches 
and public institutions, and he and his wife have been consistent members 
of th« Methodist Episcopal Church at Hopewell for eight years. 

CHARLES FOSTROM, a son of Mathias and Annis A. (Johnson) 
Fostrom, was born in Sweden January 13, 1846 ; he lived on a farm 
and attended the common school until he was fourteen years of age, when 
he began an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade ; he worked three 
years for nothing, and then took charge of the shop as foreman for six 
months ; he went on board a vessel at Stromstad as *a sailor, and was on 
the sea constantly for three years ; he landed at Providence, R. I., Sep- 
tember 4, 1868, poorly clad and penniless; here he worked in a brick 
yard, and later in a blacksmith shop at Haverstraw, N. Y. After spend- 
ing one year in Haverstraw. he engaged as a day laborer in the con- 
struction of railroads, and filled the positions of hand foreman, road 
master and train conductor; he followed this business for ten years, in 
the States of New York, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and during this time 
was married to Miss Anna C. Gustafson, of La Fayette, a native of 
Sweden, who had been in the United States about two years; he located 
in Kempton, Ind., September 15, 1877, and engaged in the business of 
general merchandise ; he sold out the first year, and engaged in the grain 
business, which he has successfully pursued to the present time ; in 1879, 
he added hardware and agricultural implements to his business ; he was 
elected Township Trustee by the Republican party in April, 1880, and 
has made a creditable record, Mr. Fostrom is carrying a stock of $6,000, 
and has made his business successful ; he is a liberal donator to all public 
enterprises, and has been a consistent member of the I. 0. 0. F. 
for five years. 

HENRY J. GOFF, farmer, was born in Stokes County, N. C, in 
1848, and is the son of Washington J. G. and Rebecca W. (Sturdivant) 
Goff, who came to Indiana about the year 1853 and located in Hamilton 
County, near Noblesville. The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood 
days on the farm, and has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits ; 
he located in Tipton County in the year 1870, and was married, October 
4, of the same year, to Miss Martha E. Ploughe. This union has been 
blessed with five children — Laura L. (deceased, aged three years), Ben- 
jamin W., Henry C, James T. and Hettie M. Mr. Goff started in life 
entirely dependent on his energy and good judgment ; he has been 
afflicted with ill-health since he was fifteen years of age, and has 
had much sickness in his family, but he has been energetic and indus- 
trious and has made a successful farmer; he is rather venturesome and 

i;4 



390 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

speculative, yet cautious and discreet in all his undertakings, and has 
been fortunate in real estate trades. He takes great interest in improved 
stock, and assists all public enterprises. He was a member of the Grange 
organization during its existence, and in politics he is a stalwart Repub. 
lican. 

DAVID GOODKNIGHT, farmer and stock-dealer, was born in Vir- 
ginia in 1818, and is the son of Leonard and Martha E. (Fernower) 
Goodknight. His grandfather, Samuel Goodknight, was a soldier under 
Washington in the Revolutionary war, and his wife's father, Owen T. 
Rees, was taken prisoner at Hull's surrender at Detroit, Mich., August 
11, 1812. Our subject, at the age of two years, removed with his par- 
ents to Ohio, where he spent his boyhood days. He came to this county 
October 15, 1851, and entered land in Jefferson Township. He came 
from Fayette County, Ohio, in a covered wagon, with his wife and family, 
when Tipton County was wet and marshy. He now owns about 600 
acres in this county, and is a dealer in stock, buying while they are 
young, and feeding them until ready for market. Mr. Goodknight was 
married, October 5, 1839, to Christie A. Rees, of Fayette County, Ohio. 
Nine children have blessed this union — William H., Samuel, Isaac N., 
Margaret A. Stephenson, Martha J. Wilson, John G., Christie A. (de- 
ceased), and two who died in infancy. Mr. Goodknight was, in an early 
day, a Whig, but later voted the Republican ticket, and is now a member 
of the Greenback party. He has been an Odd Fellow for twelve years, 
and is one of the charter members of the Kerapton Lodge. 

SAMUEL GOODKNIGHT, one of Jefferson Township's energetic 
farmers, is an Ohio man, being born in Fayette County, of that State, 
April 17, 1842. His parents, David and Christie A. (Rees) Good- 
knight, were natives of Virginia. He was reared on a farm, and was 
brought to Jefferson Township in the autumn of 1851. His school priv- 
ileges were limited to the log schoolhouse of this (Tipton) county twenty- 
five years ago. On the 19th of November, 1863, he was married to Miss 
Matilda Moon. They have ten children, eight of whom are living, viz. : 
John H., Jane B., Margarette J., William H., Ora E., Flora E., Cora 
D., James A., and Christiana, who died at the age of three, and one 
other that died in infancy. After his marriage, he resided, until 1870, 
on his father's farm. At that time, he and his brother, Isaac, purchased 
the old Goar farm, which joins Kempton on the east, and on the east half 
of which our subject now resides. The spring following this purchase, 
his house and contents were entirely consumed by fire, and himself and 
family left homeless and with a debt of $6,000. The ensuing au- 
tumn, a fine car-load of hogs, with which he expected to make a payment on 
the above mentioned debt, was lost by the cholera. Although things 



i 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHir. 391 

were getting desperate, he did not lose his determination to pull through 
the storm, and he succeeded in doing so, paying the last cent in 1876. 
He has always been noted for his energy and determination, his motto, 
which is a good one, being that 'i to attempt is to succeed." He is a 
very successful farmer and stock-raiser, making a specialty of breeding 
fine cattle, of which he has a superior collection. Last year (1882), he 
erected one of the finest frame residences on one of the most desirable 
locations in the west side of the township. He has never had a law suit, 
and never had occasion to pay a lawyer's fee. He is an honest, industri- 
ous citizen. He owns 140 acres of land, free of all incumbrances, and is, 
politically, a stalwart Republican. 

WILLIAM A. GREEN, physician and druggist, son of Samuel and 
Alice (McGannon) Green, was born in Jennings County. Ind., Novem- 
ber 25, 1858, and at the age of six years removed with his parents to 
Tipton County. He began the study of medicine in 1878 under Dr. 
Pitzer in Sharpsville, Tipton County, and the following winter attended 
college in Cincinnati. He came to Kempton March 10, 1879, and began 
the practice of medicine, and in January, 1882, opened a drug store, and 
is at present practicing in connection with the drug business. Mr. 
Green was married, January 29, 1880, to Miss Ella M. Wells, whose 
parents were among the early pioneers of Tipton County. This union 
has been blessed with one child, Howard Clifton, born December 26, 1882, 
Dr. Green started in life empty-handed, but with energy, brains and 
nerve he has been successful in establishing a good practice. He is a 
prominent citizen, and has always voted the Republican ticket. His 
father, Samuel Green, was in the army in the Eighty-second Regiment 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and died near Gettysburgh, Penn., February 
5, 1863. 

ENOS HENKLE, an early settler of Tipton County, 'was born in 
1822 in Pendleton County, Va. Is the son of Joab and Marv 
(Lawrence) Henkle, both natives of Virginia, wHo settled in Tipton Coun- 
ty in 1851. Enos Henkle came to this county in 1849, and located in 
Jefferson Township. He was married to Miss Susan Phares, of Virginia, 
in September, 1846. This union has been crowned with twelve children 
— J. W., born June 16, 1847 ; Joab, born April 16, 1849; Ambros, born 
October 3, 1851; George N., born November 12, 1858; Sylvanus, born 
October 15, 1855 ; Jacob, born March 4, 18o8, and died October 20, 
1866; Mary C, born March 4, 1860; Martha F., born June 13, 1862; 
Susan E., born August 12, 1865; Virginia B., born July 6, 1869; Sa- 
rah J., born January 2, 1871 ; and Enos C, born October 4, 1876. Mr. 
Henkle resides on the farm he entered in 1849. He has been an indus- 
trious, successful farmer, but for many years has been unable to work, 



392 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

owing to chronic neuralgia. He still superintends the farm. He is es- 
teemed for his kind and benevolent character, and is a consistent member 
of the Christian Church. 

WILLIAM HINKLE, farmer, was born in Pendleton County, Va., 
July 27, 1824. His parents, Joab and Mary (Lawrence) Hinkle, 
were natives of Virginia, and of English descent. They moved to this 
(Tipton) county in 1851, in company with the subject of this sketch, and 
both died here in Jefferson Township, the former in 1859, aged sixty- 
two years, the latter in 1861, aged sixty-six years. William was the 
fourth in a family of nine children, of whom seven are now living. He 
was reared on a farm, and has never departed from agricultural pursuits. 
He was married in his native county, on the 30th of September, 1845, to 
Miss Sydney Vandevender, a daughter of William and Mary (Cuberty) 
Vandevender, both of whom were natives of Virginia. By this marriage 
he is the father of eight children, seven of whom are living — Sarah E. 
Lutz, born April 20, 1849 ; Adam H., January 28, 1851 ; Hester J., 
February 7, 1854 ; Elvina C. Bozell, March 30, 1857 ; Isaac B., Sep- 
tember 17, 1859 (who died at the age of two years); Mary B., November 
27, 1861; Laura E., March 24, 1864; and Sylvanus L., January 24, 
1^69. On coming to this county, he located in Jefferson Township, east 
of Normanda, and purchased forty acres of land, which he farmed for two 
years, when he traded for eighty acres on the present site of Goldsmith. 
Here he cultivated the soil for ten years, when he sold his farm, with the 
view of emigrating to the West. But when the time for separation drew 
near, the strength of those ties of friendship and the force of old associa- 
tions held him back and refused to be broken. He then purchased what 
is known as the old Eli Teter farm, situated just south of Qoldsmith. 
There he now lives on what is regarded as one of the prettiest locations 
in the county. It is well improved and ornamented with a beautiful resi- 
dence, cottage style, erected in 1882. He has been a member of the 
Christian Church for nearly twenty-two years, his wife and children being 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Financially, he is in easy, 
independent circumstances. He has always been noted for his liberal 
patronage of all charitable and religious enterprises and public improve- 
ments. 

LORENZO D. HINKLE, a farmer of Jefferson Township, was born 
in Pendleton County, Va., May 14, 1838 ; his parents were Joab and 
Mary (Lawrence) Hinkle, both natives of Virginia, Joab being born No- 
vember 27, 1796, of German descent ; married, November 19, 1816, and 
died April 14, 1859. Mary was born May 1, 1794, and died April 23, 
1861. They located in Jefferson Township, Tipton County, Ind., 
in 1851, and both died in tlieir new home; our subject is the last of a 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 393 

family of nine children, seven of whom are yet living, six in Indiana and 
one in Virginia. He was reared on a farm, and, in his limited school 
course, never knew any reader except Robinson Crusoe, until he reached 
his fifteenth year. Coming to a new country did not improve his educa- 
tional advantages. July 25, 1861, he was married to Miss Mary E. Te- 
ter. She was born in Hamilton County, Ind., January 12, 1842, and is 
the third of a family of seven children born to Jacob and Melvina (Har- 
per) Teter, who located in Hamilton County in 1839. The former died 
in 1853, aged thirty-five years, and the latter in 1880, aged sixty-five. 
After his marriage our subject remained at the old homestead, taking care 
of his parents until their death. His marriage has been crowned by the 
birth of seven children, five of whom are yet living, viz. : Mrs. Laura E. 
Vandevender, born October 1, 1863 ; Rosa Lee, born July 13, 1867 ; Vir- 
ginia Malvina, born June 5, 1869 ; Jerome Wesley, born November 22, 
1871 ; Oscar Harper, born December 28, 1873; the others died during 
infancy. In 1863, he sold his farm in Tipton County and bought one in 
Hamilton County, remaining thereuntil 1877, when he purchased the old 
George Teter farm, which had been entered prior to any other north of 
the Reserve line. On this farm he now resides. It is in a high state of 
cultivation, and is one of the best in the township ; himself and wife are 
both members of the Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church, she having 
been identified therewith since her sixteenth year, and he for about eight 
years. He is a man of enterprise and public spirit, and has succeeded by 
his industry in accumulating a competency for his old age and the benefit 
of his family. Politically, he is a Republican, although his political views 
are governed by a wise discrimination as to men who claim his suffrage. 

SILAS SYLVESTER JACKSON was born in Hancock County, 
Ind., April 20, 1853, and is the son of James and Louisa (Davis) Jack- 
son, natives respectively of North Carolina and Ohio, and married in 
Rush County, Ind., about 1836. The family first settled in Tipton County 
in 1864, but in 1870 returned to Hancock County, and thence moved to 
Madison County, where Mrs. Louisa Jackson died in 1875. At the age 
of sixteen, Silas S. Jackson began life on his own account, and for two 
years supported a widowed sister and her children. In 1878, he located 
in Ketnpton and started a wagon-making shop, which he successfully con- 
ducted until 1881, when he took the general agency for Charles Fostrom's 
extensive agricultural implement trade, which position he still holds. 
Mr. Jackson is a member of I. 0. 0. F. Lodge, No. 482, and is an active 
Republican politician. He possesses considerable business talent, and is 
noted for his liberality, both ot mind and heart. 

DAVID KEMP, whose portrait appears in this work, is one of the 
old pioneers and eminent business men of Tipton County ; he is a native 



394 BIOGRAPHICAL SKilTCHES: 

of Frederick County, Md., and was born October 29, 1818, and is 
the son of Gilbert and Rebecca (Kefner) Kemp, natives of Maryland ; 
his father was a miller, who emigrated to Ohio about 1823, and located 
in Greene County, near Xenia, where he engaged in milling. In 1833, 
he continued milling in Hamilton County, Ind., and in 1841 came to 
Tipton County and settled in Jefferson Township, where his son now 
resides. Here he remained until his death, which occurred in 1850; his 
wife died in 1848. David Kemp was the third of six children, and at 
the age of ten began clerking in Dayton, Ohio, where he remained clerk- 
ing and attending school until 1836 ; he then returned to his parents in 
Hamilton County, and there was engaged as a clerk until 1810, when he 
came tO Tipton County and built a house. The following year he began 
farming and stock-raising. At this time he was without means, and 
what he has accomplished has been done by honest endeavor and hard 
work. He has since resided in Jeff'erson Township upon this same sec- 
tion of land, and has now about 1,200 acres; he is also interested in the 
milling business at Kempton, owning two-thirds of the Mozingo & Kemp 
flouring and saw mill ; he was influential to a great extent in securing 
the Lake Erie k Western Railroad built through his section, and at one 
time involved himself for more than he was worth with John Green, of 
Kempton, to secure it, and after it was secured he laid out the village of 
Kempton, which has since grown to be a thriving town. He has served 
as Township Assessor, and for eighteen years was County Commissioner. 
He was in an early day a Whig, but is now one of the leading Democrats 
of the county, and has been since before the war ; he has been a member 
of the Kempton Lodge, No. 482, I. 0. 0. F., since its organization in 
1875. Mr. Kemp was marriefl in 1848 to Miss Mary A. Price. This 
union was blessed with six children — Joseph, Rebecca, David H., John 
P., Jessie A. and Jeff'erson P., five of whom are living. His wife died 
in 1862, and he was next married in 1869 to Lorinda E. Jackson, of 
Tipton. 

JOSEPH G. KEMP was born in 1848 in Tipton County, Ind., and 
is the son of David and Mary A. (Price) Kemp. He was married in 
1870 to Miss Victoria J. Parker, whose parents were old settlers of Tip- 
ton County. This union has been blessed with four children — David N., 
Allen, Lizzie and James B. Mr. Kemp has made his own living since 
he was sixteen years of age, and has taught school for five terms. He is 
liberal in politics, and has held the office of Township Assessor. He is 
a strong advocate of temperance, and became a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 
in 1875. He is a citizen highly respected by all who have the 
pleasure of his ac(|uaintance. lie has spent his life in Tipton County, and 
has watched its growth from a low, marshy wilderness, to a good county, 
with pro?pcritv on nil sides, and good farms on every hand. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 395 

JOHN W. KING is the son of James V. and Levina (Wright) 
King, and was born in Fayette County, Ohio, January 22, 1847. The 
family came to Tipton County in 1853, and settled on a farm, on which 
John W. was reared to manhood. He was very studious in his youth, 
and at the age of twenty began teaching school, which he followed, in con- 
nection with farming, for five years. His mother died February 18, 1877, 
aged nearly sixty-five, and his father March 10, 1881. aged nearly 
seventy-five years, and both had been supported for some years previously 
through the industry and filial affection of our subject, who also erected 
suitable monuments over their last resting place. November 14, 1880, 
he married Miss Mary Jane Deal, who was born in Tipton County May 
3, 1858, and is the daughter of Henry and Anna Deal. To this union 
was born one child— Loren— September 27, 1881. In 1876, he was 
elected Assessor of Jefferson Township, and re-elected in 1878, on the 
Democratic ticket. He was for several years engaged as a canvasser for 
literary works, and was quite successful. His possessions now consist of 
only a few acres of land, well cultivated, however ; but this will not be 
wondered at, when it is stated that he sacrificed a farm of forty acres in 
the performance of his filial duties. 

W. L. KING, farmer, was born November 26, 1849, and is the son 
of James V. and Levina E. (Wright) King. The subject of this sketch 
was reared on a farm, and received a common school education, and at the 
age of twenty began teaching school. He has followed agricultural pur- 
suits the most part of his life. He came to Tipton County in 1850 with 
his parents, and has since made his home here. He was married in Feb- 
ruary, 1870, to Miss Phebe F. Johnson, of Tipton County. This union 
has been blessed with six children, all of whom are living. Mr. King is 
a worthy farmer, an excellent citizen, and is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church in good standing. 

THOMAS LEMON, farmer, and one of the pioneers of Jefferson 
Township, was born in Loudoun County, Va., September 18, 1810. His 
parents, George and Nancy (Farisj Lemon, were of Welsh descent. 
Thomas grew up on a farm, having been left an orphan at the age of 
sixteen. He was then bound out until the age of twenty-one. 
After reaching that age, he entered service as a farm hand at $7 per 
month, at which rate he worked for seven years, four of them in one 
place. January 3, 1837, he was united in marriage to Miss Moriah 
Bodine, who has borne him three children— Ann J., married to E. W. 
Crane, and died 1873, at the age of thirty-six ; Joseph B., born June 29, 
1839 ; and Moriah E., born August 15, 1841. Our subject emigrated 
from his native State to Ohio in 1838, where he remained for four years, 
at the end of which time he moved to and settled upon Section 26, Jeffer- 



396 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

son Township, Tipton Co., Ind., where he resided for five years, and then 
located on Section 22, his present residence, the title of which he received 
from President Van Buren. In coming from Ohio to this (Tipton) coun- 
ty, he started with $50 in money and one horse, and was compelled to 
join teams with another man to get through to his destination. The scarci- 
ty of roads and the distance and remoteness of some of the settlements 
often compelled him to travel twenty-five miles to mill, and to find a 
store where he might do some trading. He enlisted in the United States 
Army in November, 1861, in Company K, Forty-seventh Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry ; he participated in the siege of Spanish Fort and Fort 
Blakely, and was present at the surrender of Mobile ; he was also for a 
time in the hospital at Nilson's Barracks, and at Louisville, Ky. He was 
among the first boat's crew that went from St. Louis to Vicksburg, and 
from there to Natchez and New Orleans, at which last-named place he re- 
mained until his term expired, when he re-enlisted and served until the 
close of the war. He is respected by all his fellow-citizens. 

JOSEPH CALDWELL MANLOVE, farmer, was born in Fayette 
County, Ind., February 24, 1818. His parents, George and Mary 
(Caldwell) Manlove, were natives of North Carolina. Joseph was reared 
on a farm. September 1, 1843, he was married to Elizabeth Dickey, 
daughter of William and Margaret (Spence) Dickey. They have had 
born to them seven children, six of whom are now living, viz.: Rhoda 
I., Mary J., Elbert, William, Martha E., George E., and Margaret, who 
died at the age of sixteen years. After marriage he farmed in his native 
county for ten years on a rented farm. He. in 1853, located in Section 
25, Jeiferson Township, Tipton Co., Ind., where he purchased 160 acres 
of his present farm for $400. He has never had any political aspirations, 
but has served one term as Township Trustee. He has always been one 
of the county's most enterprising citizens. He owns 180 acres of fine 
land, well-improved, and well-stocked with a fine quality of stock. He is 
regarded as an industrious, energetic, temperate and high-minded citizen. 
He is a liberal supporter of the church, having been for twenty-five 
years a consistent member of the United Presbyterian Church. 

SAMUEL MAYN, one of the successful farmers of Tipton County, 
was born in County Down, Ireland, January 9, 1821. He is the son of 
John and Jane (Shaw) Mayn, and lived on a farm and attended school in 
his native country until he was ten years of age, when, with his parents, 
he embarked at Belfast, Ireland, August 5, 1831, for America, and landed 
at Baltimore, Md., September 25 of the same year. From there they 
proceeded to Pittsburgh, Penn., and thence to Maysville, Fleming Co., 
Ky., where our subject remained until 1842. At that time he started 
out to try his fortune, having nothing except his clothing. He landed in 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 397 

Rush County, Ind., in October of 1842, and secured labor as a farm hand 
at $9 per month. He served in this capacity about seven months, and 
on the 15th day of September, 1843, he was united in marriage to Miss 
Sarah A. Straney. The young couple commenced housekeeping in very 
modest circumstances, and remained in Rush County until 1846. In that 
year he removed to Grant County, Ind., and settled on the " Indian Re- 
serve." In 1847, the land of that reserve being put upon the market by 
the Government, he entered eighty acres, and succeeded, by hard, manual 
labor, in making a farm out of the green forest. This he retained until 
1860, when he sold it, and in 1861, located in Jefferson Township, Tipton 
County, Ind., where he purchased 160 acres of land situated in the south- 
east quarter of Section 26, upon which he has ever since resided. His 
marriage has been crowned by the birth of thirteen children, viz.: William 
B., George S., Samuel H., Margaret H., Mary T., Sarah M., John, 
Orval jN., James and Nancy J., who died at the age of fifteen, the others 
dying in infancy. In 1872, he had the misfortune to lose his beautiful 
residence by fire, but by insurance his loss was not as severe as it would 
otherwise have been. He is a very successful farmer and stock-raiser ; he 
owns 160 acres of fine land, well improved ; his hogs are regarded as the 
best breed raised in the county. His character is that of an energetic, 
industrious and public-spirited citizen. He has been a consistent member 
of the Presbyterian Church for forty years. 

F. M. MOZINGO, a prosperous miller, is a son of Milton and Marga- 
ret (Cooper) Mozingo, and was born in Indiana in 1836. His father 
settled on the south line of this county in 1840, and commenced to im- 
prove the farm. Four years later he traded for another place two miles 
north, where he remained three years. He then sold this and entered 
land in the Indian Reserve, in Jefferson Township. Our subject lived 
with his father until he was nineteen or twenty years of age, assisting him 
on the farm. At the age of nineteen he learned the carpenter's trade, 
and worked at this until he was twenty-six. He then began the mill 
business, which he has since continued. Mr. Mozingo was married in 
1861 to Miss Sarah E. Campbell. This union has been blessed with ten 
children — William T., James E. (deceased), Mary Belle, Nancy M., The- 
odore, Josephine, David, Alfred, Matilda and Arvine. Mr. Mozingo has 
been a member of the I. 0. 0. F. since 1871, and was one of the 
charter members of the Kempton Lodge. 

SOLOMON V. PHARES, farmer, was born in Pendleton County, 
Va., August 2, 1823.' His parents Solon and Elizabeth (Vandevender) 
Phares, are both natives of Virginia, and are of English and German de- 
scent. Solomon V. was reared on a farm, and was deprived of those ad- 
vantages for obtaining an education enjoyed by the youth of to-day ; he 



398 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

was the seventh of a family of ten children, five of whom are yet living. 
He was united in the bonds of wedlock May 9, 1844, to Miss Mary A. 
Bouse, whose parents were Adam and Annis (Dolley) Bouse. He re- 
mained in his native State until the year 1851, when he removed to and 
located in Jefferson Township, Tipton County, Ind.; here he bought 120 
acres of land. He has had born unto him five children, who are all liv- 
ing, viz.: Sarah E. Nelson, Annie E. McFarland, George W., Sylvanus 
A. and Joseph H. He is the owner of a beautiful, well-improved and 
well-stocked farm of great fertility, containing 160 acres of land, well 
supplied with good residence, barn, orchard, etc. He has given his chil- 
dren sixty acres of land. He served in the capacity of Supervisor of 
Roads for fourteen years, and has always been an earnest advocate of all 
public improvements. Both himself and wife are members of the M. E. 
Church, the latter having been identified therewith for over forty years ; 
he also belongs to the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Austin 
Lodge, No. 128, at Tipton. Nothwithstanding the delicate state of his 
health for the past eight years, he is still full of energy and controls his 
business with a clear head and steady hand. Having cast his first vote 
for Polk, he has ever since adhered to the principles of the Democratic 
party. 

GEORGE W. PHARES, one of Tipton County's most successful 
farmers, is a native of Virginia, and was born August 8, 1850, in Pendle- 
ton County. His parents, Solomon V. and Mary A. (Bouse) Phares, 
were also natives of Virginia. George W. was reared on a farm in this 
(Tipton) county, whither he was brought by his parents in 1850 ; his 
school advantages were limited to the public school of twenty years ago, 
but by his diligence and application he acquired a fair education. He 
was married on the 3d day of December, 1871, to Miss Elizabeth Camp- 
bell, of Tipton County, whose parents were David and Mary (Jenkins) 
Campbell. By this marriage they have three children — David S., born 
March 29, 1874; William A., born August 11, 1876, and Arthur F., 
born September 16, 1878. After his marriage, he settled on a farm of 
sixty acres of his own, situated near Normanda, of this (Tipton) county ; 
here he remained for three years, and then removed to what is known as 
the "Old Ennis farm," located three miles south of Goldsmith, where 
he still resides. He has been a very successful farmer and stock-raiser, 
being now the owner of 240 acres of land, the most of which is under 
cultivation, well improved and supplied with stock. Last year he pro- 
duced 1,000 bushels of corn, 300 bushels of wheat and near fifty tons of 
hay. He is a man of excessive energy and industry, of commendable 
public spirit and possessed of broad political and religious views. 

EBER W. PHARES, one of the most prominent businessmen in the 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. • 399 

county, was born in Hamilton County, Ind., July 4, 1842. His parents 
were George N. and Mary (Teter) Pha»es, natives of Virginia. Eber was 
reared on a farm and obtained a fair education from the common schools, and 
in 1861 enlisted for three years in Company F, Eleventh Indiana In- 
fantry. In 1863, he re-enlisted in the same regiment, where he remained 
until the close of the war. He participated in every battle where his 
regiment was engaged, and at the close of the war, in 1865, returned to 
his home. After his return, he attended school for one year, and then 
engaged in teaching. But this field not being wide enough for his am- 
bition, he entered the mercantile business. This he carried on success- 
fully in Tetersburg from 1868 to 1879. During the most of this time, 
he was the leading saw-mill man and lumber dealer in the countv. Feb- 
ruary 27, 1868, he was married to Miss Mary J. Manlove, born June 21, 
1845, and daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Manlove. This union has 
brought them five children, three of whom are yet living, viz.: Mary 
Elizabeth, born September 14, 1869 ; Cora, born February 19, 1871 ; 
Mnggie L., born November 9, 1873, died March 13, 1882 ; Lula, born 
May 2, 1878, died September 24, 1879, and Eber Harrison, born Au- 
gust 15, 1880. Mr. Phares has always been noted for his business en- 
terprise and determined will. In 1880, he sold his mercantile business, 
after having removed to Goldsmith, and tearing up his mill located it in 
the mountains of Kentucky, on the Cincinnati Southern Railroad, where 
he remained one year. Selling out, he located at Williamsburg, Ky., 
where his company has erected the finest mill in that State. He is now 
the business manager of the Cumberland River Joint Stock Lumber 
Company, an organization destined to become very wealthy. His family 
is still residing in their beautiful little home at Goldsmith. 

FRANCIS M. PRICE was born in JeflFerson Township, Tipton 
County, and is the son of John and Margaret F. (Alexander) Price, who were 
pioneer settlers in the county. His grandfather came to Indiana in a 
very early day. Our subject was reared on a farm, and at the age of 
fifteen began business for himself. He taught school for some time and 
made a success of this profession ; he subsequently began farming, which 
occupation he still pursues. He was married, October 18, 1874, to Miss 
Margaret C. Morrett, of Clinton County, Ind. This union was blessed 
with two children — Elfie and John M. Mr. Price is a member of the 
I. 0. 0. F. and is one of the charter members of the Kemp- 
ton Lodge. He is a well educated farmer, and a worthy citizen. He 
has held some of the minor offices of the township. 

D. S. PRICHARD, a pioneer of Tipton County, was born in June, 
1811, and is the son of C. G. and Isabelle (Spears) Prichard, of Welsh 
and Irish descent. He was born in Kentuckv, and lived on a farm in 



400 ■ BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

his native State until he was nine years of age, and in 1820 came with 
his parents to Johnson County, Ind. His father was an old, successful 
hunter, and D. S., at the age of thirteen, became an expert with the rifle, 
killing three and four deer in a day. He came to Tipton County in the 
year 1840, and pre-empted 160 acres of land. He settled in the green 
woods, and is one of the old pioneers of the county. Mr. Prichard was 
married, February 14, 1844, to Miss Mary Campbell, who died in 1857. 
He was afterward married to Miss Neoma Strop. They have had 
six children, four of whom are living. He has been a member of the 
Christian Church for forty-one years, and has held some of the minor 
oflBces of the township. He has a limited education, and is a fair Bible 
scholar. He cultivates one of the finest vineyards and orchards to be 
found in Tipton County. His grandfather, James Prichard, at the age 
of eighty years, was an expert at boxing and was very athletic. 

ASA PRITCHARD was born in Johnson County, Ind., April 20, 
1854. He is the second of a family of three children, of whom himself 
and brother Albert are the survivors, born to Walker and Sophia (Spears) 
Pritchard, natives of Kentucky, and of German and Irish descent respect- 
ively. His parents were married in Johnson County, Ind,, about 1850. 
His father, a farmer, died about 1859. He and his brother acquired what 
education they have by their own efforts and industry. Asa was reared 
on a farm, and has never abandoned agricultural pursuits. February 12, 
1876, he was married to Miss Drusilla McEntire, eldest daughter of 
Tirentus and Levina (Stroup) McEntire, natives of Ohio, of Irish and 
German descent respectively, and residents at the present time of Tipton 
County. His marriage has been crowned by the birth of three children, 
all of whom are living, viz., Elsie W,, Laura and Clara, He and his 
wife are members of the Christian Church, Mrs, Pritchard having been 
identified therewith since its organization. He adheres to the principles 
of the Republican party, but casts his vote with a discriminating judg- 
ment. He is a temperate, industrious, public-spirited citizen, and a lib- 
eral donator to all benevolent and religious purposes. 

JOHN PUCKETT was born in Martinsville, Ohio, January 7, 1836. 
His parents, Joseph and Mary (Holloway) Puckett, were both born in our 
subject's native county, and the bones of their ancestors lie buried there. 
They were of English descent, and were among the pioneer settlers of 
Howard County, Ind,, locating near the Cass County line in 1847, They 
were married in Martinsville, Ohio, in 1828, and after residing for awhile 
in Howard County, Ind,, removed to the State of Iowa, where they 
resided until their death, that of Joseph occurring in 1880 at the age of 
sixty-seven, and that of Mary in 1881 at the age of seventy, the former 
having followed during his life the vocations of a physician and carpenter. 



JEFFERSON TOAVNSHIP. 401 

John, our subject, is the fourth of a family of fifteen children, eight of 
whom are now living. During his youth, he learned the blacksmith and 
wagon-maker's trade, which he followed until his twenty-third year. 
Between the years 1847 and 1854, he was frequently over Tipton County, 
and about the time last named he located at Tetersburg, in that county, 
and conducted the business of a blacksmith and wagon shop for three 
years. In 1857, he was married to Martha Black, the issue of which 
union consisted of six children, of whom four are yet living — Scott An- 
derson Ellsworth, Frances Ann, Olive Alice, Sarah Elizabeth. William 
A. died at the age of seven, and Grant T. Sherman died at the age of 
four. In 1857, he moved upon a tract of wild land containing forty 
acres, upon which he had not paid a dollar, and which was utterly desti- 
tute of stock. He worked on this place to support himself and family 
for four years. In 1861, he sold his forty acres and purchased eighty 
acres, which he cultivated for one year. He then sold out and began 
merchandising at Normanda, Ind., for the brief period of one year. He 
then moved his stock of goods to Pickard's Mill, Clinton County, Ind., 
where he formed a partnership with his uncle, Moses Puckett. The same 
year, he purchased a farm in that neighborhood, which he tilled in con- 
nection with his other business for two years, when ne purchased the farm 
upon which he now resides. In 1866, he again purchased a store at 
Tetersburg, where he successfully carried on business for several years. 
He then sold out and again embarked in merchandising at Pickard's, 
losing $4,000. Since that time, he has confined himself exclusively to 
agricultural pursuits and the raising of stock. In 1869, having been 
previously deserted by her, he obtained a divorce from his wife Martha. 
and married, in 1874, Mrs. Mary J. Woodruff. By his second wife he is 
the father of three children, two of whom are still living — Effie Margaret, 
Allie Delphie and James A., who died at the age of two years. Not- 
withstanding his misfortunes, Mr. Puckett is one of our most successful 
farmers and business men. He is the owner of 500 acres of land in Jef- 
ferson Township, of unsurpassed fertility, and he is also the owner of one 
of the finest collection of fruit trees, 1,500 in number, in Tipton County. 
He also owns two farms, well stocked and improved, in Iowa. He is 
always in the front ranks of those favoring public improvements. He is 
a stanch Republican politically, and has always taken a leading part in 
managing the affairs of his party in Tipton County. He is now spoken 
of as a formidable candidate for the nomination of joint Senator for the 
counties of Tipton and Hamilton. He is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. 
which he esteems very highly. He is industrious and economical, 
but his purse is never closed to the appeal of indigence and want. 

SALATHIEL RAINES was born in Pendleton County, Va., March 



402 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

2, 1825. His parents, Presley and Margaret (Lough) Raines, of Ger- 
man descent, came to Ohio in 1835, remaining there until 1850, when 
they located in Warren County, Ind. From tliere they emigrated to 
Illinois, where they remained until their death, that of the former oc- 
curring in 1875, at the age of seventy-five years, and of the latter, in 
1874, aged seventy-one years. Salathiel was reared on a farm, but 
learned the trades of a carpenter and cooper during his youth. He had 
very limited advantages for obtaining an education, having been in 
school only a few months during his life. He is the third of a family of thir- 
teen children, of whom five are yet living. He was married in Madison, 
Ohio, to Miss Mary J. Allen, who died in 1855; after the death of his 
wife, and until 1858, he followed carpentering, spending most of the time 
in Jefi"erson Township. At the end of the time last mentioned, he went 
to Illinois, where he engaged in farming until 1864. He then returned 
to JeflFerson Township, where, on the 13th of January, 1864, he was 
united in marriage to Mary Phares, born October 4, 1820, widow of 
George U. Phares, who located in 1843 in Jefferson Township, and 
died November 27, 1861, at the age of forty-six years, after having 
accumulated considerable property, and built up a character of moral and 
Christian rectitude. Mrs. Raines is a native of Pendleton County, Va. 
Mr. Raines has been a consistent member of church for forty-five years, 
twenty-one years of which was in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the 
remainder of the time as a member of the Christian Church at Tetersburg. 
Mrs. Raines herself has been a member of church from childhood. Mr. 
Raines has a character distinguished for Christian excellence, strict hon- 
esty and rectitude in all the multitudinous duties of life. For twelve years 
the Superintendent of a Sabbath school, he has always been a liberal 
contributor to the churches, and has manifested a spirit favoring public 
improvements and the development of the county. 

HEZEKIAH RECTOR, a farmer of Jefferson Township, was born 
in Decatur, Ind., in 1828, and is the son of John and Sarah (Edington) 
Rector. He spent his youth on a farm, and has always followed agricult- 
ural pursuits. In 1849, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Searcy, who 
was then in her sixteenth year. They have nine children — Walter, aged 
twenty-five; William H., aged twenty-two; Arminda, aged eighteen ; 
Susan, aged sixteen ; Hannah, deceased wife of Charles A. Clark ; 
Anderson S. (deceased) ; Putnam (deceased) ; Mary J. (deceased), and 
Alonzo J. (deceased). In 1860, Mr. Rector had the misfortune to lose his 
house with all its contents by fiie, leaving his family in destitute circum- 
stances. He was crippled by the falling of a tree in 1848, aad has been 
comparatively a cripple ever since. He took a determined stand for the 
Union during the rebellion, but could not become a soldier. He was a 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 403 

member of the Grange organization during its existence, and has been a 
consistent member of the Missionary Baptist Church at Sugar Creek for 
twelve years. He owns a farm of forty acres, in a good state of cultiva- 
tion, and is making an independent living. 

ROBERT K. RECTOR was born in Decatur County, Ind., in 1832, 
and is the son of John and Sarah (King) Rector, natives of Kentucky. He 
spent his youth on the farm, and came to this county in 1851. He en- 
listed, in 1863, in the Thirtieth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
and was in the service twelve months. He was in the battle at Nashville 
and at Franklin, Tenn., and was in several skirmishes. Mr. Rector was 
married in 1851 to Miss. Mary J. Searcy, of Kentucky. This union 
was blessed with five children, four of whom are living. Mrs. Rector 
died, and in 1876 Mr. Rector married Miss Hannah Goings, of Ohio. 
He is a member of the New School Baptists of Hillsboro, and is 
identified with the Republican party. He is one of the pioneers of the 
county, having settled here in an early day, when Jefferson Township was 
a low, marshy wilderness. 

JOHN W. REESE, a prominent merchant in Kempton, was born in 
Ohio in 1843, and is the son of Thomas Jefferson and Priscilla (Gustin) 
Reese, natives of Ohio. Our subject came with his parents to Tipton 
County in 1850, and settled in Jefferson Township. He was reared on 
the farm, and in 1865 enlisted in the One Hundred and Fifty-third Reg- 
iment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and was in the service until the close 
of the war. After he was discharged, he returned home and followed 
farming until he engaged as a clerk in a mercantile house in Kempton. 
This he continued until the spring of 1880, when he began business for 
himself, and he has since had a large, increasing trade. Mr. Reese was 
married in 1861 to Miss Martha J. Fesler, of Tipton County. This 
union has been blessed with three children — Mary A., Ida Sherman and 
Bethie P. (deceased). Mr. Reese is a prominent citizen, and has held 
some of the minor ofiices of Jefferson Township, and is a member of the 
Kempton Lodge of the I. 0. 0. F. 

ALBERT REYNOLDS, a highly respected citizen, was born in 
Livingston County, 111., and is the son of John and Catherine Reynolds; 
his parents died when he was but four years of age, when he was taken 
by one of his uncles to Brown County, Ohio ; he remained there with 
his relatives until he was fourteen years of age, when he was bound out 
to a farmer. Subsequently he enlisted in the Seventieth Regiment Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry, and was in the battle at Shiloh and Corinth ; 
he veteranized, and was with Sherman on his march to the sea, and was 
wounded in his right wrist, but did not lose a day's duty. Mr. Reynolds 
was married in 1871, to Miss Sarah A. Ploughe, of Jefferson Township 



404 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Tipton County. The fruit of this union is one child, Preston A., aged 
eleven years, Mr. Reynolds has always voted the Republican ticket, 
and has been a member of the New School Baptist Church for the last 
ten years. 

WILLIAM A. RICHARDSON, a pioneer of Tipton County, was 
born August 17, 1820, in Rush County, Ind., and is the son of Joel and 
Mary (Evans) Richardson, natives of Virginia. William A. was reared 
on a farm, and was married to Miss Elizabeth Rusk, in Boone County, 
June 16, 1842 ; he located in the Indian Reserve on a claim, cleared 
about forty acres, and sold it for |150. With this money he entered 
land, and the title was signed by President Z. Taylor. Mr. and Mrs. Rich- 
ardson have had eight children, four of whom are living — Nancy J., 
James P., Martha I., Hester A.; and four deceased — Mary E., Sarah E., 
Lucinda C. and an infant. Mr. Richardson owned the first steam saw 
and grist mill ever operated in this township. It was established in 
1858, and was a novelty in the pioneer day. He ran the mill in connec- 
tion with farming until 1865. when he sold his mill and turned his 
attention exclusively to farming and stock-raising; he always has the 
best horses in the county, and has been successful in his enterprises. 
He and his wife were members of the first Methodist Episcopal Church 
organized in the township, and assisted in organizing the first Sun- 
day school of the township ; he is a liberal giver to all public enterprises, 
and is an industrious farmer and peaceful neighbor ; he is noted for his 
discreet judgment in local politics, and has been a stalwart Republican 
since the organization of that party. 

ALPHEUS NOAH ROOD, one of the pioneers of Tipton County, 
was born in Knox County, Ohio, March 11, 1836. His parents, 
Thomas M. and Rebecca (McVay) Rood, natives of Pennsylvania, were 
of Irish and Scotch extraction respectively. The former was a tiller of 
the soil and a school teacher, and died in 1840, in Highland County, Ohio, 
at the age of thirty-seven. The latter is still living in Tipton County, 
at the advanced age of eighty-two. Alpheus is the eighth of a family of 
nine children, of whom five are yet living in the States of Indiana and 
Michigan. He has lived in a small town since his fourteenth year, en- 
joying fair advantages for acquiring knowledge. The family located in 
Normanda, Tipton Co., Ind., in 1852. At the age of eighteen, he ap- 
prenticed himself to the carpenter's trade, and has made that vocation the 
business of his life, and has succeeded in winning a reputation second to 
none as a mechanic. On the 18th day of October, 1859, he was united 
in marriage to Miss Eliza J. Montgomery, of Tipton County, who is the 
last of a family of eleven children, of whom six are living. Her parents 
Archibald and Cynthia A. (Herod) Montgomery, were natives of Ken- 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 407 

tucky, and of Irish descent. Our subject remained in Norijianda, of thia 
(Tipton) county, until 1880,. when they removed to the town of Gold- 
smith. Their marriage has brought them five children, four of whom 
are still living, and at the home of their parents. Their names are Flora 
D., Minnie B., Allie M., Fonda M. and Willard G. The first born de- 
parted this life while but an infant of one year. At the breaking-out of 
the rebellion, he enlisted in Company B, Seventy-fifth Indiana Volun- 
teer Infantry. He was with Sherman on his campaign to Atlanta 
and his march to the sea, and participated in all the engagements fought 
during that memorable movement, principal among which were Hoover's 
Gap, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Buzzard Roost, Resaca and the 
sieges of Atlanta and Savannah, Ga. He was discharged at the close of 
the war, and returned home June 17, 1865. Before the war, he was a 
Democrat, but since that time he has been one of the leading Repub- 
licans of this township and county. Notwithstanding the fact that, since 
his return, he has been an invalid, his tireless energy and determined 
will, together with the assistance of his excellent wife, he has succeeded 
in securing a comfortable and attractive home for himself and familV. 
He is a man of temperate, industrious habits, and eminent public spirit 
and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellow- citizens. 

THOMAS B. SHANNON was born in Shelby County, Ky., Sep- 
tember 7, 1827 ; his parents, Alexander and Agnes (Brown) Shannon 
were natives of Virginia and Pennsylvania respectively. Thomas was 
brought to Rush County, Ind., by his parents in 1828, and there he 
grew to manhood on his father's farm, acquiring during his youth such 
an education as the common schools of thirty years ago afibrded. He 
resided in Rush County until 1850, when he was married to Miss Nancy 
Dickey in Jefferson Township, Tipton Co., Ind. This union has brought 
them nine children, of whom seven are now living — William D. Alex- 
ander, Mary A., Thomas C, Sarah J., Samuel H., James S.; An- 
drew, who died at the age of one year, and Margaret, who was burned to 
death. He in 1851 located on the farm which he now occupies in Jef- 
ferson Township. In 1861, while riding one day, his horse threw him, 
destroying one eye, breaking his jaw-bone in two places, and all the ribs 
on one side. Notwithstanding his injuries, he was included in the draft 
of 1864, and in company with many of his neighbors paid out. In 1865 
he lost his estimable wife, and in 1866 he married Miss Jennie G. Mc- 
Kee. He is the owner of about 200 acres of fine land, well-improved 
and stocked, situated on the Buena Vista & Ekin t^ravel road. He is 
a man well known in public life, and has often been solicited to be a can- 
didate for various offices, among them the office of Representative, but 
having no political aspirations he declined ; he is a strong advocate of 



408 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

temperance, and has been a consistent member of the United Presbyterian 
Church for thirty-five years. 

JOHN D. SMITH was born in Belmont County, Ohio, February 
20, 1810; his parents, William and Nancy (Fairhurst) Smith, were 
natives of Virginia, of Scotch and English descent, and at the time of 
our subject's birth resided near the National road. Our subject was 
reared on a farm, and enjoyed the very meager advantages for education 
that emanated from the log schoolhouse of sixty years ago. When John 
D. was thirteen years of age, his father died, after which event he lived 
with and maintained his mother until his tv«enty-seventh year, when 
he was married to Miss Ada Adams June 13, 1836, who was a native of 
Virginia. After this event, he remained with his mother on the farm for 
two years, at the end of which he engaged for one year in working by 
the day at 37| cents per day, and in 1839 he located in the east part of 
what is now Jefferson Township, where he entered 160 acres of land, the 
farm upon which he now resides. His marriage brought him nine chil- 
dren, viz.: David, Benjamin F., Malissa A., Sarah, Ellen B,, Nancy E., 
William A., John Q. A. and one child died in infancy. During the 
organization of Tipton County, which occurred in 1844, he was elected 
as one of the Commissioners for a term of two years, and in that capacity 
he assisted in locating the present county seat, and in clearing away the 
forest of trees and undergrowth that occupied its present site. In 1850, 
his wife Ada departed this life June 5, leaving him with a family of 
small children. In the fall of 1850, his friends from Ohio took charge 
of them, and kept them in that State until 1854; during the interval, he 
took the census of Tipton County, which labor he performed in the sum- 
mer of 1850, in four weeks ; he also peddled clocks and stoves for various 
firms, with success. In March of 1854, he was married to Mrs. 
Phoebe H. McFarlin, who had three children by her former husband. 
By her he has become the father of six children, viz.: Mary E., John D., 
Jessie F., Cassius M., Oscar and one dead — died at its birth — in all 
making a family of eighteen children. John D. has been three times 
elected to the office of Township Trustee, each term being of one year's 
duration, his election each time coming from the Republican party, of 
which he is an earnest worker. He sent three of his sons to the service 
of his country during the rebellion, and two of them died in that service. 
He has always been an industrious, energetic and successful farmer. 
He has always had a spirit favorable to public improvements. He is 
now the owner of 650 acres of the finest firming land in the county, and 
he was the first man in the township of Jefferson to erect a brick residence, 
which he did in 1858, and which now surpasses many of more modern 
build. He has ever been noted for his open-handed hospitality and gen- 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 409 

erous kindness to the poor. He has ever been a total disbeliever in 
orthodox religion. His farm produced in grain and stock 4,400 
bushels of corn, 1,400 bushels of wheat. 100 tons of hay, and $3,500 
stock sales, in one year. 

JEREMIAH D. SMITH was born in Prairie Township, Tipton 
Co., Ind., January 24, 1855. His parents, Harrison and Margaret A. 
(Foster) Smith, were natives of Tennessee and Indiana respectively, the 
one of English descent, the other' of German. David, as he is familiarly 
known, was reared on a farm, with such advantages for acquiring an 
education as the public school afforded ; he also attended the Northern 
Indiana Normal School long enough to qualify himself as a teacher, 
and at the age of nineteen he entered upon the career of a pedagogue, 
which he pursued for seven years in the counties of Clinton and Tipton, 
and devoting his time during the intervals between terms to the cultiva- 
tion of the soil. In 1880, he was appointed by the Government to take 
the census of the district of Prairie Township. Since that time, he has 
figured considerably in the politics of the county as a Republican. In 
1882, he retired from the profession of teaching, and engaged in mer- 
chandising at Goldsmith, Ind., as the junior partner in the firm of Shortle 
& Smith. They are doing an extensive and lucrative business. Our sub- 
ject is an industrious, energetic and economical young man. Having re- 
ceived from his father a sum approximating $1,000, he has, by judicious 
management, become half-owner of a $10,000 stock of goods. He has 
been a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for three 
years, and an active leader in all public enterprises, never forgetting to 
donate liberally to the church and all charitable purposes. 

J, A. STEPHENSON, druggist and Postmaster, was born in Madi- 
son County, Ind., in 1845, and is the son of Samuel and Rebecca (Johns) 
Stephenson, of Irish and Welsh descent. The subject of this sketch was 
reared on a farm, and received a common school education. At the age 
of eighteen, he commenced teaching school, and three years later engaged 
as commercial traveler for a firm in Anderson. This he continued two 
years, and subsequently went into the grocery business in Elwood, Madi- 
son County. In 1877, he located in Kempton, Tipton County, and en- 
gaged in the drug business, which he still continues. He has also had 
charge of the post office since October 19, 1877. Mr. Stephenson was 
married, in 1869, to Miss Mattie E. Harmon, of Tipton County. She 
died in 1875, leaving two children, both of whom are still living. Mr. 
Stephenson was married, in 1879, to his present wife, Florence C. Bur- 
ress, of Madison County. They have had two chihlren, one of whom is 
"•iving. Mr. Stephenson has been a member of the I. 0. 0. F. for the 
last fourteen years, and has always voted the Republican ticket. 



410 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

F. C. STILLWELL, dealer in dry goods, groceries, etc., was born 
in Bartholomew County, Ind., in 1843, and is the son of James and Eliza 
J. (McCammon) Stillwell, natives of Kentucky. F. C. Stillwell was 
reared on a farm, and at the age of twenty enlisted in the Twelfth Regi- 
ment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, in the three-year service. He was 
wounded in battle at Richmond, Ky., being shot in both legs, whicli dis- 
abled him for about a year. When he returned, he was with Sherman 
on his march to the sea. He was in battle at Missionary Ridge, Buzzard 
Roost, Peach Tree Grove, Big Shanty, Resaca, Atlanta, Kenesaw 
Mountain, and all the battles of the central army. He assisted in the 
capture of both the capitals of North Carolina and South Carolina, and 
was one of the front men when Gen, Johnston made his surrender. He 
possesses a piece of the table on which the terms of surrender were writ- 
ten. When he returned from the war, he went into the blacksmith trade, 
which he followed until 1874. He then went into the dry goods and 
and grocery business at Louisville, Morgan Co., Ind., where he remained 
eighteen months. He then engaged in the same business in Buena Vista, 
and subsequently opened a grocery and confectionery in Elwood. Octo- 
ber 25, 1878, he located in Kempton, and engaged in business with a 
general stock of goods, and was among the first merchants of the village. 
Mr. Stillwell was married, in 1865, to Miss Quintilla J. Wilson. They 
had two children — Melissa J. and Emma N., both of whom are living. 
Mrs. Stillwell died in 1872, and Mr. Stillwell was next married, Janu- 
ary 13, 1873, to Elizabeth Merrett, of Hamilton County, Ind. They 
have two children, both of whom are living — Luther M. and Clara. Mr. 
Stillwell is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and has always voted the Demo- 
cratic ticket. 

ASA TETER, farmer, and one of the first settlers of what is now 
Jefferson Township, Tipton County, Ind., is a native of Pendleton County, 
Va., where he was born April 25, 1825 ; his parents, George and Sarah 
(Harper) Teter, were also natives of Virginia, and with our subject located 
in what was then the eastern part of the Indian Reserve, now Jefferson Town- 
ship, in 1841, being the first settlers of that section, and, being on the land 
seven years before it was thrown on the market by the Government. Asa 
was reared on a farm. While squatting on their land in the Indian 
Reserve, his parents had buried ^900 in silver and gold, which, as soon 
as the Government would allow, they invested in 800 acres of that desira- 
ble soil. Asa was married in June, 1846, to Miss Sarah A. Phares, 
who died in 1849, and was interred in the Tetersburg Graveyard, being the 
first burial that occurred in that cemetery. In 1854, April 3, his mother, 
Siirah Teter, died, and on September 9 of the following year, his father 
followed her, nged seventy-ono years. On tlie 7th of September, 1850, 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 411 

Asa married his second wife, Miss Angeline Coal, who was born Septem- 
ber 28, 1828, in Howard County, Ind. By her he has become the father 
of ten children, nine of whom are living, viz. : MarLha, born 1851 ; Sa- 
rah, born 1853 ; Malinda, born 1855 ; Matilda, 1857 ; Mary, 1860 ; 
Malancy, 1862; Helena, 1864; Arthur, 1867; Hattie A., 1872; 
Newton, born 1868, died 1874. In the year 1854, he began keeping 
a wayside inn, one-quarter mile east of Tetersburg. It soon became the 
stopping-place of all travelers on that line, it being the only tavern in the 
county west of Tipton. He has always looked particularly after the 
interests of his farm, which is under splendid cultivation and provided 
with all the necessary improvements ; he is known as a man of eccentric 
habits and generous impulses; he has been a consistent member of the 
Christian Church for forty years, and he votes the Democratic ticket. 

EBAL TETER, one of the earliest pioneers of Tipton County, was 
born April 23, 1823, in Pendleton County, Va., and is the son of George 
and Sarah (Harper) Teter ; he was reared on a farm in his native county, 
and received a very limited education ; he, in 1841, located on the eastern 
side of the Indian Reserve with his parents, where they remained until 
their deaths in 1855. Ebal Teter is one of the earliest settlers in this 
county, and assisted in raising all the log cabins in a radius of six miles 
during the first years of the settlement. He built the second frame 
dwelling, in 1854, in Jefferson Township, his brother Eli having built the 
first. Mr. Teter was married, December 28, 1843, to Miss Hannah 
Baldwin. They commenced housekeeping in a cabin 10x12 feet, and 
with a borrowed bed, Mr. Teter has frequently killed deer and wild 
turkey while standing in his own yard. He was noted for his Herculean 
strength and accurate aim. For several years after marriage, they lived 
principally on game. His cash expenses for two years were $4.50. Mr. 
and Mrs. Teter have had ten children — Mahlon L., Josiah A., Elizabeth 
A., Asa E., Eber W. and Ebal H. (twins), Abraham A., Melvina J. (de- 
ceased wife of T. M. Cass), and two infants (deceased). Mr. Teter was 
a charter member of the second Christian Church organized in the county, 
and is still a consistent member of that society. He is noted for his 
benevolence and kindness to the poor. In 1864, he enlisted in Company 
F, Eleventh Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and remained until 
the close of the war ; he is a strong advocate of temperance, and always 
gives liberally for public improvements. Aside from his many liberal 
donations, he has accumulated a reasonable independence, having nearly 
800 acres of the best farm land in the county. 

REV. MAHLON L. TETER was born in Jefferson Township, Tip- 
ton Co., Ind,, February 10, 1845; he is the son of Ebal and Hannah 
(Baldwin) Teter, who settled in this county (Tipton) in a very early day. 



412 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Mahlon was reared on a farm, and enjoyed such facilities for acquiring an 
education as the primitive schools of that day afforded. At a very early 
age, he manifested a pious disposition, and at the age of fourteen he be- 
came a member of the Christian Church. On the 28th day of December, 
1862, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Welshous of this county, 
and by this marriage had three children born to him, namely, Jesse A., 
Charles M., Luvisa H. In January, 1864, he enlisted in Company A, One 
Hundred and Thirtieth Volunteer Infantry and served until the war closed. 
He participated in all of the battles fought during Sherman's campaign, un- 
til they left Atlanta for the sea, when he was taken sick, but was cared for 
by his comrades. Although an invalid, he assisted in repulsing Hood's com- 
mand at Alatoona and Resaca, at one time marching sixty-four miles in 
twenty-four hours barefoot, and with scarcely anything to eat, his brigade 
being cut off from the main command. On account of his physical con- 
dition being so impaired by field and camp exposure, he has not been 
able since his return from the service to perform manual labor without 
great distress. His record as a brave and daring soldier is brilliant. 
After returning from the war, he attended two terms of graded school, 
and then devoted himself to teaching one term in the public schools of 
the county. In July of 1871, he was married to Miss Susanna 
Robinson ; by her he is the father of four children — Edward F., Hannah 
A., Linville 0. and James E. Several years ago, Mr. Teter entered the 
ministry of the Christian Church, and has sustained the excellent char 
acter of piety always attributed to him. He is a liberal patron of public 
enterprises, and a consistent advocate of the temperance cause. He is 
also an honored member of the I. 0. 0. F. 

JOSIAH AKIN TETER, one of the enterprising grain and mill 
men of Goldsmith was born in Jefferson Township, Tipton County, 
Ind., July 25, 1847. His parents, Ebal and Hannah (Baldwin) Teter, 
are natives of Virginia. Josiah was reared on his father's farm, and 
enjoyed superior advantages for obtaining an education, attending several 
terms of graded school. At the age of nineteen, he commenced teaching 
in the public schools of the county, and in the intervals between the 
terms he cultivated the soil. He followed this life until 1874, when he 
retired from teaching and engaged in farming. He was married, Decem- 
ber 29, 1870, to Miss Martha J. Epperson, the daughter of Samuel P. 
and Eliza (Beegle) Epperson. They have one child deceased and five 
living — Emery C, Flora D., Samuel E., Pearl W., an unnamed infant, 
and Orlie May, who died at the age of five months. Josiah continued 
farming until 1877, when he purchased an interest in the Normanda Saw 
and Grist Mills, which he conducted for one year, when it was torn down 
:ind rebuilt at Goldsmith, with the addition of elevators and all other 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 413 

improvements necessary to the handling of grain. He is a member of the 
Odd Fellows' organization, for which he entertains a very high regard, 
and is a consistent member of the Christian Church. 

ASA E. TETER, one of the prominent young citizens of Jefferson 
Township, is a native thereof, and was born October 21, 1859. His 
parents, Ebal and Hannah (Baldwin) Teter, were among the first settlers 
in that part of the county. Asa was reared on a farm, and received a 
fair education from the common schools of the county. In the fall of 
IbSl, he left his father's farm and rented a one- third interest in the grist 
and saw mill with grain elevator combined, at Goldsmith, Ind., where he 
is doing a fine business. January 31, 1882, he was married to Miss 
Mollie E. Graham, born in Tipton County, December 29, 1860, her 
parents being John and Elizabeth (Howlet) Graham, both of whom died, 
before her marriage, in Tipton County. Asa's marriage has been crowned 
by the birth of one child — Bertha Amanda, born October 26, 1882. He 
has always possessed industrious and moral habits. Last year he built a 
very pretty little residence near his mills, and has in various ways mani- 
fested his public spirit. He is a genial, popular young man, a member of 
the I. 0. 0. F. lodge, No. 324, of which he is a prominent oiEcer. 

ISAAC C. VANDEVENDER, a wealthy farmer, was born in Pen- 
dleton County, Va., January 23, 1821, ahdisthe son of William and Mary 
(Coberly) Vandevender. Our subject was reared on a farm and received 
a limited education. At the age of twenty-one, he engaged as a clerk in a 
store, where he remained for five years, and in 1848 located in Tipton 
County, in Jefferson Township. The following year he started in mer- 
cantile pursuits in Normanda, in a room 8x16 feet, with hewed-slab 
counter, and a capital of $300. He continued in business until 1858, 
when he was elected Treasurer of the county, and sold out his store for 
$7,000. He took charge of the Treasurer's office in August, 1858, and 
in 1859, formed a partnership with Pickens Brothers, of Tipton ; beheld 
the office of Treasurer until I860, having filled the position with credit to 
himself and the county. In 1866, he dissolved partnership with the 
Pickens Brothers, and moved to the Stringer farm, which he had pre- 
viously purchased. In 1867, he removed to Normanda, and engaged in 
mercantile pursuits at Tetersburg, until 1869, when he again turned his 
attention to farming and stock-raising. In 1876, he entered the mer- 
chandise business in Goldsmith, and remained there until 1881, when he 
sold his store to J. J. Campbell, and has since given his entire attention 
to his farms and the improvement of his stock, being a great admirer of 
good horses. Mr. Vandevender was married. May 29, 1851, to Miss 
Sarah A. Foster, daughter of Richard Foster. They have had thirteen 
children, eight of whom are living — Mary E., wife of J. J. Campbell : 



414 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

America E., wife of John Q. Garrott; Margaret E., wife of Sylvanus D. 
Hinkle ; Joseph A. L.; Nathan S., who married Miss Laura Hinkle ; 
Isaac S., Lora and Claudius F. Mr. Vandevender has acquired a com- 
fortable fortune, owning over 400 acres of well-improved land in this 
county. He has been a working member of the Masonic fraternity for 
twenty-five years, and is a liberal giver to all public enterprises. 

JOHN A. WALLACE was born in Tipton County, Ind., March 27, 
18o2. His father is a native of Tennessee, and is still living. His 
mother was a native of Ohio. They were married in Ohio, and removed 
to Tipton County, where the mother died. John is the seventh of a 
family of eight children, only three of whom are now living. He lived 
with his parents until twenty-one years old, laboring on the fjirm in sum- 
mer and attending school in winter. Hereceived a good common school 
education. After attaining his majority, he attended school at Valpa- 
raiso, Ind. Since that time, he has engaged in teaching, with success. 
He is an active, energetic young man, with more than ordinary ability. 
In politics, he is a Republican, and has been favorably spoken of as a 
candidate for county office. He is a member of Sugar Creek Lodge, 
L 0. 0. F. 

LEWIS B. WARD, M. D., was born in Rock Island County, 111., 
February 8, 1845, and is the son of Stephen and Adaline (Baxter) 
Ward, natives of North Carolina and Ohio. His parents were early set- 
tlers in Illinois, where they endured the hardships of pioneer life, and 
his grandfather, Thomas Baxter, was in the war of 1812. Lewis 
B. Ward was reared on a farm, and received a common school education. 
In March, 1864, he enlisted in Company K, First Indiana Heavy Artillery. 
He served until 1866, and participated in the engagement of Mobile, and 
the bombardment of Fort Morgan. He was a soldier noted for his cool, 
considerate bravery. After he returned home, he engaged in farming 
one season, after which he read medicine with J. F. Sanders at St. Marie, 
111. One year later, he went into the drug business, continuing his 
studies during this time. Soon he sold his interest in the store, and ap- 
plied himself closely to his studies, and attended the Indiana Medical 
College for three years. In 1873, he began the practice of medicine at 
Berlin, Ind., and remained there until the town of Kempton was laid out. 
He was the first physician to locate in this place, and now controls a fine 
practice. Mr. Ward was married, April 4, 1875, to Miss Martha E. Wil- 
son, this being the first wedding in Kempton. They have had three chil- 
dren, only one of whom is living — Harry H., a bright little boy of three. 
Mr. Ward has always been a member of the Republican party, and has 
been identified with the I. 0. 0. F. for about ten years. He is a useful 
citizen ; is temperate and industrious, and is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 



JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 415 

SAMUEL D. WATSON was born in Fayette County, Ohio, Janu- 
ary 11, 1843. His parents, "William R. and Catherine (Goodknight) 
Watson, were natives of West Virginia and were of Irish descent. Sam- 
uel was reared on a farm, and removed to this (Tipton) county, with his 
parents, in April of 1853. His education was necessarily limited, on 
account of the scarcity and inferiority of the public schools of his youth. 
He resided with his parents until his eighteenth year, when he enlisted 
in Company C, Tenth Indiana Volunteers, and served three years ; he 
participated in the battles of Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Missionary 
Ridge and Perry ville, and was with Sherman on his famous march to the 
*sea ; he received his discharge in April of 1864, and at once re-enlisted 
in the Eighth Regiment of United States Veterans, and served one 
year. After his return, he farmed until 1869, when he was married to 
Miss Mary F. Barr, daughter of R. P. Barr, of Tipton, Ind. By this 
marriage he is the father of five children, of whom four are now living — 
Frank E., born January 10, 1870; Yora A., born December 14, 1871 ; 
William P., born November 10, 1873, and died, aged eighteen months ; 
Alva 0., born May 6, 1877 ; and Eddie C, born March 28, 1882. Al- 
though he started in life in limited circumstances, he has, by diligence 
and economy, accumulated a good living and a nice home. He is known 
as an honorable, deserving and public-spirited citizen. 

FRANCIS H. WHEATLEY was born in Dorchester County, Md., 
in 1829, and is the son of Charles and Keturah Wheatley, both of En- 
glish descent. Mr. Wheatley was reared on a farm, and in 1835 removed 
with his parents to Greene County, Ohio. He was married in that coun- 
ty October 2, 1855, to Miss Margaret McDorman. This union has been 
blessed with four children — Wilson, born July 27, 1856 ; Susan, born 
March 17, 1860 ; Francis J., born January 29, 1865 ; and Serilda J., 
born January 2, 1870. Mr. Wheatley is an early settler in this county, 
locating in Jefierson Township as early as 1"^58. He started in the woods 
with only wild land, and has accumulated a reasonable fortune. In 1877, 
he erected the finest brick residence in the township. He owns 824 acres 
of fine land, mostly in a state of good cultivation. 

THOMAS C. WHELCHEL, M.D., was born in Hamilton Countv, 
Ind., July 26, 1827, and is the son of Samuel and Jane (Bland) Whel- 
chel. His father was a native of Tennessee, and his mother was born in 
the Indian Territory in 1785. Thomas C. was reared on a farm in 
Hamilton County, and at the age of twenty-two began the study of medi- 
cine under his father, who was a practitioner of the old school. He then 
read two years with Jacob Beatley, a French physician, after which he 
remained three years with P. P. Whitsell. He then began the practice 
of medicine, and has followed this profession since. Dr. Whelchel was 



416 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

married to Miss Isabel J. Alexander November 8, 1855. This union has 
been blessed with eight children — Rachel L., born March 11, 1857, mar- 
ried December 29, 1875, to G. Warbuck ; Gora A., born October 18, 
1859, and married, December 29, 1876, to W. Y. Farrar; John F., born 
September 10, 1862 ; Alta A., born June 21, 1866 ; Mahlon J., born 
April 14, 1870 ; Arrilla M., born June 1, 1873, died March 13, 1874 ; 
Estella A., born April 21, 1876 ; Owen E., born August 5, 1880. Dr. 
\Vhelchel has been an Odd Fellow since 1872, and is now filling the prin- 
cipal chair of No. 324. He has met with success in his profession, is 
liberal and benevolent, and is a public-spirited man. 

PHILIP M. WIMER was born in Tipton County, Ind., December 
7, 1851, and is the son of William and Julia (Wolford) Wimer. He was 
reared on a farm and received a common school education. He was mar- 
ried, November 3, 1874, to Miss Cynthia A. Price. This union has been 
blessed with one child — Effie May, aged seven years. Mr. Wimer 
is a consistent member of the I. 0. 0. F. Lodge No. 324, and is a 
member of the Presbyterian Church. His standing is high in his com- 
munity for integrity and morality. He is an industrious, successful 
farmer, gifted with a spirit of enterprise, and ever ready with a liberal 
hand to relieve the afflicted. He is a prominent citizen, and is a leading 
member of the Greenback Labor party of Tipton County. 

JOHN WOODS was born in Ross County, Ohio, in 1832, and is the son of 
Jacob and Sarah (Gillmore) Woods. He came to Tipton County in 1872. 
He has always led a farmer's life excepting the time he was in the army. 
He enlisted August 7, 1862, in the Seventy-ninth Regiment Ohio Volun- 
teer Infantry; was in the service about three years, and was twice 
wounded ; he was in all the battles of the central army, and was with 
Sherman on his march to the sea ; he received an honorable discharge 
from service en account of disabilities. Mr. Woods was married, March 
1, 1855, to Miss Ann E. Glassgo, of Clinton County, Ohio. She was of 
Scotch-German descent. This union was blessed with five children — 
Albert E., Sarah N. Turner, Louisa A. (deceased), Rosella B. (deceased), 
and Andrew E. Rosella Bell was born after Mr. Woods went to the 
army, and died before his return, so he never saw her. Albert E. was 
married, in 1877, to Miss Mary F. Floyd, whose parents were old settlers 
of Jefferson Township. She died in March, 1881. They had two chil- 
dren — Walter 0. (deceased) and John William. John Woods has been 
Supervisor eight terms, and is one of the best Supervisors ever in the 
county. He is a worthy citizen, and has been a member of the I. 0. 0. 
F. since 1875. 




"0^ ■:> ,^ 





ch..^^^^^ 




MADISON TOWNSHIP. 419 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 



T. 0. ARMFIELD, M. D., is a native of Madison County, Ind;. 
w!is born July 6, 1854, and is the son of Tilmon and Mary A. (Pickering) 
Armfield, natives respectively of North Carolina and Ohio, and born 
February 19, 1812, and June 4, 1820, and married January 2, 1839. 
Tilman Armfield was a schoolmaster and taught in Greensboro, Ind., 
from 1834 till 1842, and then in Madison County, where he also engaged 
in farming and surveying, holding the office of Deputy County Surveyor 
for nine years, and then being elected County Surveyor, which office he 
held until his death, September 22. 1861 ; his widow still resides on the 
home farm, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, although 
reared by Quaker parents. At the age of twelve, T. 0. Armfield went to 
live with his uncle, Jesse Pickering, remaining until 1872, when he en- 
tered the school at Elwood, Ohio, and then the National Normal School 
of Lebanon, and then engaged in teaching several terms, during the 
intervals attending school at Lebanon, Ohio, and Ladoga, Ind. In 1877, 
he began the study of medicine at Elwood under Dr. Sigler, until 1879, 
when he entered the Detroit Medical College, from which he graduated 
with honors March 10, 1881. After returning home, on April 14 he 
married Miss Ella Cook of this county, born January 1, 1857, daughter 
of John W. and Louisa (Hobbs) Cook. After marriage, Dr. Armfield 
located at New Lancaster, in company with Dr. N. W. Doan, which con- 
tinued one year, when Dr. Armfield removed to Hobbs and succeeded in 
securing a fine practice. Mr. and Mrs. Armfield have one daughter — 
In a Vatura. 

PHILIP H. BALLARD was born in Marion County, Ind., May 8, 
1839, and is the eldest and only living son of Philip and Ruth (Smock) 
Ballard, the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Kentucky. Philip 
Ballard emigrated to Marion County, about 1830. He was a man of 
good education, and had been a teacher and merchant in Virginia. He 
married while residing in Indianapolis; February 1, 1846, he removed to 
this county, where he entered and located on seventy acres of land in 
this township ; the land contained a cabin and a smithery, which he con- 
verted into a schoolhouse, the first in the township. He alternated be- 
tween teaching and farming for many years, and died October 7, 1864, 
aged seventy-two. He was a soldier of 1812, and of Quaker parentage; 
his wife survives, aged eighty-two. Philip II. Ballard was but seven 
years old when he was brought to this county, where he received a fair 
education and labored on the farm. L^pon becoming of age, and at the 



420 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 

trump of war, he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-ninth Indiana Volun- 
teers. The regiment participated in many battles, including Stone River 
and Chattanooga ; it was afterward equipped as mounted infantry and 
known as the Eighth Indiana Cavalry. During the siege of Atlanta, the 
regiment joined Gen. Cook in his raid around the city ; he was dis- 
charged September 24, 1864, and returned home and resumed farming. 
He now owns 120 acres of the home farm, forty-five of which are under 
cultivation. On November 8, 1875, he was married to Miss Mary 
C. Rhoades, of this county, born January 11, 1849, daughter of William 
and Drusilla Rhoades. Mrs. Ballard died July 8, 1870, leaving one son — 
Roscoe. Mr. Ballard is an active Republican, and a member of Walnut 
Grange, No. 184. 

JOHN W. BALSER was born in Butler County, Ohio, September 
17, 1814, and is the eldest of sixteen children of Jacob and Polly Balser, 
the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Tennessee. John W. 
labored as a farmer until 1830, when he removed with his father to Rush 
County, Ind., where they entered 160 acres, and erected a rude cabin. 
The family made all their clothing, even shoes, from the raw flax and 
hides. Jacob Balser was an influential Democrat, and died in August, 
1844. Both he and wife were members of the Christian Church. Joj\n 
W. Balser, when twenty-one years old, began life for himself, and was 
married, January 16, 1837, to Miss Sidney McDonnel, of Rush County, 
born in Kentucky, October 20, 1820, daughter of Enos McDonnel, by 
which union they had nine children, seven of whom survive — Phebe A., 
George T., Benjamin S., Polly A., Emily J., Frances M. and William 
J. Mr. Balser began housekeeping in the crudest form, and cleared some 
land, which he sold in 1843, when he came to this county, and pur- 
chased forty acres north of New Lancaster ; this took all of his money, 
and he began a second time without means ; this land he also sold, and 
returned to Rush County ; he came again to this county after twelve 
months, where he commenced anew, erecting a weaving loom, which his 
wife operated in making clothing for their little family, while her hus- 
band labored on his land. In 1861, he located on his present farm of 
100 acres, which he has improved generally, and to which he has added 
seventy-five acres of new land. Mr. Balser is a Democrat, having first 
voted for Gen. Jackson in 1836 ; he has been Road Supervisor a number 
of terms. 

BENJAMIN F. BROWN, farmer, is the son of Cannan and Hetty 
(Tribbet) Brown, and was born in Henry County, Ind., February 28, 
1841. Cannan Brown was born in Sussex County, Del., 1798. He had 
six children — Hester Ann, Rebecca, John C, Charles, Benjamin and Ca- 
leb W. He early became a millwright, which he followed in Delaware 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 421 

many years ; also, adding the business of running a foundry. He emi- 
grated to the West and lived in Rush and Henry Counties, Ind., and 
finally, in 1848, moved to Madison County, and in 1859 purchased the 
quarter section in this county on which Benjamin now lives. He was a 
Mason, a Democrat and a Methodist, and died March 25 and his wife 
November 4, 1874. Benjamin F. Brown was reared on a farm, and man- 
aged to obtain a fair education. After coming to Tipton with his father, 
he traveled two years; he at one time owned 366 acres, but now limits 
his land to the homestead ; he was married to Sarah Sharp, daughter of 
S. B. and Rebecca E. Sharp, August 28, 1879. They have one child, 
Arizona S. Mr. Brown is a Democrat. Caleb W. Brown, brother of 
Benjamin F., was born in 1842 ; he is a hard- worker, and fairly educated, 
like his brother. He was married to Julia A. Neal, daughter of Benjamin 
and Susan Neal, of Howard County, September 26, 1867. Caleb has 
three children — Cannan, Albert and Loretia. His wife died February 27, 
1874. He is a Democrat, and has served four and one-half years as Con- 
stable ; he is an active member of the Masonic order. 

JOHN F. BROWN was born in Wayne County, Ind., November 
27, 1842, and is one of the seven children of Francis and Elizabeth 
(Hoover) Brown, the former a native of Kentucky, the latter of Ohio, 
"whose parents were slain by Indians during the Revolutionary war. 
Francis Brown came to Wayne County with his parents about 1812, 
where he married and followed lumbering and farming until 1852, when 
he came to this county, located upon an4 cleared land, on which he re- 
sided until his death, April 18, 1869, aged sixty-nine; followed by his 
wife April 22, 1873. Mr. Brown was a Democrat and a member of the 
New-Light Church. John F. Brown came to this county when nine 
years of age, where he has since resided, and received his education in 
a log schoolhouse. In 1861, he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred 
and First Indiana Volunteers, which was assigned to the Army of the 
Cumberland, and which took part in the battles of Chickamauga, the 
siege of Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge and the Atlanta campaign. He 
was a brave, faithful soldier, and honorably discharged June, 1865. On 
returning home, he resumed farming, and shortly after purchased 100 
acres of the home farm, eighty of which ax'e being cultivated and are 
underdrained. Mr. Brown was married. May 17, 1873, to Miss Frances 
Adair, of Madison County, born December 29, 1851, daughter of John 
T. and Frances (Brown) Adair. To this union were born two sons — 
Alva Lora and Erneste Eugene. Mr. Brown is a public-spirited and es- 
teemed citizen. 

WILLIAM T. CARR was born in Wayne County, Ind., April 11, 
1848, and is the youngest of the eight children of Jacob and Elizabeth 



422 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

{Jounlan) Carr, both natives of Virginia. In 1847, the family located 
in Wayne County, where they remained until 1850, when they came to 
this county, where they owned 160 acres. Jacob Carr was a shoe-maker, 
and for years made the family shoes; he was also an expert hunter, and 
provided much provision in that way. Mr. Carr was a Democrat and 
was long Supervisor of Roads; he died in 1871, aged sixty-five, his wife 
following, December, 1880, aged seventy-five years: both were members 
of the Christian Church. William T. Carr being the only son, assisted 
his father until he was twenty years old, when he rented the farm, his 
father having died, and assisted to maintain his mother. He was mar- 
ried, April 23, 1871, to Miss Catharine Yarling, born in Shelby County, 
April 4, 1849, daughter of Jacob Yarling. Three children were born 
to this union, two of whom are living — Iredell and Alice B. Mr. Carr, 
by continued diligence, has increased his farm to 160 acres, and also 
made many improvements, making it a first-class wheat farm. Mr. Carr 
is an active home politician of the Democratic school. 

AARON A. COFFMAN was born in Marion County, Ind., Febru- 
ary 3, 1826, and is the elder of the two sons of William and Mary (Ro- 
zier) Coffman, the former a native of Switzerland, the latter of Pennsyl- 
vania. William Coffman served under Bonaparte for five years, and as a 
British soldier in the West Indies and in the war of 1812, when he was 
sent to America, having been captured by the British from Bonaparte, 
and forced to embrace their standard. He deserted the British near 
Montreal, intending to return to Switzerland, but, instead, emigrated to 
Cincinnati, and thence, in 1820, to Indianapolis, where he married. In 
1836, he removed to Hamilton County, locating at Strawtown, and 
entered land on Bear Creek. In 1839, he located near Omega, where he 
made a home, and remained until his death in July, 1854, aged seventy- 
five, followed by his wite in July, 1867, aged seventy-seven years. 
Their second son was a soldier in the late war, and died at Russellville, 
Ky., May 2, 1865. Aaron A. Cofi'man was reared a farmer, and received 
the school education of the day. He was married, August 6, 1848, to 
Miss Emeline M. Gregory, of this county, born in North Carolina Octo- 
ber 24, 1831, daughter of William Gregory. To this union were born 
two children, William H. and Mary C. After his marriage, Mr. Coff- 
man resided on his father's farm until 1857. In 1859, he came to his 
present home, where he has made improvements and erected good build- 
ings, despite certain drawbacks, having lost $2,000 by the burning of his 
barn and contents in 1882. Mr. Coffman is a Republican and a valued 
citizen ; Mrs. Coffman is a member of the Christian Church. 

JOHN C. COLE was born in New Jersey February 26, 1827, and 
is a son of John B. and Sarah (Maines) Cole, both natives of New Jersey. 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 428 

When Mr. Cole was nine years old, his parents emigrated to Monroeville, 
Ind., and thence to this county, where he attended school and passed his 
boyhood. The family lived in a round-log cabin, on 320 acres entered 
by his father, whom he assisted until his twenty-first year, when he began 
farming on forty acres given to him by his father, which embraces a por- 
tion of his present home. On June 21, 1849, he was married to Miss 
Mary R. Mount, of this county, born in Muskingham County, Ohio, 
December 8, 1824, daughter of Peter and Martha R. Mount, both de- 
ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Cole have had eight children, of whom seven are 
living — Newton J., John W., Charles F., Lemuel C, Peter J., George 
R. and Mattie R. Mr. Cole began housekeeping in a walnut and poplar 
cabin, with the scantiest furniture. Coon, and other game were abund- 
ant, and with the skins of the former he paid his grocery and tax bills. 
In 1859, he added eighty acres to his farm, and to this he has further 
added, so that he now owns 700 acres, 400 of which are cultivated and 
occupied by himself and sons. He has been an extensive stock-raiser, 
having had as many as 200 hogs to feed. He was one of the first ta 
commence underdraining with timber in this county ; he has also built a 
fine frame house. Mr. Cole is an active Democrat, and has served as 
Supervisor. Mrs. Cole is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
LEVI B. COLVIN, farmer, the third son of Boswell and Lydia 
(Hatfield) Colvin, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, January 30, 
1824. Boswell Colvin was born in Licking County, Ky., April 18, 
1793. His education was limited, and he lived a farmer. Leaving Ken- 
tucky, he went to.Montgomery County, Ohio, and thence to Rush County, 
Ind., in 1832. In 1856, he moved to Tipton and settled south of Cur- 
tisville. He was married to Lydia Hatfield October 15, 1817, by whom 
he had thirteen children — Lena A., John R., Charles H., Levi B,, Will- 
iam W., Hannah M., Owen D., Nancy P., Sarah E., Francis M., Lewis, 
B., Lydia M. and Rebecca J. Boswell was a pensioner of the war of 
1812, and a life-long Democrat. He died in 1878, and his wife in 1865. 
Levi B. Colvin was farm reared, and yet received a good English educa- 
tion. In 1850, he removed to Tipton County and purchased the tract 
now owned by the Shipley heirs. Eight years later, he laid out the town 
of Curtisville. He then bought the 120-acre tract upon which he now 
resides. From 1860 to 1864, he owned and ran the Curtisville Saw 
Mills. Mr. Colvin has been Trustee four terms, also Justice of the Peace 
and Assessor. He is a Democrat, has general liberal views and has done 
much for the development of the town. He was married to Delia Pun- 
tenny, daughter of John and Ann (Veazy) Puntenny, of Delaware, Jan- 
uary 22, 1846. They had five children— Ruth A., John B., Lydia A.^ 
Eli V. and James N. Mrs. Colvin died February 4, 1856, and Mr. 



424 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Colvin was next married, August 1 ,1858, to Mrs. Harriet Legg. From 
this union there are three children — Emma F., Jonathan B. and Mary E. 
Mr. and Mrs. Colvin are members of the Christian Church, and Mr. 
Colvin has been an active Mason for nearly forty years. 

LEMUEL DARROW was born December 3, 1852, and is the 
eldest of a flimily of six children born to Zadock and Cynthia (Brown) 
Darrow, the former a native of Connecticut and the latter of North Car- 
olina. Zadock Darrow came, in his youth, with his parents to the West, 
and located on Duck Creek, in this township, in 1834 or 1835. By in- 
dustry and economy, he accumulated a property, owning at his death some 
500 acres, a portion of the same farm being occupied by his children. 
He died March 13, 1859, followed by his wife April 3, 1871. Lemuel 
Darrow was reared on a farm, assisting his father and attending the com- 
mon schools of the day. When fourteen years of age, he began life for 
himself, and on March 4, 1873, was married to Miss Mary E. Leavell, 
of this township, born May 5, 1856, daughter of Benjamin and Fannie 
Leavell, early settlers of this township. Five children have blessed this 
union, three of whom are living — Fannie L., Annie 0. and Omer E. 
Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Darrow located where he now resides, on 
112 acres, eighty-five of which are well cultivated, with good buildings 
and other improvements, the equal of any of this township. Mr. Dar- 
row is a Democrat and worthy citizen, and has held some minor ofiices in 
his township. 

DR. N. W. DOAN was born in Knox County, Ohio, May 4, 1829, 
and is the youngest of the four children of John and Elizabeth (Van 
Trump) Doan, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Virginia. 
When three years of age. Dr. Doan went to reside with his uncle, Daniel 
Van Trump, of Harding County, Ohio, where he remained four years, 
and returned to his father. Three years later, he began doing for him- 
self in Licking County, Ohio, thence returning to Harding County, where 
he worked for his uncle, and where he met an accident which nearly 
severed his arm and which disabled him for nearly three years. Being 
thus crippled, and having acquired a rudimentary education, he com- 
menced, by the advice of his sister, the study of medicine, at the same 
time working in a cabinet shop. This he was compelled to abandon, and 
in the fall of 1855 he moved to Hendricks County, Ind., and engaged in 
drafting for the Indiana Central and I. B. & W. Railroads, making his home 
at Brownsburg. Here he remained until the spring of 1862, when, after 
three years with Dr. Cloud, he began practice and dealing in drugs, at 
which he continued until the spring of 1869, when he removed to Buena 
Vista, where he established the first drug store and engaged in practice, 
and in the fall of that year removed to New Lancaster, where he has attained 




Hm' 





^- 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 427 

a large and lucrative practice and endured all the hardships of his profes- 
sion in a new country. In 1871 and 1872, he attended lectures at the 
Ohio Medical College, and has been twice a delegate to the State Med- 
ical Society, having been a member of the Tipton County Society since 
1874, Dr. Doan was married, November 16, 1851, to Miss Elizabeth 
W. Shinn, of Waynesville, Ohio, by whom he had eight children, seven 
of whom are living — T. F., Frances L., Ida N., Leslie E., Arthur, 
Schuyler F. and Jesse W. Dr. Doan is a member of the Masonic body ; 
he is also an uncompromising Republican. 

EDWIN E. AND WILLIAM F. EDWARDS, farmers, are the eld- 
est sons of James H, and Sarah (Collins) Edwards. Both were born in 
Rush County, the former August 16, 1862, and the latter January 10, 
1864. Their father, James, is a leading farmer of this township. He 
was born in Guilford County, N. C, May 19, 1835. He received a fair 
education. In 1857, he removed with his father to Rush County, this 
State, The father died in 1864, but the mother still lives. James early 
engaged in saw-milling. He has also farmed in various places, and trav- 
eled considerably. In 1876, he came to Tipton and bought' the excellent 
eighty-acre farm on which he now resides, near Curtisville. He is a 
Democrat. He was married to Sarah Collins, of Boone County, Ky., in 
November, 1861. By this marriage they have seven children, besides 
the two named at the head of this sketch — Emery A., Ora E., Elmer, 
James H., Nora E., Martha A. and Winfield S, Edwin E, has always 
worked on the farm in summer and attended school in the winter. For 
the last four years, he has been helping to clear out the farm. He has 
traveled considerably over the State. William Edwards followed farming 
till two years ago. In 1880, he traveled successfully over Indiana for 
an Ohio fruit-tree company. At present writing, he is engaged in car- 
pentering. He is a hard student, and is preparing himself for school 
teaching, Emery was born August 17, 1865, and Ora September 14, 
1868, They are hard-working and promising boys, attending school 
each winter and working on the farm in summer, 

FRANCIS M, ETCHISON was born in this township May 1, 1852, 
and is one of the four sons of Benton Etchison, a native of England, who 
removed to Madison County, Ind,, in 1831, and located near Elwood, 
where he married one Minerva Ray, daughter of Hugh Rav, who also 
came to Madison County in 1831. Shortly after his marriage, in 1846, 
he located near New Lancaster. Here he was successful as a farmer, and 
died June 9, 1868, aged forty-nine. He was a Democrat, a Universalist 
and an honored citizen. Mrs. Etchison is now living on the home farm, 
aged fifty-eight. Francis M. was reared to farm industry, and labored 
during summer and attended district school during winter, thus acquirin<y 



428 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

some education. Upon reaching his majority, he was married, June 18, 
1872, to Miss Mary J. Darrow, of this township, born 1866, daughter of 
Zadock Darrow, one of the pioneers of the county. To this union were 
born five children — Florence Estella, Mattie L., Otto E., Charles and 
Pleasant. After marriage, Mr. Etchison began for himself, and has now, 
through diligence and economy, one of the finest farms in this county, 
with good buildings and under-draining and other improvements, and 
embracing 110 acres, eighty of which are under good cultivation. Mr. 
Etchison is a Democrat and a valued citizen. 

BENJAMIN GAGE was born in Union County, Ind., August 24, 
1832, and is a son of Simeon and Ann T. (Davis) Gage, both natives of 
Indiana. Benjamin was reared upon a farm, received but meager educa- 
tion, and when aged seventeen began life for himself as a job farm hand. 
On October 27, 1858, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Updike, of 
Franklin County, born June 24, 1832, daughter of Morris B. Updike, a 
pioneer of Franklin, by which union they had seven children, three of 
whom are living — Margaret A., John F. and Mary F. After his mar- 
riage, Mr. Gage removed to Franklin County and began farming for him- 
self, on rented land. On October 27, 1862, he enlisted for three years 
in Company H, Sixty-eighth Indiana Volunteers. In the first engage- 
ment, at Munfordsville, the regiment was captured ; but they were soon 
paroled, and thereafter joined Gen. Thomas' command, being engaged at 
Stone River, Decatur, Chickamauga, Nashville and Missionary Ridge. 
While at Nashville, he was made Corporal, and at Strawberry Plains, 
Duty Sergeant. During his service, he never missed a roll-call, and was 
finally and honorably discharged, when he returned to Franklin County 
and resumed farming, and January, 1862, came to this county and 
rented land of Mr. J. B. Hibbs, on which he is farming extensively. 
He is an energetic man and a stanch Republican. Mrs. Gage is a mem- 
ber of the Baptist Church. 

W. P. GATES was born in Indianapolis November 17, 1833, and is 
a son Uriah and Martha (Chinn) Gates, the former a native of Ohio, and 
the latter of Kentucky. Uriah Gates removed to Indianapolis while it 
was a village, and was the first man married after the town was incorpo- 
rated. He was a carpenter, and removed to this county in 1854, locating 
in Tipton, where he followed his trade as an expert until his death; he 
was an earnest Republican, and Scotch Presbyterian. W. P. Gates at- 
tended school and worked with his father at his trade and in the tannery. 
When twenty-one years old, he began for himself, and went to New York 
with a view of embarking to California, which he, however, abandoned 
and found work at Elizubethtown. He then returned home, and in 1855 
located at Noblesville, in the tannery business; here he remained for two 



MADISON TOAVNSHIP. 429 

years, when he sold out and located at New Lancaster. Afterward he 
worked as a journeyman until, in 1865, he purchased his present home 
of 163 acres, which he cleared and improved. In 1859, he was married 
to Miss L. Jackson, of this township, daughter of Carter T. Jackson, 
who died February 13, 1865, leaving four children— lola M., Mary 
Leola, Carter T. and Louisa J. Mr. Gates was next married, June 6, 
1867, to Miss Aurelia J. Kane, of this county, daughter of George Kane' 
a pioneer of this county ; this union was productive of five children, four 
of whom survive— Ottoman Penn, Joseph R., John C. and Henrietta M. 
Since 1873, Mr. Gates has followed farming, and has worked eighty 
acres of good land ; he and wife*are members of the Presbyterian Church. 
ENOCH GOODWIN, father of Leander Goodwin, was born in North 
Bend, Ohio, May 30, 1807. He is of pure German descent. His grand- 
father on his mother's side, Judge Sims, bought of the General Govern- 
ment 10,000 acres, at 12i cents per acre, of the tract ceded by the Indi- 
ans to the United States after their defeat by Anthony Wayne in 1795. 
This tract he leased for ninety-nine years. As Cincinnati now stands 
upon it, the descendants, including Gen. W. H. Harrison and Hon. 
Thomas A. Hendricks, are looking forward longingly to the time when 
it will fall into their hands. Mr. Goodwin's paternal grandfather and 
grandmother were Abraham and Elizabeth Hendricks. Enoch was 
reared on a farm in Lewis County, Ky., and had little opportunity to 
secure an education. In 1831, he settled in Rush County, Ind.; moved 
to Kansas in 1854, and returned in 1858. In 1862, he came to Madison 
Township. He was married to Melissa Staggs, daughter of James and 
Sarah (Beard) Staggs, of Fleming County, Ky., March 28, 1826. By 
her he had eight children, every other one of whom were deaf mutes. 
One of the mutes received a fine education, and was for a time a teacher 
in Baton Rouge, La. Mrs. Goodwin died September 15, 1846. Mr. 
Goodwin was next married, in 1848, to Lavina Sills, daughter of Joseph 
and Rebecca (Rairdon) Sills, of Rush County. Mr. Goodwin has been a 
Republican ever since the birth of that party. For several years he 
served as a Justice of the Peace in Rush County. He belongs to the 
Universalist Church, and his wife to the Christian Church 

LEANDER GOODWIN, son of Enoch and Melissa (Staggs) Good- 
win, was born in Rush County, Ind., October 8, 1842. He I'ls reared 
on a farm, and attended school each winter. Upon hearing the call for 
three years' troops, he enlisted in Company D, Sixty-eighth Regiment 
Indiana Volunteers and participated in the battles at Munfordsville, 
Hoover's Gap, Chickaraauga, Dandridge, Dalton, Nashville and several 
minor battles. Mr. Goodwin had seven bullet holes in his clothing, 
three of which were made in the battle of Chickimauga. He served as 



480 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

Corporal eighteen months, and was honorably discharged in 1865. Re- 
turning home, he removed to Curtisville, Tipton County, and clerked 
for R. T. Moon until 1875, when he started for himself, continuing until 
1882. In August, 1881, he and J. B. Colvin purchased the Curtisville 
saw mill, and since have done a business of from $8,000 to $10,000 per 
annum. Leander owns a fine farm of 200 acres near Curtisville, 160 of 
which are well drained. He is a stanch Republican. He has served as 
Trustee of Madison Township, as express agent, as Deputy Postmaster, 
as Postmaster, and as Notary Public, and has done much to build up the 
financial interests of his community. Mr. Goodwin was married, August 
12, 1868, to Miss Phoebe Adaline Marshall, daughter of Hazzard P. and 
Phoebe (Fisher) Marshall, of Tipton County. They have had five chil- 
dren — Celestia Daisy, Nora Selena, Sarah Rosalee, Nerval U. G. and 
Cleva Idella. 

ESOM GROOVER, one of the pioneers of Madison Township, is a 
native of Rush County, Ind. ; was born March 10, 1833, and is the son 
of William E. and Louvisa (Heflin) Groover, natives of Virginia and 
Kentucky respectively. The family came to this county in 1843, and 
settled on eighty acres of land, and underwent all the hardships of pioneer 
life. The elder Groover was a wagon-maker, and pursued his trade in 
connection with his farming ; he was a prominent Democrat, and, with 
his wife, was a member of the Baptist Church ; he died in 1870, at the 
age of seventy-four, having survived his wife, who died at the age of 
sixty-nine, about a year. Esom Groover assisted on the farm until 
twenty-four years of age, when he was married, November 22, 1857, to 
Nancy A. Harbit. daughter of James Harbit, and born in this township 
March 2, 1842. To this union have been born eight children — Elizabeth 
L., James W., Francis M., Lewis J., Christopher C, Effie M., Elmer 
and Evard. Mr. Groover resided on his parents' farm for seven years 
after his marriage, and then, in the fall of 1864, purchased a portion of 
his present farm, which he has increased to 172 acres, of which 100 are 
under cultivation, all cut out of the forest. Mr. Groover is a Democrat, 
and has always been a public-spirited man. 

J. M. GUSTIN was born in Madison County, Ind., June 4, 1841, 
and is one of the ten children of Jonathan and Christina (Eyer) Gustin, 
both natives of Ohio. Jonathan Gustin was a farmer, and, in 1832, 
emigrated to Madison County and located at Chesterfield, where he kept 
a hotel and grocery, but shortly afterward removed to a farm near Ander- 
son, where he established a good home, and died in 1860 ; he was a mem- 
ber of the Christian Church, as was also his wife, who died in 1856. J. 
M. Gustin received u common school education, and was reared a farmer. 
Tn April. 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Seventeenth Tndi;ina Volun- 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 431 

teers, which regiment joined Gen. McClellan's command in West Vir- 
ginia, and in the autumn was sent to the Army of the Cumberland. In 
February, 1863, the regiment was mounted and armed with the Spencer 
rifle. Shortly after the battle at Hoover's Gap, Mr. Gustin was detailed 
to the Eighteenth Battery, and after the engagements of Chattanooga 
and Chickamauga was returned to his regiment. On being discharged, 
June 20, 1864, he returned home and resumed farming. In March, 
1865, he came to this township and worked for Iredell Wright, and on 
January 26, 1866, he was married to Miss Lucretia J. Darrow, of this 
county, born August 18, 1849, daughter of Zadock Darrow. Three 
children resulted from this union — Frank E., x\lbert L. and Jonathan R. 
In the spring of 1866, Mr. Gustin began working his home farm of 100 
acres, of which he has cleared and improved eighty-five, having also built 
a brick dwelling at a cost of $2,900. In 1876, he visited Texas, where 
he purchased a farm, on which he raised a cotton and corn crop worth 
1600. This land, which cost him $960, he sold for $2,500, and, in 1877, 
returned to his old home. 

CHARLES E. HALL, merchant, son of William L. and Mary E. 
(Ruflf) Hall, was born in Rush County, Ind., March 15, 1859, near Glen- 
wood. His mother is a native born German, and his father a son of 
Kentucky. William L. lived on a farm in Kentucky until 1854, when 
he removed to Rush County. After twelve years' farming there, he re- 
moved to Hamilton County, remaining three years before a final removal 
to Madison Township, Tipton County. By hard work, he has made one 
of the best 100-acre grain farms in the. township, upon which are com- 
modious buildings. He was married to Mary L. Ruif, daughter of Cath- 
erine Ruff, of Pendleton County, Ky., October 6. 1854. From this union 
there have been seven children — Samuel J. A., Charles E., Mary C, 
Francis L., Mary E., James S. and Mary L. Charles E. Hall, the sub- 
ject of this sketch, was reared a farmer. He had little opportunity for 
education, and early shifted for himself. At the age of nineteen, he 
bought a forty-acre farm from the savings of two years, or $1,045. This 
he sold in 1881, and began clerking for Lee Goodwin. Very soon he 
bought out Goodwin, and is now doing a successful merchandise business. 
He carries a nice general stock, which is insured at $1,500, and has a 
trade of $8,000. His store is a very popular one. Mr. Hall has been 
Deputy Postmaster, and also railroad and express agent. His politics 
are Democratic. 

HENRY Z. HARBIT was born in Tipton County February 21, 
1842, and is the eldest of eleven children of Isaac and Wincy (Brown) 
Harbit, ten of whom are living. The parents of Henry came to this 
county about 1837, and were married in 1841. Henry's maternal great- 



432 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

grandfather was a Revolutionary soldier for more than six years, his par- 
ents having been killed by Indians before he enlisted. Henry Z. Ilarbit 
was reared upon a frontier farm by one of the first families of this town- 
ship, and received a primitive pioneer school education. When but a 
small boy, he assisted in clearing the forest, and continued at like duties 
until his majority, when he began life for himself, first as a farm hand 
and afterward upon rented land until 1865, in the fall of which year he 
removed with his family to Marion County, locating eight miles from 
Indianapolis. He afterward moved westward with his father to Monroe 
County, Mo., where he farmed for four years, when he returned to this 
county, in the year 1872, and located two miles south of New Lancaster, 
since which time he has made numerous changes, having purchased, in 
1879, his present home. Mr. Harbit was married, June 6, 1864, to Miss 
Millie Townsend, of Madison County, born February 4, 1841, daughter 
of Isaac Townsend, one of the pioneers of Hamilton County. To this 
union was born one son — James Willard. Mr. Harbit has been a hard 
worker and liberal citizen. He is a stanch Democrat, and has served as 
Township Assessor and Constable. 

FRANCIS M. HARBIT was born in Hamilton County, Ind., August 
24, 1843, and is the second son of Isaac and Wincy (Brown) Harbit, the 
former a native of Kentucky, the latter of North Carolina. The grand- 
parents of Francis settled in this couhty about 1837. Isaac Harbit re- 
moved with his parents from Rush County to Tipton County, Ind., in the 
fall of 1837, and located near New Lancaster ; he was obliged to have a 
guide to find his father's land, which had been purchased unseen. Here 
he began life in a cabin with puncheon floor ; he endured many privations 
in his forest home among Indians, and killed seven deer in one half 
day. The family lived upon game and potatoes, made their own clothing? 
and in 1862 owned 160 acres of good land, which Mr. Harbit sold, and 
rf^moved to Monroe County, Mo., where he purchased 350 acres, on which 
he lived, and died June 10, 1879 ; his widow still resides on said farm, 
aged sixty-four years. Francis M. Harbit was reared on the paternal 
farm, acquiring but a limited education. When twenty-one years old, he 
commenced for himself by working on an elevator ; afterward he farmed 
on rented land for two years ; then sold goods at Jackson Station 
for one year, when he resumed farming for three years, and purchased 100 
acres near New Lancaster ; this farm he exchanged for one entered by 
one Benjamin Leavell, where he has since made his home. Mr. Harbit 
has now 198 acres in this township, well improved and cultivated; during 
his life he has owned eight different fiirms. On March 16, 1866, he 
married Miss Elizabeth Juday, born October 10, 1844, daughter of Samuel 
and Nancy (Ross) Juday, by whom he had eight children, five of whom 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 433 

survive — Effie M., Marquis S., John V., Charlie and Henry A. Mr. 
Harbit is an Odd Fellow, a member of the County Agricultural Society, 
of the Board of Directors, and a good citizen. 

WILLIAM P. HARMAN was born in Chatham County, N. C, 
February 27, 1807, and is the second son of George and Amelia (Polk) 
Harman, both natives of Virginia. The maternal grandfather of William 
was a Captain in the Revolutionary war, and his father a soldier of 1812. 
George Harman removed to North Carolina in 1805, and followed car- 
riage-making; he lived to be seventy years old, and was, as also his wife, 
a leading worker in the Baptist Church. William P. Harman received 
but spare education, and worked upon the farm until his majority. In 
1829, he removed to New Castle, Ind., and obtained employment at cutting 
wood and splitting rails ; he also worked at carpentering for 50 cents per 
day, and was boarded for 50 cents per week. He afterward opened a 
cabinet shop, which he continued until 1834, and on April 24 of that 
year was married to Miss Mary B. Leeson, daughter of Richard L. and 
Jane (Dewly) Leeson. To this union were born sixteen children, only 
four of whom are living — Moses D., William H., Edmund F. and T. Lin- 
coln. Soon after his marriage, he engaged in farming in Wayne County, 
at which he continued fourteen years. In the spring of 1848, he came to 
this county and purchased 160 acres of his present home, on which he 
located in August. Game was abundant, but Mr. Harman preferred 
clearing his land to hunting. For many years they made their own cloth- 
ing, and endured the common privations of the time. He has now 194 
acres as a home, the result of labor and economy. His son, John A. 
Harman, was a soldier of Company E, Thirty-fourth Indiana Volunteers, 
and served until the war closed, and after passing through many battles 
unscathed, was drowned from a small boat during a storm. 

BENJAMIN F. HINDS was born in Franklin County, Ind., February 
14, 1842, and is a son of Abraham and Margaret (Hetrick) Hinds, the 
former a native of New Jersey, the latter of Pennsylvania. The parents 
of Benjamin came West in early life, where they married and reared 
nine children, six of whom are living. Mr. Hinds was a cooper, and 
later a farmer. Mrs. Hinds still lives on the farm located by her 
father fifty-six years ago, aged sixty years. Benjamin passed his boy- 
hood on the farm with his father, and on September 18, 1861, enlisted 
in Company G, Thirty-seventh Indiana Volunteers, which was assigned 
to the Fourteenth corps, under Gen. Thomas. This regiment was en- 
gaged at Stone River, and in all the battles of the Atlanta campaign. 
After serving his term, during which he never asked for or received a 
furlough. Mr, Hinds was honorably discharged at Indianapolis, October 
27, 1864, since which time he has suffered greatly from rheumatism. 



434 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

After his return, he attended Peoria Academy two years, working at 
farming by times, and in 1866 entered Brookville College, whence, 
after nine months, he graduated with honors in the scientific course. 
The following winter he taught school, and in February, 1868, came 
to New Lancaster and engaged with his brother James (now deceased) 
in the mercantile line ; this he continued three years, after which he 
commenced farming, and in 1875 purchased his present home of eighty 
acres. In 1 876, he engaged with George Myerly, in the manufacture of 
drain tile. After Mr. Myerly's death, in January, 1882, he continued the 
business extensively, substituting steam for horse-power. On July 30, 
1870, Mr. Hinds was married, to Miss Charlotte Myerly, of this town- 
ship, born May 1, 1854, and daughter of George and Susanna (Clau- 
baugh) Myerly. Six children have blessed this union — George H., 
Alonzo F., Mary C, Mellie 0., Nettie B. and Anna B. C. Mr. Hinds 
is a Republican, an upright man, and a good citizen. 

JACOB B. HOBBS was born in Lee County, Va., October 18, 
1829, and is a son of Absalom and Mary (dinger) Hobbs, the former a 
native of Virginia, the latter of Germany. J. B. Hobbs obtained but 
little education, having to assist his father on the farm, that parent dying 
when .Jacob was eleven years old. When he was fifteen, he emigrated to 
Ohio and worked as a farm hand in Scioto County. In April, 1851, he 
and a brother removed to Missouri, having February 29 of the previous 
year married Miss Lucinda Seward, of Lee County, Va., born in Ken- 
tucky, June 6, 1832, daughter of Nathan Seward. Mrs. Hobbs died 
May 20, 1883, leaving seven children — Andrew J., Nancy C, Robert D., 
Absalom, Catherine, Cassius M. and Henry S. Mr. Hobbs and brother 
were not charmed with Missouri, and they embarked for this county, 
where they arrived June 3, 1851, cleared ground, erected a cabin and be- 
gan work. Mr. Hobbs now began to deal in cattle, was successful and 
soon purchased fifty acres of land for $500, on which he paid $200. He 
has been one of the largest stock dealers in the county ; he now has 634 
acres in this township, besides property in Tipton, all due to his great 
industry, having at one time labored for 37^ cents per day. In April, 
1882, he removed to his present residence. He is an active Republican ; 
has been Justice of the Peace two terms, without one reverse of judgment 
by the Superior Courts ; was enrollment officer during the war ; was 
Ditch Commissioner, and is Notary Public and Deputy Assessor ; he is 
also a Freemason. Mr. Hobbs drove the first cattle marketed from this 
county, and is now the heaviest tax-payer in his township. 

JOHN HOBBS was born in this township October 24, 1843, and is 
the seventh of the ten children of Absalom and Mary (Jones) Hobbs, 
both natives of Virginia. Absalom Hobbs emigrated to this State in 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 435 

1837, and located near Indianapolis, and in the winter of that year 
came to this county and entered eighty acres, on which he erected a 
cabin and in which he moved in the spring of 1838. He made tlie shoes 
for the family, his wife spinning and weaving the flax and wool for their 
clothing. He was a successful farmer and an expert coon-hunter, by 
which he obtained sufficient to pay for his groceries and taxes. He gave 
to each of his children eighty acres or its equivalent, and died, Septem- 
ber 27, 1880, aged seventy-one years ; his wife preceded him in 1878 ; 
they were prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. John 
Hobbs assisted on the farm until his eighteenth year, when, in August, 
1861, he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-ninth Indiana Volunteers. The 
regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and at the battle 
of Stone River Mr. Hobbs was taken prisoner and was sent to Libby 
Prison, at Richmond, being afterward paroled and later exchanged, June 
1, 1863, when he returned to his regiment at Murfreesboro, Tenn., and 
afterward, at the battle of Chickamauga, was wounded in the leg by a 
shell, which necessitated amputation of that member. He was captured 
after being wounded, but soon afterward exchanged and removed to 
Nashville; he was discharged, June 22, 1864, after which he attended 
school two years. On December 11, 1867, he married Miss Nancy E. 
Leavell, of this township, born October 15, 1848, daughter of Benjamin 
Leavell. To this union were born six children — Orlen 0., Nettie V., 
Mary M., Benjamin A., Perry M. and Frederick. In 1868, he engaged 
in farming in this township, where he continued until 1879, when he 
located on his present site, the land having been entered by his wife's 
father. Mr. Hobbs now has 107 acres, well improved ; he is a Repub- 
lican in politics. 

JOHN M. HOBBS was born in Marion County, Ind., May 26, 
1831, and is the eldest son of Henry H. and Rebecca (Ballard) Hobbs, 
both natives of Virginia. The paternal great-grandfather of John M. 
fought under King George III. Henry H. Hobbs, when young, emi- 
grated to Highland County, Ohio, where he was married, and afterward 
removed to Marion County, Ind., which county he assisted to organize, 
and built the first house in Indianapolis. In 1836, he came to this 
county, where he entered 480 acres, 200 of which he cleared. He erect- 
ed and occupied a cabin, from between the logs of which, on the first 
morning of occupancy, he shot a deer. He was a man of endurance, an 
expert hunter and respected citizen. He was a member of the U. B. 
Church, as is his wife, who lives on the home farm. Mr. 
Hobbs died March 6, 1852; he was twice married. John M. Hobbs as- 
sisted his father until his twenty-first year, when he began to work for 
himself, and saved enough from his wages of 50 and 70 cents a day to pur- 



436 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

chase his first eighty acres, a portion of his present home. On August 
18, 1854, he married Miss Mary A. Green, of this county, born in Mary- 
land in 1835. Five children have blessed their union, four of whom 
are living — Columbus G., Celina C, Sarah J. and Samuel T. Soon 
after his marriage, he occupied a log cabin in the forest, fourteen miles 
from a road and surrounded by savages, since which time he has cleared 
from the forest 130 acres, having in all 160, with large frame house and 
barn. In February, 1865, he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred 
and Fifty -third Regiment, for the term of war, serving seven months ; he 
was discharged August, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs are members of the 
Christian Church. 

WARDEN C. HOBBS was born May 16, 1839, on the farm on 
which he now resides, and which was settled by his father in 1836. He 
is the eldest of the six children of Henry H. and Maria (Peerson) Hobbs, 
the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Ohio. Mr. Hobbs was 
reared on the farm of his father, who died when the former was thirteen. 
In 1861, he built the house in which he now lives, and on March 10 of 
that year was married to Miss Sarah E. Beeson, of this township, born No- 
vember 7, 1839, daughter of James and Sarah (Little) Beeson. Eight 
children blessed this union — Vincent B., William S., Malury, Liblian, 
Julia, Molsey, Othamile and Edwood. In July, 1862, he enlisted in 
Company C, One Hundred and First Indiana Volunteers, assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland. He was in the battles of Perryville and Mil- 
ton, Tenn , after which he was taken sick, sent to the hospital, and 
finally transferred to the Invalid Corps, in which he had large experience 
as nurse and "dresser." He was discharged August 26, 1865, when he 
returned to his home and resumed farming. He has now 176 acres, 130 
of which are under cultivation, well improved and with good under-drain- 
age. Mr. Hobbs is a Republican and a progressive citizen. 

GRANVILLE H. HOBBS was born in Lee County, Va., May 16, 
1831, and is a son of Job and Susan (Flanery) Hobbs, both natives of 
Virginia. Job Hobbs was a farmer and stock-raiser, a prominent horseman, 
a Democrat and a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He died at the age of eighty years. G. H. Hobbs was reared as a farmer, 
and remained at home until he attained his majority, receiving his educa- 
tion from the subscription schools. He began life with his brother in the 
mercantile line at Owsley County, Ky. After two years, Mr. Hobbs 
purchased 400 acres and commenced as a farmer and stock-raiser. In 
1863, owing to the strength and growth of Southern sentiment, he deemed 
it expedient to move North, and arrived in this county March 1 of the 
following year, when he rented a farm in Madison Township, and after- 
ward purchased forty acres in Hamilton County, where he resided for a 



I 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 437 

time. In March, 1865, he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and 
Fifty-fifth Indiana Volunteers, and was discharged in August following. 
On returning home, he resumed farming and added forty acres to his land. 
In 1867, he purchased his present home, which he has largely improved 
by good buildings and the like, constituting as good a farm as the township 
contains, of 235 acres, of which 150 acres are cultivated. He was married, 
February 4, 1857, to Jane Myers, of Lee County, Va., born March 3, 
1839, daughter of John and Rachel Myers. His union was fruitful in 
eleven children, nine of whom survive — Lucetta J., Rachel A., Varthu- 
la, William S., John S., Sarah E., Ida, Janetta and Maud E. 

M. M. HOBBS was born in this county December 14, 1845, and is 
one of the ten children of Levi and Cynthia (Boles) Hobbs, natives of 
Virginia and Ohio respectively. Levi Hobbs emigrated to Mar- 
ion County, Ind., in early manhood, where he married. In 
1^^41, he removed to this county, and located in Madison Town- 
ship on twenty- eight acres of forest land, which he increased to 
seventy, and of which he made a home. During the winter seasons he 
taught school successfully. He was a Democrat and served as Justice of 
the Peace ; he died April, 1863, aged fifty-four years. Mrs. Hobbs is 
still living, aged sixty-seven years. M. M. Hobbs acquired the usual 
education of farmers' boys, and grew to manhood at home. In 1868, he 
went West on a tour of prospecting, but soon returned and attended 
school, after which he taught for some time. In 1878, he commenced 
mercantile business at Hobbs, in which he has been successful. In 1879, 
he was appointed railroad agent, and Assistant Postmaster, and in April, 
1881, was commissioned Postmaster, which he still holds. In addition 
to his grain farm, he is interested in a tile factory. He is a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, also a Republican. In 1874, Mr. Hobbs was 
married to Miss Sarah J. Lilly, born March 7, 1856, daughter of Green 
Lilly, of this township. 

JOHN R. HOUSE was born in Morgan County, Ind., November 9. 
1841, and is the eldest of eleven children, nine of whom are living, of 
George and Lucy (King) House, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the 
latter of Ohio. George House was an early settler of Morgan County. 
In 1842, he removed to Hamilton County, and located on land entered 
by Mrs. House's parents, where he made many improvements ; 
he owned at his death 640 acres, besides having given 520 to his 
children. He was a man of great industry and endurance, a Freemason, 
a stanch Republican, a Patron of Husbandry and a prominent church- 
man ; he died September 22, 1877, aged fifty-seven, followed by his 
wife in February, 1879, aged fifty-four years. John R. was reared a 
farmer and received but a limited education. When twenty-one years of 



438 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

age he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and First Indiana Volun- 
teers, which was incorporated into Gen. Buell's command, later into the 
Armj of the Cumberland, and finally transferred to the Ninteenth In- 
diana Battery. The regiment participated in the struggles of Hoover's 
Gap, Chickamauga and Chattanooga. At the last-named point he was 
wounded in the left arm, but remained on duty. At Mission Ridge he 
was made a gunner of the Eighteenth Battery ; he was in the Army of 
Gen. Sherman at Atlanta and in the historic march to the sea, durino^ 
which he was " under fire " ninety successive days, and was much disabled 
by sickness ; he was discharged July 1, 1865, after three years' faithful 
and honorable service. He returned to Hamilton County, on November 
16 of which year he was married to Sarah Leman, by whom he has six 
children, four living — William V., Almeda G., Albert M. and Lucy C. 
After marriage he moved to his present farm of 240 acres. Mr. H. ig 
a stanch Republican, 

CARTER T.JACKSON, was born in Bourbon County, Ky., March 7, 
1807, and is the second son of James and Martha (Chambers) Jackson, both 
natives of North Carolina. Carter came with his parents to Wayne County, 
Ind., when five years of age, where his father entered land and began farm- 
ing ; he also tanned his own leather, and made shoes for the family, his wife 
spinning the flax and wool, from which his clothes were made. He was 
an active Democrat, and he and wife were prominent Baptists. Carter 
grew up a pioneer farmer, and received a fair education at the peculiar 
schools of that day. When twenty-one years of age, he began teaching 
for his neighbors ; he also worked on the farm until 1838, when he located 
in this county, and entered 240 acres at $1.25 per acre, \\^iere he erected 
a cabin and resided therein while unfinished. His trading was done and 
grain ground at Milton and Perkinsville ; his wheat was hauled to Law- 
renceburg — 120 miles — for 62^ cents per bushel. Mr. Jackson resided 
in the county five years previous to its organization, and was inspector of 
the first election, there being but nineteen votes cast ; these he carried to 
Noblesville on horseback. He gave his first vote for Gen. Jackson in 1832, 
and has since voted with the Democrats. In 1845, he was elected to the 
Legislature from Tipton and Hamilton Counties, and has since been very 
popular. Mr. Jackson was married, June 7, 1836, to Miss Malinda Lea- 
veil, of Wayne County, Ind., born November 13, 1815. By this union 
they had nine children — Monroe, Louisa (deceased), Lafayette, F. Mar- 
ion, Thomas J., Sarah M., Andrew, Terence M. and Serepta L. Mrs. 
Jackson died March 2, 1873, aged fifty-eight years. Mr, Jackson has 
a very extensive orchard, which he himself planted from seed gathered in 
AVayne County. 

MARGARET (BAKER) JAHRLING is the widow of Jacob Jahrling 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 439 

(once a leading farmer of this township), who came hither from Shel- 
by County, Ind., September, 1858, and located upon land having small 
improvements, and purchased 150 acres. Mr. Jahrling was a native of 
Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, born April 4, 1820. In 1830, his parents 
emigrated to America, and located for two years in Fredericktown, Penn., 
thence removing to Shelby County, Ind., where he assisted his father to 
make a home. On February 17, 1842, he married Miss Margaret Baker, 
a native of Bavaria, Germany, born June 13, 1819, daughter of Michael 
and Margaret (Chattle) Baker, who emigrated to America and entered 
160 acres in Shelby- County, Ind. Mrs. Jahrling and her hus- 
band began life poor, living the first year mainly on corn bread. They 
soon, however, improved their circumstances, while farming on rented land 
for ten years, and afterward purchased 120 acres. In all of this period 
Mrs. Jahrling assisted her husband in the field. On removing to this 
county, after selling their farm, they labored industriously, having 100 
acres under cultivation here, with good buildings and a large variety of 
fruit, it being now one of the best farms in the township. Mr. Jahrling 
died September 21, 1880, aged sixty years, and is buried on Little Duck 
Creek, on land cleared by himself. He was the father of eleven children, 
eight of whom survive — Margaret, Mary, Henry, Catherine, Jacob, John, 
Peter and Elizabeth. The three youngest are at home with their mother. 
Mr. Jahrling was an active Democrat, and a member of the Lutheran 
Church. Mrs. Jahrling is a member of the United Presbyterian Church. 
J. T. JESSUP, M. D., Curtisville, whose portrait appears in this 
work, is the eldest son of a family of thirteen children born to Ellis W. 
and Melicent (Hinshaw) Jessup. He is of English descent, and was born 
in Hamilton County, Ind., January 27, 1849. His father is also a native 
of Indiana, born in Wayne County November 15, 1824. He was a son 
of Abraham and Hannah Jessup, and was reared on his father's farm, 
near Richmond, until he was eight years old, when his parents moved to 
Hamilton County. Here he remained working on the farm and obtaining 
such education as the schools of that time afforded, continuing farming in 
Hamilton County until 1868, when he removed to Marion, and 
thence to Hendricks County, where he now lives, near Plainfield. He 
was reared to heed the doctriijes of the Friends' Church, but since his 
marriage with Miss Melicent Hinshaw, which occured June 11, 1846, he 
has been a member of the Christian Church. He is an active Republican 
and an enterprising citizen of Hendricks County. J. T. Jessup, the sub-, 
ject of this sketch, was reared on the home farm, attending the public 
schools until the age of thirteen, when he was sent to the Poplar 
Rido-e Seminarv, where he continued attending until he was seventeen : 
then he attended the Zionsville Academy one year. With this excellent 



440 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

academic education, he began teaching. After having taught one year, 
his health failed, and he spent the summer in Northern Minne- 
sota, whence he returned in good health, and for a number of years con- 
tinued teaching in Hamilton and Marion Counties, and while thus engaged 
began the study of medicine. Subsequently entering the Indiana Medi- 
cal College, located at Indianapolis, he graduated in 1873. He then 
traveled extensively through the Western States, visiting the various mines 
and other objects of interest in Utah, Nevada and California. After re- 
turning, he spentone winter in the South and Southwest, remaining a por- 
tion of the time in New Orleans, then visiting the Western States, and 
remaining at Philadelphia during the Centennial, when he returned and 
located at Curtisville in the autumn of 1876, where he has since been in 
practice, and has established a successful and lucrative business. Dr. 
Jessup has been a life-long Republican, and is foremost in all progressive 
measures of education and enterprise. He was married, July 1, 1877, to 
Miss Bessie Lee, a daughter of John and Kate Lee, of Curtisville. They 
have two children — Gerna and Glenna. 

DAVID JUDAY was born in Preble County, Ohio, March 11. 
1832, and is the only living son of Samuel and Catherine (Michael) 
Juday, the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Ohio. Samuel 
Juday came early to Ohio, where he married Catherine Michael, who 
died, when he married Nancy Ross. By diligence, he acquired a com- 
fortable home out of the wooded land, and was an active participator in 
organizing his county and township. David Juday came to this town- 
ship when nine years old, where he assisted his father, and acquired some 
education from the schools of that time, to which he added by applica- 
tion after his periods of work. On reaching manhood, he received 
eighty acres from his father, now a part of his present home. On No- 
vember 23, 1856, he was married to Miss Mary Houser, of this county, 
born in Preble County, Ohio, May 6, 1838, and came hither with her 
parents, Isaac and Susanna (Catherman) Houser ; this union was blessed 
with thirteen children, of whom eight are living — John H., Lewis F., 
Irvin E., Ora A., Lucinda C, Amos 0., C. Alice and Sarah B; After 
his marriage he returned to his forest home, where he has since resided ; 
to this land he has added, by clearing, sixty acres, making now 280 
acres. Mr. Juday came here when the county was an unbroken forest. 
He is an industrious man and useful citizen, a liberal Democrat, and a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, and a charter member of the Grange. 

HENRY A. JUDAY was born in this township April 30, 1850, and 
is the youngest of the ten children of Samuel and Nancy (Ross) Juday, 
the former a native of Virginia, and the latter of Ohio. In January, 
1841, the family removed from Preble County, Ohio, to this township. 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 441 

and located on land exchanged for property' in Ohio. Samuel Juday 
had at this time 284 acres of forest land; this he partly cleared, and 
erected a log cabin, afterward substituting better buildings ; he was a 
Democrat, and died September 13, 1880, his wife preceding him in Feb- 
ruary, 1878. Henry A. received but a limited education, having to as- 
sist his father at home. On October 16, 1870, he married Miss Mary 
E. Vanness, of this county, born in Butler County, Ohio, September 25, 
1852, daughter of Daniel Vanness ; to this union were born six children — 
Anna, Nellie, Samuel D., Frances A., Ollie M. and Vessie Viola. After 
marriage, Mr. Juday located on the home farm, in the second house built 
by his father, and four years later removed to his present home adjoin- 
ing, which embraces 140 acres, well drained and improved. Mr. Juday 
is a Democrat, an upright man and enterprising citizen. 

GREEN LILLY was born in West Virginia April 11, 1814, and is 
a son of David and Sarah (Wilson) Lilly, both natives of Virginia. 
Green spent his boyhood with his parents, in Henry County, Ind., where 
his father won from the forest a home, and where Green obtained his educa- 
tion, and taught one term of school before his majority, in the most 
primitive of cabins. Afterward he worked at farming and purchased an 
interest in a saw mill. In 1844, having purchased three forty-acre lots, 
and afterward obtained forty acres more, he sold the same and purchased 
120 in Cicero Township. On December 14, 1848, he was married to 
Miss Sarah E. Wright, of this township, born March 4, 1825, daughter 
of Joseph and Sarah J. (Salter) Wright. Eight children blessed this 
union — Joseph A., David, Sylvan E., Sarah J., Mary H., James G. 
(deceased), Edwin W. and Oliver G. Mr. Lilly sold his land in 1849, 
and in April, 1850, purchased eighty acres of his present home, to which 
he added eighty more and greatly improved, 120 of which are under culti- 
vation. He is a large stock-raiser, and devotes the greater part of his 
land to pasture. Although not a politician, he has been Justice of the 
Peace and Township Trustee, as well as County Commissioner one term. 
He prepared some of the first square timber and built some of the first 
cabins erected in Tipton. Mr. Lilly is a progressive and valued citizen, 
and Mrs. Lilly is a useful member of the M. E. Church. 

SAMUEL MORRIS was born in Ross County, Ohio, May 16, 1832, 
and is a son of John and Sarah (Wykoff ) Morris, the former a native of 
Indiana, the latter of Ohio. John Morris was a farmer, who removed 
from Ohio to Hamilton County, Ind., in 1835, and located near Straw- 
town, where he entered land and built a cabin. After some years, he re- 
moved to Arcadia, where he died May 3, 1879, aged eighty-three; his 
widow is still living, aged seventy-eight years ; he was and she is a mem- 
ber of the Dunkard Church. Samuel Morris was reared in Hamilton 



442 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 

County, where he attended the schools of the day. When nineteen years 
old, he began working for himself as a farm hand. He was married, 
March 11, 1854, to Miss Elizabeth Welshous, of Hamilton County, who 
died March, 1856, leaving one daughter, Adaline. Mr. Morris was 
next married, May 10, 1857, to Miss Martha Likens, of Madison 
County, born September 15, 1831. Eight children blessed this union, 
of whom six nre living — Sarepta J., Malinda A., John F., Celia A., Sarah 
M. and Susnnna R. In 1858, Mr. Morris located where he yet resides, 
and lived in a poor cabin, which has now given way to a handsome frame 
dwelling, at a cost of |2,000 ; he now owns 160 acres, ninety of which 
are well cultivated and underdrained. February 13, 1865, he enlisted 
in Company K, One Hundred and Fifty-third Indiana Volunteers ; he 
was mostly on guard duty until discharged, September 7, 1865, when 
he resumed farming. He is a stanch Ptepublican. 

GEORGE W. MYERLY was born in Maryland June 2, 1835, and 
is the eldest son of George and Susan (Clabaugh) Myerly, both natives 
of Maryland. George MyeHy was a farmer, and in 1837 moved to 
Wayne County, Ind., whence he removed, in the fall of 1842, to this 
county and entered eighty acres one-half mile east of New Lancaster, on 
which he erected a rude cabin. Here he experienced many hardships, 
but being a man of strong endurance and will, he overcame them by de- 
grees and became independent. He took part in organizing his county 
and township ; was a Democrat and held several oflBces. He died Jan- 
uary 15, 1882, aged seventy years ; his wife is living on the home farm, 
aged sixty-nine years. George W. Myerly assisted his father on the 
farm and attended school until his twenty-second year. On April 9, 1857, 
he was married to Miss Lucinda Ray, of Madison County, born August 
18, 1837, daughter of Hugh Ray. To this union followed four children, 
three of whom are living — Frances M., Mary E. and J. Elmer. Shortly 
after marriage, Mr. Myerly removed to the farm, which he now occu- 
pies. Here, by industry, economy and the struggle with privation, he 
was enabled, in December, 1867, to make a payment on said farm of 160 
acres, which was paid for five years thereafter, and which he has since 
greatly improved, including the building of a bank-barn costing $1,000, 
the best in the county. Mr. Myerly is a Democrat and has been elected 
County Commissioner and to other minor offices. 

JAMES NELSON was born in Fayette County, Ind., January 14, 
1814, and is the fourth of the eight children of Andrew and Elizabeth 
(Jones) Nelson, both natives of South Carolina. Andrew Nelson em- 
igrated to what was afterward Fayette County in 1813, where he expe- 
rienced much pi'ivation, and in 1821, after the death of his wife, removed 
to Union County and engaged in farm labor. About 1850, he located in 



I MADISON TOWNSHIP. 445 

this township, where he cleared a farm, and closed his life December 14, 
1855. He was a Jacksonian Democrat and an upright citizen. Jamea 
Nelson was reared on the paternal farm and acquired a fair education. 
When eight years old, he was bound to a farmer, with whom he re- 
mained ten years, then beginning farm labor in Union County. He 
soon returned to Fayette County and engaged in farming. There, May 
13, 1834, he was married to Aurilla J. Palmer, of New York, who died 
August 13, 1851, leaving four children — Aurilla J., Martha E., John W. 
and Miranda. On November 19, 1857, Mr. Nelson was married to Mrs. 
Mary E. (Watkins) Trenberger, of Tipton County, by whom he had five 
children — Laura S., Louisa A., Emma Y., Mary E. (deceased) and 
Loretta J. In 1847, Mr. Nelson removed, by ox-team, to Wisconsin, 
where his first wife died. On January 10, 1853, he returned to this 
township and engaged in farming until the fall of 1865, and in the 
following spring removed to New Lancaster and engaged in the gro- 
cery trade, to which he added, later, dry goods, notions, boots and 
shoes. He now has a good stock of goods and owns some village prop- 
erty. Mr. Nelson gave his first vote for Gen. Harrison, in 1836 ; he is 
now a Republican, and was commissioned Postmaster of New Lancaster 
in 1870. 

JAMES NELSON is the seventh in a family of eight children born 
to John and Mary (Mabbet) Nelson ; he was born in Wayne County, 
Ind., October 7, 1834, and was reared by Larken Garr, his father^hav- 
ing died in 1836 ; his mother, a daughter of Anthony Mabbet, died in 
1871. At the age of twenty he moved to Madison County, and for nine 
years worked in a saw-mill, earning enough in the meantime to buy a 
half interest. He next bought a tract of land on Duck Creek, Madison 
County, which land, five years later, he traded for the sixty acres he now 
owns in this township — then all in a wild state, but now highly improved 
and increased to 120 acres. January 4, 1857, he married Louisa, daugh- 
ter of John and Catherine (Farren) Brown, and to this union have been 
born seven children, named as follows : John W., James V., Franklin 
Jesse, Ora Josephine, Delia and Charles. Of these, three are dead. 
Mr. Nelson has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for about twelve 
years, and in politics votes with the Democratic party. 

DR. GRANVILLE NEWBY was born in Somerset, Ky., April 6, 
1821, and is the third of the eight children of Edmund and Mary 
(Tumbleson) Newby, the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Ken- 
tucky. When Dr. Newby was seven years old, his parents removed to 
Indianapolis, where he assisted his father upon the farm until his major- 
ity, having obtained a limited education from the common schools, when 
he began the study of medicine in the oflice of Drs. Ruddle &: Maranda 



446 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

of Allisonville, he studied five years, and afterward located at Cicero- 
town, Hamilton County, where he commenced practice in the spring of 
1847, and in October following removed to New Lancaster, being the 
first physician in this township ; he began practice here in a primitive 
cabin purchased from Abraham Russel, and successfully endured the 
hardships of a general practice in a frontier country. On February 14, 
1847, he married Miss Abigail Barnhill, of Indianapolis, born April 5, 
1830, daughter of Robert and Jane Barnhill ; to this union were born 
ten children, three of whom are living — Mary E., Presley and Frank. 
Dr. Newby can recall many circumstances of early life, and has a pioneer 
table of hewed white ash, five feet long and thirty-eight inches wide ; he 
recalls the first mill to which he was sent, in which the grain was cracked 
— the finer being used as meal, the other as hominy — in a dugout tree, 
the beater being an iron wedge. Dr. Newby is an enterprising man and 
leading citizen. Mrs. Newby is a member of the Christian Church. 

HUGH RAY (deceased) was born in North Carolina ; he removed 
when young to Tennessee, where he married Sarah C. Reder, a native of 
that State. A few years afterward he emigrated on foot, to Rush Coun- 
ty, Ind., first stopping at White Water, and thence going westward to 
Madison County, where he commenced pioneer life with limited means, 
struggling from year to year for a livelihood, corn bread being his main 
food ; later, however, by industry and saving, he succeeded in obtaining 
eighty acres of land. During this time the family clothing was made 
from the flax raised by them, they experiencing many of the hardships 
common to early settlers, but game was abundant, as were also the Indi- 
ans. Mr. Ray was a man of much endurance, and always secured his 
share of game. Once, while attending a log rolling, he received an in- 
jury which rendered him a life-time cripple ; he died in December, 1845, 
and his wife about 1860 ; they had eleven children born to them, of whoto 
seven are living ; both were members of church. 

EDWARD J. SHARP was born in Highland County, Ohio, Sep- 
tember 27, 1811, and is one of the ten children of Andrew and Elizabeth 
(Watts) Sharp, both natives of South Carolina. Andrew Sharp emigrat- 
ed to Highland County about 1808, where he farmed until 1827, when 
he removed to Marion County, Ind., locating nine miles west of Indianap- 
olis ; he then removed to Hamilton County, and thence to this county in 
1838, where he entered 160 acres and made improvements. He had 
various struggles, the family making their own clothing for many years, 
and as he was about establishing a good home he died in 1858, his 
wife having gone before, in 1856, he being eighty-one and she seventy- 
one years of age. Mr. Sharp was a soldier of 1812, and participated in 
the organization of the county and township ; both he and wife were 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 447 

Presbyterians. Edward J. Sharp was sixteen years old when his parents 
removed to Marion County, where he received a rudimentary education 
and assisted his father. In 1833, he made a trip to La Porte and Michi- 
gan City in search of a location, but soon returned to Marion County. 
In 1840, he came to this county on foot, and had walked from Marion 
County to Highland County, Ohio, in four days — 200 miles. On Janu- 
ary 1, 1840, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Leaman, born July 3, 
1811, near Bardstown, Ky., daughter of Robert and Mary (Richy) 
Leaman. To this union were born six children, four of whom are 
living — Amanda, Lydia, Mahala and Sophia. In 1859, he purchased 
the homestead, on which he has since resided. He acquired, in all, 
280 acres, but has given to his children 180. Mr. Sharp was a soldier 
in the Black Hawk war, and had two sons in the late war, one of 
whom perished from wounds received in the service, the other from 
exposure therein. 

JAMES SHAW (deceased) was born in Butler County, Ohio, Sep- 
tember 16, 1797, and was the son of Knowles and Sophia (Ogg) Shaw, of 
Maryland. James was taught farming in connection with the trade of a 
tanner, and in 1822 moved to this State, and located on Flat Rock, in 
Rush County, where he entered eighty acres, and built and occupied a 
cabin without window, fire-place or floor. After residing here a few years, 
he removed to Vermillion County, and after two years returned to Rush 
County and entered 120 acres. This he sold in 1836 for $1,100, when 
he came to this county and entered the land on which his widow now 
lives. Previous to coming West, on March 22, 1821, he married Miss 
Sarah Little, born in Susquehanna County, N. Y., in 1804, daughter of 
John and Lydia (Hendrickson) Little, the former a native of New York, 
the latter of England. Ten children succeeded this union, of whom six 
survive — John, Albin, George L., Lydia, Malinda and Martha J. Mr. 
Shaw and family endured many privations, and for years they made their 
clothing from homegrown flax. Mr. Shaw" at one time owned 670 
acres, which he lived to see partially improved. He was a prominent 
man among his neighbors ; he was a Democrat, a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, and a useful citizen ; he died May 21, 1829. Mrs. 
Shaw is a member of the United Brethren Church, and is now seventy- 
nine years old. 

ALBIN SHAW was born in Rush County, Ind., December 6, 
1828, and is the fourth son of James Shaw, a pioneer of this township. 
Albin was reared a farmer, with fair education, coming to this county 
when but nine years of age, and assisted his father until of age. In 
1851, he was married to Sarah Shaw, of this county, daughter of 
Isaac Shaw, who died in 1856, leaving three children, two of whom 



448 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

survive — Marion and Catharine. After his marriage, Albin located 
upon eighty acres of forest land, given him by his father, on which he 
built a cabin, and where he established a fine home ; he was a fond 
hunter of the game of that day ; he has assisted in cutting most of the 
roads of the southeast part of this township, and has been Road Super- 
visor for ten years. 

JOHN SHAW, Sr., was born April 15, 1824 ; came to Tipton 
County in 1837, and assisted his father on the farm, which his mother, 
Sarah Shaw, now occupies, and where he passed his boyhood and received 
^ fair education. When twenty-one years old, he began working at jobs, 
thus earning his first horse. In the spring of 1846, he set about clearing 
the land on which he now resides, and on July 9 of that year was mar- 
ried to Miss Sarah Willborn, of Madison County, born in North Carolina 
March 8, 1825, daughter of William and Ruth (Hay worth) Willborn. 
Seven children followed this union, six of whom are living — Mary, Will- 
iam B., James 0., Sylvester T., Thomas J. and George B. Mr. Shaw 
now erected and moved into a log cabin with plank floor, where he re- 
sided for many years, which has since given way to fine buildings and 
improvements. He is a large and enthusiastic stock-raiser, especially of 
horses ; is a member of the Masonic brotherhood, an active Democrat, 
having been Real Estate Appraiser, Township Assessor and Constable. 
He was a lover of hunting, killing his last deer in 1868, and for years a 
trapper and dealer in furs. Mrs. Shaw is a member of the New- 
Light Church. 

JACOB T. WHISLER was born in Wayne County, Ind., October 
16, 1835, and is the eldest son of Rev. John and Elizabeth (Thomas) 
Whisler, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Kentucky. 
Rev. John Whisler was reared a farmer, and emigrated to Wayne County, 
where he married, and farmed on rented land until 1846, when he re- 
moved to this county, where he located on land entered by him in 1836 ; 
here he succeeded in making a good home. In 1883, he removed to 
Kansas, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising. He is an or- 
dained minister of the Christian Church. Jacob T. Whisler passed his 
boyhood in Cicero Township, where he received what education he has. 
He was married, April 28, 1858, to Miss Sarah A. Carr, of this town- 
ship, born June 5, 1842, daughter of Jacob Carr, deceased. To this 
union were born eight children, of whom six survive — Mary E., Theodore N. 
John W., Edward W., Harvey W. and Arty Carl. In the spring of 1860, 
he removed to where he has since resided, and cleared fifty acres. Mr. 
Whisler is a Republican ; has held some minor township oflSces, and is an 
esteemed citizen. 

DELAY AN WILKINS was born in Hamilton, Ohio, May 11, 1817, 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 449 

being one of the six children of Philip and Mary (Van Clief) Wilkins, 
the former a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Maryland. Delavan 
was early left fatherless, and necessitated to labor for the family for 12^ 
cents per day; he therefore obtained but meager education. On reach- 
ing his majority, he began life for himself, and devoted his wages to his 
mother. On May 31, 1839, he was married to Miss Rebecca Crisman, 
of Hamilton County, born 1825, daughter of Adam Crisman, by which 
union ten children were born, six of whom are living — Christian, Will- 
iam, Malinda, Delavan, George and Mary R. After marriage, Mr. 
Wilkins began farming on rented land, soon after which he sustained a 
serious injury to his right leg from a scythe ; this rendered him unable 
to labor for one year, rendering himself and family nearly destitute ; they 
now moved to Marion County, and rented land within nine miles of In- 
dianapolis, traveling by wagon, losing a horse on the way, arriving in 
their locality in March, 1847; here he labored very hard, getting 50 
cents a bushel for corn, and paying |80 a year for his farm. After this, 
he located upon other land, for which he paid |230 a year ; here he 
farmed and raised stock. In Jihe spring of 1864, he returned to this 
county and purchased eighty acres, which he sold, buying that on 
which he now resides, having cleared eighty acres, and erected good build- 
ings and improvements ; he has now 120 acres. Mr. Wilkins has been 
a leading hog and cattle raiser, and has taken many prizes therefor ; he is 
now a Republican, but was formerly a Democrat. 

ELI WRIGHT was born April 6, 1850 ; he is a son of Iredell and 
Julia A. (Moore) Wright, the former a native of Wayne County, Ind., 
the latter of Virginia. Iredell Wright, when a young man, came West 
to occupy land which his father had entered on Big Duck Creek. While 
boarding with a Mr. Thomas Moore, he married his daughter — Julia A., 
whose parents were pioneers. Soon after marriage, Mr. Wright erected 
a log cabin on what has been for forty years the " Wright farm." He 
ransomed from the forest a home of 160 acres, to which he afterward 
added various improvements ; he was a good trader, a large stock-dealer, 
a Democrat, and, for eleven years, Township Trustee, and County Com- 
missioner at his death, January 19, 1875. He was the second wealthiest 
man in Madison Township ; his venerable wife resides at Elwood. Eli 
Wright obtained a fair common school education, and whAi he became 
of age began life for himself. In 1872, he located three miles north of 
Elwood, residing with a sister, and working on his farm for two years ; 
he then returned to the homestead, and remained until after his father's 
decease, when he removed to his present residence. On November 7, 
1879, he married Miss Ida Starkey, of this county, born April 4, 1868, 
and daugther of Steward Starkey, a pioneer of this township ; three chil- 



450 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 

dren followed this union — Herman, Bessie and Claudie. Mr. Wright is 
an active Democratic politician, and in 1883 was a candidate for SheriflF of 
the county.- 

MORGAN WRIGHT was born in Wayne County, Ind., September, 
14, 1835, and is the eldest of the five children of William and Margaret 
(McCoy) Wright, both natives of Wayne County, whose grandparents 
were early settlers of that county, and located on Nolan's Fork. When 
Morgan was one year old, his parents removed to Hancock County and 
settled in the forest, where he was reared to manhood and obtained some 
education. At eighteen years of age, he began life for himself, and came 
to this county in 1852. On September 17, 1856, he was married to 
Miss Celia Philpott, of this township, born in Fayette County, Septem- 
ber 16, 1838, daughter of Martin Philpott, who located here in 1832. 
Seven children blessed this union, six of whom survive — William E., 
John M., George B. McClellan, Josephus, Celia E. and Julia A. Mr. 
Wright was without means after his marriage, but by providence and in- 
dustry improved his fortunes. In 1857, he received a legacy of $1,000, 
with which he purchased eighty acres in this township, where he lived 
some years, afterward purchasing the old Philpott farm, on which he re- 
sides ; he now owns about 400 acres, 380 of which are in this township. 
Mr. Wright is an active Democrat. He was elected County Commis- 
sioner in 1875, and served with general favor. He is a member of the 
Masonic body and a Patron of Husbandry. 

DANIEL YOHE was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, February 
11, 1844; his father, David Yohe, was a native of Pennsylvania, and at 
his majority moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he followed his trade of tail- 
oring, and was married. He changed to Greencastle and then to Pyr- 
mont, where his wife died ; he married again, and in 1859 came with his 
family to Tipton County, bought eighty acres of forest land, which his 
sons improved while he worked at his trade, and died in September, 
1870, aged fifty-nine years. He had been a Democrat in politics, and 
had served through the war with Mexico. Daniel Yohe, at the age of 
eighteen months, was left motherless, and was reared by Lewis Mund- 
henk, a pioneer of Montgomery County, Ohio, until fourteen years old, 
when he came to this county with his father, whom he assisted three 
years, and then enlisted in July, 1862, in Company G, Seventy-fifth In- 
diana Volunteer Infantry. Among the engagements in which he took 
part were those of Hoover's Gap, Chickamauga and Mission Ridge ; he 
was also with Sherman at Atlanta, and was in the grand review at 
Washington ; he received his discharge in June, 1865, returned home, 
and worked as a farm hand five years, and September 8, 1870, married 
Mrs. Mary R. (Myerly) Stevens, daughter of George Myerly, and bora 



MADISON TOWNSHIP. 451 

February 9, 1833. To this marriage was born one child — Mary M., 
who died at the age of seven months. Mrs. Yohe was the mother of 
seven children by her first husband, two of whom are still living — Jose- 
phus F. and Mary E. Mr. Yohe has now a fine farm of 183 acres, with 
a large brick dwellinsj and other improvements. He is a Democrat, and 
has held several township offices. 




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